yv 


Digitized  by 

the  Internet  Archive 

in  2015 

https://archive.org/details/annalsofsanfrancOOsoul_0 


THE 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO 

CONTAINING 

A  SUMMARY  OF  THE  HISTORY  OF  THE  FIRST  DISCOVERY. 
SETTLEMENT,  PROGRESS,  AND  PRESENT  CONDITION  OF 

CALIFORNIA, 

AND  A  COMPLETE  HISTORY  OF  ALL  THE  IMPORTANT  EVENTS 
CONNECTED  WITH 

ITS    GREAT  CITY: 


TO  WHIOH  ABE  ADDED, 

BIOGRAPHICAL  MEMOIRS  OF  SOME  PROMINENT  CITIZENS. 


BY- 
FRANK  SOULE,  JOHN  H.  GIHON,  M.  D., 

AND 

JAMES  NISBET. 


ILLUSTRATED  WITH  ONE  HUNDRED  AND  FIFTY  FLNE  ENGRAVINGS. 


"  Go  to,  let  lis  build  ns  a  city,  and  a  tower, 
Whose  to]>  may  reach  unto  heaven; 
And  let  us  make  us  a  name." 


NEW  YORK: 
I).  APPLET  ON  &  COMPANY,  346  &  348  BROADWAY. 
SAN  FRANCISCO:  MONTGOMERY  STREET. 
LONDON:  10  LITTLE  BRITAIN. 

M.DCSC0.LV.  /  <C~~. 


Entered,  according  ti>  Act  «f  Congress,  in  the  year  185i,  by 
D.  A  PPLETON  &  COMPANY, 
In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States  for  the  Southern  District 
of  New  York. 


TO  THE 

'SOCIETY  OF  CALIFORNIA  PIONEERS," 

THIS  WORK 
is 

RESPECTFULLY  DEDICATED 
BY 

THE  AUTHORS. 


PREFACE. 


Were  not  the  plan,  scope  and  purpose  of  the  present  volume  sufficiently 
explained  in  the  text  of  the  work  itself,  we  should  despair  of  adequately 
initiating  the  reader  in  these  subjects  in  the  limited  space  necessarily 
assigned  to  a  Preface.  It  is  not  necessary  to  offer  a  reason  for  the  ap- 
pearance of  these  "  Annals."  To  read  and  to  know  something  of  the 
history  of  this  new  Tadinor  which  has  grown  up  so  suddenly  in  the  midst 
of  what  was  but  recently  merely  a  desert,  the  centre  of  that  vast  trade 
which  the  golden  smile  of  California  opened  at  once  to  the  world,  is  so 
natural  and  inevitable  a  desire,  that  it  may  be  taken  for  granted,  and 
dismissed  as  a  foregone  conclusion.  The  plan  of  the  work  is  such  as  its 
nature  seemed  to  require,  and  the  style  and  manner  of  treatment  must 
rest  for  approval  and  criticism  with  the  Pu'blic,  for  whom  it  was  written 
and  to  whom  it  is  now  submitted. 

To  avoid  the  necessity  of  frequent  references  in  the  body  of  the  work 
to  authorities,  and  to  those  who  have  generously  extended  to  the  authors 
facilities  for  its  production,  the  Preface  has  been  selected  as  the  most 
fitting  place  for  expressing  our  obligations.  For  unrestricted  access  to 
the  "  Californian,"  the  "  California  Star,"  and  the  "  Alta  California " 
newspaper  files,  we  are  indebted  to  the  courtesy  of  Mr.  Edward  Conner, 
one  of  the  proprietors  of  the  last  named  journal.  Much  valuable  statis- 
tical and  other  information  has  been  derived  from  the  "  San  Francisco 
Herald,"  full  files  of  which  were  kindly  placed  at  our  disposal  by  its 
editor  and  proprietor,  Mr.  John  Nugent.  The  "  California  Chronicle," 
from  its  commencement  to  the  date  of  publication  of  this  volume,  was 
also  placed  by  the  proprietors  at  our  service.    We  are  likewise  indebted 


6 


PREFACE. 


to  Messrs.  T.  J.  Nevins  and  Wm.  H.  0 'Grady  for  information  respect- 
ing the  public  schools ;  to  Mr.  J.  L.  Van  Bokkelin,  for  important  facts 
concerning  the  fire  department;  to  Mr.  A.  G.  Randall,  for  particulars  in 
regard  to  military  organizations ;  to  Rev's  T.  Dwigkt  Hunt,  Albert  Wil- 
liams, J.  L.  Ver  Mehr,  S.  H.  Willey  and  0.  C.  Wheeler,  for  matter 
relating  to  the  early  state  of  religion  'and  churches  in  San  Francisco ; 
to  Messrs.  Thomas  0.  Larkin,  William  A.  Richardson,  Jacob  P.  Leese, 
Jacob  R.  Snyder,  James  Caldwell  Low,  Hiram  Pierson,  J.  D.  Steven- 
son, Samuel  Brannan,  R.  H.  Perry,  David  Jobson,  Samuel  J.  Bayard. 
Nathaniel  Gray  and  James  King  of  William,  for  much  useful  and  inter- 
esting information  regarding  the  early  and  present  history  of  the  city ; 
to  Mr.  J.  M.  Ford,  daguerreian  artist,  for  gratuitous  services  in  taking 
portraits  of  many  of  the  gentlemen  whose  memoirs  are  given ;  and  to 
our  citizens  generally  who  have  freely  responded  to  our  call  for  informa- 
tion, whenever  they  have  been  appealed  to  for  that  purpose.  Many  bio- 
graphical sketches  designed  for  this  work  have  been  omitte  1  for  want 
of  room,  the  volume  having  extended  to  nearly  double  the  size  originally 
intended  and  promised.  These,  however,  with  other  interesting  matters 
connected  with  the  progress  of  San  Francisco,  and  a  history  of  all  the 
important  cities  and  towns  of  California,  will  be  published  at  an  early 
day,  in  another  volume,  a  great  portion  of  the  material  for  which  is  al- 
ready prepared. 

The  necessity  of  condensing  within  the  reasonable  space  of  a  single 
volume,  the  history  of  a  city  which  has  occupied  for  the  five  or  six  years 
of  its  existence  so  much  of  the  attention  of  the  world,  and  the  unavoid- 
able collateral  history  of  California,  has  prevented,  to  some  extent,  a 
natural  impulse  and  inclination  to  indulge  more  at  length  in  many  inter- 
esting details.  But  it  is  believed  that  the  gist  of  the  whole  matter  is 
embraced  in  the  history  as  written,  and  that  no  important  event  has  been 
omitted,  which  would  have  been  of  interest  to  the  general  reader. 


CONTENTS. 


PART  I. 

OH  \PTER  I.— Proposed  treatment  of  the  work.— Etymology  of  the  name  California. — Lower  or 

Old  California. — Grixalra  and  Mendoza.— First  discovery.— Expeditions  of  Cortcz. — Cabrillo.— 
Fcrrelo.— Drake.— Drake  s  description  of  the  natives.— Bodega  and  San  Francisco  Bays.— Sir 
Francis  Drake's  Bay.— Captain  Thomas  Cavendish.— Captain  Woodes  Rogers.— His  description 
of  the  natives. — The  English  buccaneering  expeditions  along  the  west  coasts  of  the  Americas.— 
Political  reasons  why  the  Spanish  Government  strennously  prosecuted  the  discovery  and  settle- 
ment of  California.     P  21 

CHAPTER  II.— Expeditions  of  Viscaino.— Admiral  Otondo  and  Father  Kino.— First  settlement,  and 
introduction  of  the  priest  rule  in  the  Californias. — Failure  and  w  ithdrawal  of  the  first  missions. 
— Renewed  attempts  to  make  settlements.— Father  Salva-Tierraand  his  coadjutors.— Final  estab- 
lishment of  the  Jesuits  in  the  country.— Geographical  discoveries  of  Father  Kino. — Jesuits  ex- 
pelled and  superseded  by  Franciscan  Friars ;  these,  in  turn,  by  the  Dominican  Monks. — Population 
and  physical  character  of  Old  or  Lower  California    88 

CHAPTER  III.— First  settlement  of  New  or  Upper  California  by  Franciscan  Monks.— Supposed 
earliest  discovery  of  San  Francisco  Bay. — Origin  of  the  name  —Establishment  of  a  Mission  and 
Presidio  there,  and  ceremonies  on  the  occasion.— Gradual  establishment  of  Missions  and  Presidios 
over  the  country.— List  of  these,  and  population  of  some  at  various  dates.— The  gente  de  razon 
and  (he  bestias,  or  the  rational  creatures  and  beasts  of  the  country.— Causes  why  free  white  set- 
tlers few  in  number.— Character  i  f  the  natives  as  given  by  Venegas,  and  other  writers. — Progress 
and  apparent  destiny  of  the  Anglo-Saxons  on  the  Pacific   45 

CHAPTER  IV.— Conduct  of  the  Fathers  towards  the  natives.— Their  mode  of  instructing,  employ- 
ing and  subsisting  the  converts.— The  Fathers  do  not  appear  to  have  promoted  the  true  welfare 
of  the  aborigines,  or  done  any  good  to  humanity. — Pictures,  if  gaudily  colored  and  hon  ibL'  in 
subject,  great  aids  to  conversion. — Missions  and  population  of  the  country  at  recent  dates. — 
Table  on  this  subject — Tables  of  the  farm  produce  and  domestic  cattle  of  the  country.— Table  of 


prices   66 

CHAPTER  V.— Pious  Fund  of  California.— General  description  of  the  Missions.— Patriarchal  kind 
of  life  of  the  Fathers.— Reflections  on  the  subject.— General  description  of  the  Presidios,  Castillo*, 
and  their  garrisons,  and  of  the  free  Pueblos  and  Ranchios   67 


('H.VPTER  VI.— Independence  of  Mexico  in  1822,  and  gradual  changes  in  the  character  and  constitu- 
tion of  the  Missions. — Manumission  of  the  Indians  in  1826;  but  plan  found  unworkable,  and  re- 
turn to  the  old  state  of  things. — Gradual  disappearance  of  tho  Pious  Fund. — Increasing  riches  of 
the  Fathers. — Changes  of  1833  and  1884  in  the  Missions,  and  attempts  by  the  Mexican  Congress 
to  secularize  their  property. — Santa  Anna. — Attempted  Centralization  of  the  Mexican  Govern- 
ment.— Overthrew  of  [lie  old  Federal  Constitution  in  1836. — Revolt  and  Declaration  of  Indepen 
dence  of  the  Californians. — Continual  sinking  of  the  Fathers,  and  final  fall  of  the  Missions  in 
1845. — Indian  converts  sent  adrift,  and  Mission  property  sold  or  rented. — Cost  of  the  support 
of  the  Missions  to  the  Spanish  and  Mexican  Governments   74 


s 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  VII.  —  California  distinct  in  physical  character  and  national  feeling  from  the  other 
Mexican  provinces. — Beginning  and  progress  of  immigration  into  the  country. — The  Russians  at 
Bodega  Bay. — Later  great  increase  of  foreign  white  settlers ;  Americans  largely  preponderating. 
— Outrage  committed  upon  the  settlers  by  Mexican  authorities. — Commodore  Jones  takes  pos- 
session of  Monterey. — Foreign  settlers  scatter  themselves  over  the  whole  country,  and  silently, 
but  rapidly,  revolutionize  or  Americanize  it. — Origin  of  the  war  of  1846  between  the  Mexican 
and  American  States     SI 

CHAPTER  VIII. — Col.  John  C.  Fremont — General  Jose  Castro.— Fremont  declares  war  against 
California.— Capture  of  Sonoma.— Proclamation  of  William  B.  Ide. — Letter  of  Pio  Pico,  Governor 
of  the  Californias,  to  Thomas  0.  Larkin,  Consul  of  the  United  States. — Thomas  0.  Larkin's  reply 
to  Pio  Pico. — California  declared  independent. — California  desired  by  the  American  Government. 
— Col.  Stevenson's  regiment. — Movements  of  General  Kearny. — Seizure  of  Monterey. — Proclama- 
tion of  Com.  Sloat. — Commander  Montgomery  takes  possession  of  Terba  Buena  and  Fremont  of 
San  Juan     90 

CHAPTER  IX. — Commodore  Stockton  takes  charge  of  the  American  forces  in  California.— Hostility 
of  the  Californians. — Proclamation  of  Com.  Stockton. — Landing  at  San  Pedro,  and  manoeuvres 
of  the  sailor  army. — Castro's  commissioners. — March  on  Los  Angeles,  and  flight  of  General 
Castro.— Triumphant  entry  into  Los  Angeles. — Provisional  government  formed. — The  difficulties 
of  Stockton's  march,  and  the  complete  success  of  his  plans. — Reported  hostility  of  the  Walla- 
Walla  Indians. — Enthusiastic  reception  of  Stockton  at  San  Francisco  and  other  places. — Satis- 
faction of  the  people  of  California  with  the  new  government.— Stockton  designs  to  cross  Mexico 
and  unite  with  the  forces  of  General  Taylor   101 

CHAPTER  X.  —  Insurrection  of  the  Californians.  —  Proclamation  of  General  Flores.  —  Defeat  Bnd 
surrender  of  Talbot  and  Gillespie. — Captain  Mervine  defeated,  with  the  crew  of  the  Savannah. — 
Com.  Stockton  defeats  the  Californians  at  San  Diego. — Defeat  of  General  Kearny  at  San  Pasqual. 
— The  official  relations  of  Com.  Stockton  and  Gen.  Kearny. — Movement  against  Los  Angeles. 
— Battles  of  the  Rio  San  Gabriel,  and  the  Plains  of  the  Mesa. — Fremont  negotiates  with  General 
Flores  and  Andreas  Pico. — Fremont  appointed  Governor,  and  subsequently  tried  by  Court  Mar- 
tial.— Arrival  of  Commodore  Shubrick,  and  the  confirmation  of  General  Kearny  as  Governor. — 
Mexican  Governors  of  California. — Foreign  Consuls  in  the  Territory  118 

CHAPTER  XI. — Peace  conclndcd  between  the  Mexican  and  American  States. — Terms  of  the  Treaty. 
— California  ceded  to  the  United  States. — The  country  ruled  provisionally  by  American  Govern- 
ors.— Rapid  increase  of  population  by  immigration.— Discovery  of  gold  on  the  American  River 
by  Mr.  James  W.  Marshall. — Great  excitement  in  consequence  of  the  discovery,  and  rush  of  peo- 
ple to  the  gold  placers. — Mixed  character  of  the  population. — Necessity  for  the  establishment  of 
a  proper  form  of  Government. — Independent  sectional  legislation  inadequate  and  unsatisfactory. 
— Meetings  held  to  effect  a  general  civil  organization. — General  Riley  issues  a  proclamation  for 
a  meeting  to  be  held  at  Monterey  to  adopt  a  State  Constitution. — Names  of  delegates  appointed. 
—Meeting  at  Monterey. — Constitution  of  California  adopted,  and  rejoicings  on  the  occasion. .  128 

CHAPTER  XII.— Geographical  limits  of  Upper  California. — General  description  of  the  country.— 
Two  great  divisions  of  the  northern  part  of  the  State. — Fertility  of  the  soil.— Peculiarities  of 
the  climate.— Two  seasons :  wet  and  dry.— Products  of  the  country. — Fogs  and  winds  on  the 
coast. — The  harbors. — Country  west  of  the  Sierra  Nevada. — The  Sacramento  and  San  Joaqnin 
rivers,  and  their  valleys. — This  region  of  country  abounds  in  timber. — Excessive  heat  in  the  dry 
season. — Localities  of  the  chief  gold  placers.— Immense  size  of  trees. — Silver,  lead,  copper  and 
coal  mines. — Advantages  to  the  immigrant   140 


PART  II. 

CHAPTER  I.— Description  of  the  Golden  Gate.— Origin  of  the  name.— The  Bays  of  San  Francisco, 
San  Pablo,  and  Snisun.— Rivers  emptying  into  Snisun  Bay.— Description  of  the  adjacent  coun- 
try.— Indian  tradition.— Remarkable  fertility  of  the  soil.— Farm  produce  and  mode  of  farming.— 
Location  of  the  City  of  San  Francisco  — The  name  Terba  Buena  — The  first  house  built— Dis- 
advantages of  the  locality.— No  provision  made  for  desirable  public  squares  or  parks   U9 


CONTENTS. 


it 


CHAPTER  II. — Tlio  Mission  and  Presidio  of  San  Francisco. — Formation  and  survey  of  the  village 
of  Terba  Buena. — Disputes  and  litigation  in  regard  to  Verba  Buena  being  a  Pueblo. — Captain 
Richardson  the  first  Harbor  Master. — Vi-its  of  national  and  other  vessels  to  Yerba  Buena  Cove. 
— Reasons  why  the  whale  ships  ceased  to  enter  the  harbor  for  supplies.— Traffic  between  Verba 
Buena  and  foreign  ports. — Hides  and  tallow  the  chief  exports. — Prices  obtained  for  these. — 
Heavy  rains  and  their  effects. — Earthquakes. — Unusual  drought. — Mr.  Jacob  P.  Leese  establishes 
himself  at  Terba  Buena  — Celebration  of  the  Fourth  of  July  at  Leese's  house. — First  child  born. 
— Limits  of  the  original  survey   162 

CHAPTER  III. — Removal  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company. — Rapid  growth  and  increase  of  population 
of  Yerba  Buena. — First  newspapers  established  in  California. — Tables  showing  the  number 
of  inhabitants  in  1847,  with  their  places  of  birth,  ages,  sexes  and  occupations.— Ordinance  of  the 
alcalde  changing  the  name  of  Yerba  Buena  to  San  Francisco. — W.  A.  Bartlett  was  the  first  alcalde 
under  the  American  flag,  who  was  succeeded  by  George  Hyde,  and  he  by  Edwin  Bryant. — Pow- 
ers of  an  alcalde. — Great  sale  of  beach  and  water  lots,  agreeably  to  a  decree  of  General  Kearny. 
— Price  of  grants  of  property,  and  subsequent  increased  value  of  city  lots. — Width  of  the  streets. 
—Municipal  regulation  restricting  purchasers     178 

CHAPTER  IV. — Captain  Montgomery  hoists  the  American  flag  on  Portsmouth  Square. — Arrival  of 
the  ship  Brooklyn  from  N,ew  York,  with  a  large  company  of  Mormon  and  other  immigrants. — 
Disputes  among  her  passengers.  leading  to  the  first  jury  trial  in  San  Francisco. — Grand  ball  at 
the  residence  of  Win.  A.  Leidesdorff.— Nautical  fete  given  by  Capt.  Simmons.— Public  reception 
of  Com.  Stockton. — Attempts  to  establish  a  public  school. — Name  of  town  changed  to  San  Fran- 
cisco.— Number  of  buildings  and  Inhabitants.— Suffering  immigrants  in  tho  Sierra  Nevada. — 
Trustees  of  the  proposed  school  chosen. — Delegates  to  represent  the  District  of  San  Francisco  in 
the  new  legislative  council. — Arrival  of  Col.  Stevenson  and  New  York  Volunteers. — Vessels  in 
the  harbor,  13th  March,  1847.— "The  California  Star  ''  adopts  the  name  of  San  Francisco. — Mails 
established  between  San  Francisco  and  San  Diego. — Proposed  erection  of  a  church. — Grand  illn- 
mination  in  honor  of  Gen.  Taylor's  victory  at  Buena  Vista.— Celebrations  of  Anniversaries. — 
Public  meeting  to  consider  the  claims  of  Col.  Fremont  to  the  office  of  Governor  of  the  Terri- 
tory.—Sale  of  beach  and  water  lots.— Election  of  the  first  town  council.— The  first  public  school. 
—Gales  in  San  Francisco  Bay.— The  first  steamboat.— Thanksgiving  Day. — Commercial  Statis- 
tic*  186 

CHAPTER  V.— Resolutions  concerning  gambling.— Public  sale  of  City  Property.— Price  Current 
published.— Condition  and  population  of  the  town.— Overland  express  to  Independence,  Mo. — 
George  Hyde,  alcalde,  resigned,  and  succeeded  by  Dr.  J.  Townsend.— Death  of  Wm.  A.  Leides- 
dorff.—Discovery  of  gold,  and  immediate  effects.— Illumination  in  celebration  of  the  peace  be- 
tween Mexico  and  the  United  States.— Dr.  T.  M.  Leavenworth  elected  alcalde.— First  brick 
house— Public  meeting  to  regulate  the  price  of  gold  dust— First  square-rigged  vessel  discharged 
at  Broadway  wharf.— Judicial  limits  of  the  town.— Rev.  T.  D.  Hunt  chosen  chaplain.— First 
issue  of  the  "Star  and  Californian."— State  of  the  markets.— Public  meeting  to  organize  a  Pro- 
visional Government— New  town  council  elected.— Election  declared  invalid.— Duties  collected 
at  the  Cnstom-House   199 


CHAPTER  YI.-General  Effects  of  the  Gold  Discoveries  , 


CHAPTER  VII.— The  Alta  California  newspaper  established.— Delegates  elected  to  the  proposed 
convention  to  be  held  at  San  Jose.— New  town  council  elected  — Three  town  councils  at  one 
time.— Meeting  of  the  convention  to  frame  a  civil  government  postponed.— Public  meeting  re- 
specting the  conflicting  councils.— Public  meeting  concerning  negro  slavery.— Town  councils 
resigned,  and  legislative  assembly  chosen.— Arrival  of  the  steamship  California.— Address  of 
delegates  to  civil  government  convention.— Arrival  of  steamship  Oregon,  and  Col.  John  W. 
Geary  with  the  first  United  States  mails.— General  Riley  announced  territorial  governor.— Acts 
of  the  legislative  assembly  and  of  tho  governor.— Meetings  concerning  municipal  and  State  govern- 
ments.—Growth,  population  and  general  prosperity  of  the  city.— Gambling  and  other  vices  and 
crimes   218 

CHAPTER  VIII.— The  Hounds— Election  of  Supreme  Jndge,  delegates  to  convention  and  mu- 
nicipal officers.— Alcalde's  address  to  the  Ayuntamiento.— Duties  of  prefects.— The  prison  brig 
Euphemia  and  store-ship  Apollo.— Churches.— Regulations  and  appointments  of  the  Ayunta- 


10 


CONTENTS. 


miento. — The  "Pacific  News"  commenced.— Meeting  of  the  Constitution  Convention  at  Mon- 
terey. —  Merchants'  Exchange.  —  Steam  Navigation.  —  Death  of  Nathan  Spear.  —  First  demo- 
cratic meeting.— Circus  opened.— Constitution  approved  and  State  officers  elected. — First  habita- 
tion on  Eincon  Point. — Thanksgiving  Bay.— Judge  Almond's  court. — The  "  Alta  California."  

First  great  fire   221 

CHAPTER  IX. — Increase  of  population  — No  proper  homes.— Character  of  the  houses. — Condition 
of  the  streets. — Employments  of  the  people. — Every  thing  in  apparent  confusion  ;  still  nobody 
.  idle,  and  much  business  accomplished. — How  the  inhabitants  lived. — Money  rapidly  made  and 
I'reely  spent. — Gambling. — Shipping  deserted. — Extravagantly  high  prices  obtained  for  every 
thing. — Rents  and  wages. — The  mines  the  source  of  all  the  wealth. — Destitution,  sickness  and 
death.— Increase  of  crime  —Aspect  of  the  Plaza.— Mixed  character  of  the  inhabitants.— The  Post- 
office. — A  pleasant  prospect   243 

CHAPTER  X.— Great  sale  of  water  lots. — An  election  day  — Newspapers. — Approval  by  the  ayunta- 
miento  of  the  City  Charter,  and  limits  of  San  Francisco. — Squatter  difficulty  at  Eincon  Point. — 
Political  meeting  on  Portsmouth  Square. — The  Colton  grants. — First  county  election. — Col. 
John  C.  Hayes  elected  Sheriff. — City  Charter  adopted  by  the  State  Legislature. — First  election 
under  the  City  Charter.— Changes  in  the  Common  Council   264 

CHAPTER  XI. — Third  great  fire. — Aldermen's  salaries. — Indignation  meetings. — Veto  message  of 
the  mayor. — Shipping  in  San  Francisco  Bay. — Celebration  of  the  Fourth  of  July.— The  Oregon 
Liberty  Pole. — Custom-house  at  the  corner  of  California  and  Montgomery  streets.— Departure 
from  California  of  General  Riley. — Society  of  California  Pioneers. — Squatter  riots  at  Sacramento. 
—Suffering  immigrants. — Presentation  of  Chinese  Books. — Funeral  ceremonies  on  occasion  of 
the.  death  of  President  Taylor. — A  Chinese  document   277 

CHAPTER  XII. — The  first  City  Directoiy  published. — Monetary  crisis. — Fourth  great  fire. — Death 
of  Captain  Bezer  Simmons. — The  wharves. — Celebration  on  account  of  the  admission  of  California 
into  the  Union  of  American  States.— Explosion  of  the  steamer  Sagamore. — City  Hospital  burned. 
—Improvements  in  the  city. — Plank  road  to  tbe  Mission  Dolores. — Death  of  the  mayor  of  Sacra- 
mento.— Thanksgiving  Day.— Fire  in  Sacramento-street   289 

CHAPTER  XIII. — Population  in  1S50.— City  improvements.— Grading  and  planking  streets.— 
Wharves,  steamers,  manufactures. — Supply  and  demand  for  goods. — Mines  yielding  abundantly. 
— Expresses  established. — Moral  progress. — Better  state  of  things. — Cholera.— California  admitted 
to  the  Union. — City  Charter  granted. — First  Common  Council. — The  gold  medals  for  Aldermen.— 
Corruption  of  officials. — Colton  Grants. — Leidesdorff  Estate. — City  finances. — Outrages  and  fires. 
— The  prisons  and  police. — Lynch  Law  agitated  800 

CHAPTER  XIV.— The  Gold  Bluffs  and  Pacific  Mining  Company.— The  excitement  at  the  City  Hall 
in  February,  1851. — Attempt  to  Lynch  Burdue  and  Windred. — Their  subsequent  escape. — Burn- 
ing of  the  steamers  Hartford  and  Santa  Clara.   31 1 

CHAPTER  XV.— Judge  Parsons  and  tbe  case  of  William  Walker  for  contempt  of  Court.— Act  of 
Legislature  ceding  Beach  and  Water  Lots  to  the  City  of  San  Francisco. — Act  to  re-incorporate 
the  city. — New  city  limits.— First  election  of  municipal  officers  under  revised  charter.— Act 
passed  to  fund  the  State  debt. — Act  to  establish  State  Marine  Hospital. —Act  to  fund  the  floating 
debt — Indebtedness  of  the  city. — Municipal  officers  trafficking  in  city  scrip.— Fifth  great  fire.  322 

CHAPTER  XVI.— T.  Butler  King  removing  the  enstom-house  deposits. — Frank  Ball's  song,  and 
custom-house  appointment.  —  Dr.  Robinson's  rhymes.  —  Incendiarism.  —  The  case  of  Lewis, 
charged  with  arson. — The  facilities  with  which  criminals  escaped  from  punishment. — The  Vigi- 
lance Committee. — Contracts  of  Mr.  Merrifield  and  the  Mountain  Water  Lake  Company  to  supply 
the  city  with  water   384 

CHAPTER  XVII.— The  sixth  great  fire.— Destruction  of  old  buildings.— Execution  by  the  Vigi- 
lance Committee  of  Stuart,  Whittaker  and  McKenzie. — County  and  city  elections. — The  Vigi- 
lance Committee  suspend  operations. — Wells  &  Co.  suspend  payment. — Opening  of  the  Jenny 
Lind  Theatre. — The  American  Theatre  opened. — Shipping  in  San  Francisco  Bay. — Ball  of  the 
Monumental  Fire  Company. — Indian  disturbances  and  volunteer  military  companies.— Severe 
storm  !   341 


CONTENTS. 


II 


CHAPTER  XVIII. — Immigration  diminished — Females  comparatively  few. — Great  city  improve- 
ments.—Productions  of  the  country,  game,  &c,  in  the  markets.— Character  of  the  community 
changing  for  the  better.— The  circulating  medium.— Extravagance  in  living,  dress,  &c— Personal 
rencontres  and  other  outrages  common.— Titles  to  real  estate  uncertain. — Legal  decisions. — De- 
preciated value  of  merchandise. — Amusements,  dissipation  and  recreation. — The  foreign  popula- 
tion. -Great  crimes  less  frequent. — The  finances  of  the  city   35" 

CHAPTER  XIX.— Dr.  Peter  Smith.— His  contract  with  the  city  to  take  charge  of  the  indigent  sick. 
— The  city's  indebtedness. — Smith's  judgments  and  executions. — Injunctions  of  the  commission- 
ers of  the  funded  debt — Sale  and  sacrifice  of  the  city  property  under  Smith's  judgments...  370 

CHAPTER  XX.— The  Chinese  in  California  —Act  passed  to  fund  the  floating  debt  of  the  State. 
— The  State  Marine  Hospital. — Act  to  convert  into  a  seven  per  cent,  stock  the  floating  debt 
of  the  County  of  San  Francisco. — Anniversary  of  fires.— Meetings  of  the  Vigilance  Committee.  378 

CHAPTER  XXI.— Clipper  Ships.— Enormous  Taxation.— Purchase  of  the  Jenny  Lind  Theatre  by 
the  Common  Council. — Times  and  Transcript  removes  to  San  Francisco. — Fourth  of  July  cele- 
bration.—Great  scarcity  of  printing  paper. — Duel  betw  een  Hon.  Edward  Gilbert  and  General 
Denver. — Custom  of  Duelling. — Funeral  ceremonies  on  occasion  of  the  death  of  Henry  Clay.  391 

CHAPTER  XXII.— Australian  gold  mines.— Restlessness  of  miners.— Many  who  emigrated  to  Aus- 
tralia return  to  California. —  Superior  advantages  of  the  latter  place.  —  Second  city  directory 
published. — California  Telegraph  Company.— General  election.— Firo  in  Sacramento  City.— 
Another  tire  in  San  Francisco.— Intelligence  received  of  the  death  of  Daniel  Webster. — Falling 
of  the  waters  of  Lake  La  Mercede. — Another  city  directory. — Firemen's  election. — Legal  exe- 
cution of  Jose  Forni. — Destructive  storm   402 

CHAPTER  XXIII.— Increase  of  population.— Mixed  character  of  the  immigrants.— Chinese,  Peru- 
vians, Cuilenos,  and  other  foreigners,  notoriously  vicious. — Sufferings  of  the  overland  immigrants. 
—Greater  attention  paid  to  agricultural  pursuits.— City  improvements  still  progressing.— Great 
fires  no  longer  possible.— Fire  insurance  agencies  established.— Manufactories.— New  gold  dis- 
coveries.—Emigration  to  Australia.— Merchandise  and  provisions  commanding  high  prices.— 
The  clipper  ships.— Filthy  condition  of  the  streets.— Great  abundance  of  rats.— The  city  exten- 
sion, hay,  and  shipping.— The  strong  winds  preventive  of  disease.— Peculations  of  officials  - 
San  Francisco  only  suitable  for  the  Industrious. — The  city  growing  in  importance.— Change  of 
inhabitants.— Fascinations  of  San  Francisco  life.— Reflections  concerning  the  moral  condition  of 
the  city    4^1 

CHAPTER  XXIV.— Commerce.— Mercantile  Library  Association.— The  Limantour  claim.— Elec- 
tion of  delegates  to  revise  the  City  Charter.— Third  annual  celebration  of  the  organization  of  the 
Fire  Department— Steamships  lost.— Extension  of  the  city  water  front.— United  States  Marino 
Hospital   427 

CHAPTER  XXV.— Russ's  garden.— The  German  population.— May-day  celebration  by  school-chil- 
dren —Burning  of  the  Rassette  House.— Mountain  Lake  Water  Company.— General  State  Hospi- 
tal—Drinking houses.— Clipper  ships  and  short  passages.— Military  parade  and  celebration  of  4th 
of  July.— Dedication  of  the  First  Congregational  Church.— St.  Mary's  (Catholic)  Church.— Unita- 
rian Church.— Seamen's  Bethel.— Squatter  difficulties.— Store-ships  burned.— Strikes  by  mechan- 
ics and  laborers  for  higher  wages.— Anniversary  of  the  German  Turn verein.— City  and  county 
election.— Lafayette  Hook  and  Ladder  Company  organized.— The  French  inhabitants.— Sweeney 
&  Baugh's  electric  telegraph   445 

CHAPTER  XXVI.— Important  legal  decision  of  the  Supreme  Court  confirming  Alcaldes'  grants.— 
Burning  of  the  St  Francis  Hotel.— Opening  of  the  telegraph  communication  to  Marysville.— Lone 
Mountain  Cemetery.— Anniversary  of  the  day  of  St  Francis  — The  Mission  Dolores.— The  Span- 
ish races  in  California.— The  Custom  House  Block.— The  steamship  Winfield  Scott  wrecked.— 
Election  of  officers  of  the  Fire  Department— The  Sonorian  Filibusters.— Opening  of  the  Metro- 
politan Theatre.— Great  sales  of  water  lots.— Montgomery  block   467 

CHAPTER  XXVII.— Numbers  and  description  of  the  population  of  the  State.— Amount  of  gold 
produced  from  California  mines.— San  Francisco  as  related  to  California.— Population  of  San 
Francisco.— City  improvements  — Commercial  statistics   4S4 


12 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. — Prosperity  of  San  Francisco.— Business  activity. — Fortunes  rapidly  made. — 
Disputes  concerning  titles  to  real  estate. — Real  property  commanding  extravagantly  high  prices. 
— Social,  moral  and  intellectual  characteristics.— Gambling. — Vice  less  concealed  in  San  Francisco 
than  in  other  cities. — The  female  population. — Expenses  of  housekeeping. — Foreign  population. 
— The  marvollous  progress  of  the  city  during  the  past  few  years  497 

CHAPTER  XXIX. — Meeting  of  citizens  regarding  the  State  Revenue  Act. — Run  on  Adams  &  Co. 
— Banking  and  banking-housee. — The  Express  Building. — Weather  unusually  cold.— Effects  of 
the  weather  upon  the  interests  of  the  country. — Le  Count  &  Strong's  Directory  for  1S54. — 
Loss  of  the  clipper  ship  San  Francisco.— The  city  lighted  with  gas.— Riot  at  the  Mercantile 
Hotel   510 

CHAPTER  XXX. — Commercial  depression. — Decrease  in  the  value  of  real  estate  and  merchandise. 
— Combination  of  the  steamboat  owners. — Rates  of  freight  and  passage  on  river  steamers. — 
Duels  and  duelling. — Sale  of  "government  reserve"  town  lots. — Celebration  of  St.  Patrick's  day. 
—Conviction  of  filibusters. — Opening  of  the  San  Francisco  branch  mint. — The  Pacific  railroad. — 
Falling  of  tbe  U.  S.  bonded-warehouse. — Explosion  of  the  boiler  of  the  steamboat  "  Secretary." 
— Arrival  of  Chinese  immigrants.— Quick  passage  of  the  clipper  ship  "Flying  Cloud." — Wreck  of 
the  "Golden  Fleece"   519 


CHAPTER  XXXI. — Trial  of  the  Mexican  consul. — Arrest  of  the  French  consul. — Chinese  newspa- 
per established.— German  May-feast  at  Russ's  Garden. — The  Hoadley  street  grades. — Indictment 
by  the  Grand  Jury  of  Sonora  filibusters. — Dedication  of  the  Lone  Mountain  Cemetery.— Exten- 
sive Conflagration. — Report  of  the  funded  debt  commissioners.— Squatter  difficulties. — Sale  of 
public  property. — Captain  Adams  arrived  with  the  Japan  treaty. — Alderman  elected   581 

CHAPTER  XXXII  — Commercial  depression. — Reduction  of  prices  of  merchandise  and  real  estate. 
— Fall  in  rents.— Improved  character  of  the  buildings. — The  plaza  being  improved. — Govern- 
ment fortifications  of  the  harbor  commenced. — Immigration  and  emigration. — The  population. 
— Yield  of  the  gold  mines. — Labor  profitable  in  California. — The  quicksilver  mines.— Agricul- 
tural resources. — Fisheries. — Telegraphs  and  railroads. — Ship-building. — Foreign  relations. — Ice 
and  coal  trade. — Mail  steamers  between  San  Francisco  and  Shanghae. — The  international  rail- 
way.— San  Francisco  water  front  extension. — The  proposed  new  city  charter. — Claim  of  the 
city  to  Pueblo  lands. — Increase  of  sources  of  domestic  comfort. — Immoralities  continue  to  pre- 
vail.— Duel  and  duelling. — Theatrical  entertainments. — Daily  newspapers. — Means  of  moral  and 
educational  improvement  543 


PART  III. 


The  Hounds   553 

The  Vigilance  Committee   562 

Deaths  and  Burials   588 

The  Great  Fires   598 

The  Fire  Department   614 

Steamer-Day   626 

Hotels,  Restaurants  and  Boarding-Houses   639 

Public  Amusements   658 

Some  Phases  of  San  Francisco  "Life"   665 

Public  Schools   675 

Churches  and  Religion  X .  ■   687 

Independent  Military  Organizations   702 

Social  and  Benevolent  Institutions   709 

Memoir  of  John  W.  Geary   . .  ■   718 

"        Charles  J.  Brenham   735 

"       Stephen  R.  Harris,  M.  D   740 

"        C.  K.  Garrison   744 

"       Samuel  Beannan   748 

"       Joseph  L.  Folsom   754 

"       Thomas  O.  Larkin   758 


CONTENTS.  13 

Memoie  of  John  A.  Sutter   765 

"       Maeiano  de  Guadalupe  Vallejo   769 

"       Edward  Gilbert   773 

"       William  D.  M.  Howard   779 

"       Joseph  F.  Atwill   781 

"       Jonathan  D.  Stevenson   784 

"       William  M.  Gwtn   790 

"       Selim  E.  Woodwoeth     794 

"       Theodore  Payne   799 

APPENDIX. 

Geeat  Seal  of  the  State  of  California   805 

Constitution  of  the  State  of  California   806 

Aot  of  Corporation  of  the  City  of  San  Francisco   816 

Members  of  the  Society  of  California  Pioneees   822 


Custom  house,  now  (,1354)  being  erected  on  Battery  street. 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


PACK 

1.  — Bartlett's  General  Map,  showing  the  countries  explored  by  the  United 

States  and  Mexican  Boundary  Commission  .... 

2.  — Montgomery  street,  San  Francisco,  north,  from  California  street,  Frontispiece. 


3.  — Custom-house,  being  erected  on  Battery  street,  San  Francisco         .  14 

4.  — Seal  of  the  Society  of  California  Pioneers            .          .           .  .lit 

5.  — Map  of  the  City  of  San  Francisco       .....  20 

6.  — Portrait  of  Sir  Francis  Drake       .          .          .          .          .  .27 

7.  — Sir  Francis  Drake  and  California  Indians       ....  29 

8.  — Sir  Francis  Drake's  Bay,  or  Jack's  Harbor          .           .          .  .32 

9.  — Landing  of  Captain  Woodes  Rogers,  in  Upper  California      .          .  35 

10.  — View  of  the  country  in  the  interior  of  California          .          .  .39 

11.  — Spanish  Ship  of  Seventeenth  Century,  and  Coast  of  California        .  42 

12.  — Mission  Dolores,  or  Mission  of  San  Francisco                .          .  .48 

13.  — California  Indians        .......  62 

14  — Indians  under  Instruction             .           .          •           .          .  .57 

15.— Father  Garzes  and  California  Indians            ....  59 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


16.  — Mission  of  Santa  Barbara 

17.  — Mission  of  San  Carlos  .... 

18.  — A  Mission  Rancho  ..... 

19.  — Portrait  of  Father  Antonio  Peyri 

20.  — Sutter's  Fort,  or  New  Helvetia 
•21.  —Portrait  of  Colonel  John  C.  Fremont 
'22. — Portrait  of  Thomas  0.  Larkin  .... 

23.  — Portrait  of  Commodore  Robert  F.  Stockton 

24.  — Sutter's  Mill         ...  . 

25.  — City  of  Monterey        .  .  . 

26.  — Entrance  to  the  Golden  Gate       •  .  .  . 
2V.— The  Golden  Gate  ..... 

28.  — City  of  Stockton  ..... 

29.  — Island  and  Cove  of  Yerba  Buena 

30.  — Portrait  of  Jacob  Primer  Leese 

31.  — Celebration  of  the  4th  of  July  at  I.eese's  House 

32.  — San  Francisco  from  the  Bay,  in  1847 

33.  — Suffering  Immigrants  in  the  Sierra  Nevada 

34.  — Rush  for  the  Gold  Regions  .... 

35.  — San  Francisco  in  the  Winter  of  1848 

36.  — A  Mining  Scene  ...... 

37.  — San  Francisco  in  1849,  from  the  head  of  Clay  >treet 

38.  — Prison-brig  Euphemia  and  Store-ship  Apollo 

39.  — San  Francisco  in  1849,  from  head  of  California  street 

40.  — Parker  House  and  Dennison's  Exchange,  December,  1849 

41.  — Muddy  Streets  ..... 

42.  — Lodging  House  ...... 

43.  — Parker  House,  when  first  opened 

44.  — Adobe  Custom-house  on  Portsmouth  square 

45.  — Post-office,  corner  of  Pike  and  Clay  streets  . 

46.  — The  Presidio  of  San  Francisco  .... 

47.  — San  Francisco,  April,  1850,  south  side  of  Portsmouth  square 

48.  — Fire  of  May  4th,  1850  ..... 

49.  — Diagram  of  Fire  of  May  4th,  1850 

50.  — Custom-house,  corner  of  Montgomery  and  California  streets 

51.  — Sacramento  City  .... 

52.  — Emigrant  Train  ..... 

53.  — Beach  of  Yerba  Buena  Cove,  Winter  of  1849-50 

54.  — Aldermen's  Medals 

55.  — San  Francisco,  Winter  of  1849-'50 


16 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


PAGE 

56. — City-hall,  February  22d,  1851       ...  .815 

5*7. — Fire  of  May  4th,  1851            ...                             .  :i30 

58.  — San  Francisco  after  the  Fire  of  May  4th,  1851     ....  332 

59.  — Caricature:  " The  King's  Campaign "                             .          .  336 

60.  — Hanging  of  Jenkins  on  the  Plaza                       .                     .          .  343 

61.  — Old  City  Hotel           .......  346 

62.  — Residence  of  Samuel  Brannan,  Esq.,  in  1847       ....  347 

63.  — Jenny  Lind  Theatre    .....          .          .  354 

64.  — East  side  of  Portsmouth  square,  Spring  of  1850            .          .          .  358 

65.  — New  World  Market,  corner  of  Commercial  and  Leidesdorff  streets    .  361 

66.  — Chinese  Merchants  and  Coolie      ......  379 

67.  — Chinese  Gambling  House       ......  383 

68.  — Chinese  Females    ....                   ...  385 

69.  — Chinese  Merchants     .......  387 

70.  — Clipper-ship          .                   ......  392 

71.  — Scene  in  the  Gold  Mines         ......  404 

72.  — Parrott's  Granite  Block    .  .  .  .  .         .  .415 

73.  — A  Street  Scene  on  a  rainy  night         .....  420 

74.  — "Wreck  of  the  Steamship  Tennessee         .....  435 

75.  — United  States'  Marine  Hospital          .....  443 

76.  — Lager-bier  Politicians        .......  447 

77.  — New  Rassette  House    .......  44!) 

78.  — First  Congregational  Church       ......  454 

79.  — Unitarian  Church        .......  456 

80.  — French  Shoe-blacks:  a  Street  Scene        .....  462 

81.  — Outer  Telegraph  Station        ......  -t64 

82.  — Inner  Telegraph  Station    .           .          .          .          .          .  -165 

83.  — St.  Francis  Hotel,  after  the  fire          ....  46S 

84.  — Interior  of  a  Mission  Church        ......  470 

85.  — Custom-house  Block     .......  473 

86.  — Montgomery  Block  .  .  .  .  .  .  .483 

87.  — Interior  of  the  El  Dorado :  a  Gambling  Scene  .  .  .  501 
8S. — San  Francisco  Beauties:  the  Celestial,  the  Seiiora  and  Madame           .  504 

89.  — Colored  Population  :  Greaser,  Chinaman  and  Negro            .          .  506 

90.  — View  of  San  Francisco  in  1854     ......  510 

91.  — Express  Building         .......  514 

92.  — Wilson's  Exchange,  Sansome  street          .....  524 

93.  — San  Francisco  U.  S.  Branch  Mint       .....  526 

94.  — City  of  Oakland,  Contra  Costa  .             .....  528 

95.  — Celebration  at  Russ's  Garden  ......  536 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


17 


PAGE 

96.  — Lone  Mountain  Cemetery      ......  636 

97.  — Plaza,  or  Portsmouth  Square,  June,  1854  ....  545 

98.  — Charcoal  Merchant     .......  549 

99.  — California  Exchange,  corner  of  Clay  and  Kearny  streets,  June,  1854    .  551 

100.  — New  Merchants'  Exchange,  Battery  street    ....  552 

101.  — The  Hounds       .  .       .  .  .  .  .  .  .553 

102.  — Hanging  of  Whittaker  and  McKenzie  ....  602 

103.  — Hanging  of  James  Stuart  ......  680 

104.  — Verba  Bueua  Cemetery        ......  588 

105.  — Fire  of  June  22d,  1851  .  .  .  .         .  .598 

106.  — Diagram  of  the  Burnt  District,  May  4th,  1851         .  .  .  609 

107.  — Diagram  of  the  Burnt  District,  June  22d,  1851  .  .  .612 

108.  — San  Francisco  Firemen  .  .  .  .  .  .614 

109.  — Departure  of  a  Steamship  ......  626 

110.  — Homeward-bound  Miners      ......  632 

111.  — Oriental  Hotel     .  .  ......  639 

112.  — Interior  of  Winn's  Branch  .  .  .  .  ,  643 

113.  — Turk  with  Sweetmeats    .......  646 

114.  — St.  Francis  Hotel      .......  648 

115.  — The  Tehama  House         .......  660 

116.  — International  Hotel    .......  651 

117.  — Russ's  Garden      ........  653 

118.  — Portrait  of  Mrs.  A.  F.  Baker  .....  657 

119.  —       "        Miss  Matilda  Heron    ......  661 

120.  — Fancy  Ball,  California  Exchange       .....  665 

121.  — The  old  School-house  on  Portsmouth  Square      ....  676 

122.  — Portrait  of  Col.  T.  J.  Kevins  .....  680 

123.  — First  Presbyterian  Church         .  .  .  .  .  .687 

124.  — Presbyterian  Church,  destroyed  by  fire,  June  22d,  1851      .  .  691 

125.  — Present  Presbyterian  Church      ......  693 

126.  — Vallcjo  street  Catholic  Church  .....  696 

127.  — St.  Mary's  Catholic  Church        ......  698 

128.  — Armory  Hall  .......  702 

129.  — Front  street,  Sacramento  City     ......  704 

130.  — San  Francisco  Orphans'  Asylum        .....  709 

131.  — Alcalde's  Office,  Portsmouth  Square       .....  718 

132.  — Portrait  of  Col.  John  W.  Geary        .  ...  .  .725 

133.  —       "        Charles  J.  Brenham    ......  736 

134—       "       Stephen  R.  Harris,  M.  D.  .  .         .         .  740 

135. —       "        C.  K.  Garrison  ......  744 

2 


18 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


PAGE 

136. — 

Portrait  of  Samuel  Brannan  .... 

748 

lot.  

Joseph  L  Folsom  .... 

.  754 

138.  

1  nomas  V.  L.aikin  .... 

758 

139. — 

John  A.  butter  .... 

.  765 

140. — 

James  Marshall  ..... 

767 

141. — 

"        Mariano  de  Guadalupe  Vallejo 

.  769 

142. — 

Itidwara  (jiloert    .  ... 

773 

143. — 

\\  imam  u.  i>i.  nowani 

779 

144.— 

"        Jonathan  D.  Stevenson  .... 

784 

145.— 

William  M.  Gwin  .... 

790 

146.— 

"        Selim  E.  Woodworth  .... 

<y4 

147.— 

"        Theodore  Payne  .... 

.  799 

148. — Stove  of  T.  Payne  &  Co.,  formerly  the  Jackson  House 

803 

149.— 

Great  Seal  of  the  State  of  California 

.  805 

150.— 

Seal  of  the  City  of  San  Francisco  .... 

816 

OFFICERS  OF  THE  SOCIETY  OF  CALIFORNIA  PIONEERS,  ELECTED  JULY  7tn,  1854. 


G.  15  Post,  San  Francisco. 
J.  C.  L.  Wadswortli,  do. 
13.  S.  Lippincott,  do. 
J.  P.  Lease,  Monterey. 
J.  Belden,  Santa  Clara. 


Jacob  II.  Snyder,  President. 
Vice-President*. 

H.  W.  Tlieall,  Tuolumne. 

P.  C.  Carillo,  Santa  Barbara. 

J.  A.  Sutter,  Sutter. 

3.  Bidwell,  Butte. 

P.  B.  Cornwall,  Sacramento. 


W.  A.  Richardson,  Marin 

G.  Yount,  Napa. 

H.  L.  Ford,  Colusi. 

C.  11.  Johnson,  Los  Angeles. 
S.  Purdy.  S:m  .loaqnin. 


J.  Caldwell  Low,  Secretary.    W.  T.  Sherman,  Treusui 


W.  Van  Voorhies, 
J.  M.  Huxley, 


Board  of  Directors. 


0.  P.  Sutton, 
G.  F.  Lemon, 


J.  Shew, 
B.  W.  Haight 


T.  A.  Warbaas, 


Corresponding  Members. 

D.  S.  Tumor,  S.  B.  Harris,  F.  Soule, 

A.  G.  Abell. 


W.  B.  FarwelL 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FB.ANCISCO. 


PART  FIRST. 


CHAPTER  I. 

Proposed  Treatment  of  the  Work— Etymology  of  the  name  California— Lower  or  Old  California— 
Grixalva  and  Mendoza— First  Discovery — Expeditions  of  Cortez — Cabrillo— Ferrelo—  Drake- 
Drake's  Description  of  the  Natives— Bodega  and  San  Francisco  Bays— Sir  Francis  Drake's  Bay- 
Cavendish— Captain  Woodes  Rogers — His  Description  of  the  Natives — The  English  Buccaneering 
Expeditions  along  the  West  Coasts  of  the  Americas— Political  Heasons  why  tho  Spanish  Govern- 
ment strenuously  prosecuted  tho  Discovery  and  Settlement  of  tho  Californias. 

It  appears  expedient,  before  entering  upon  the  annals  of 
San  Francisco  proper,  to  give  a  short  review  of  the  first  dis- 
covery, settlement,  and  progress  of  California  itself,  including 
an  account  of  the  aboriginal  inhabitants,  and  of  the  first  estab- 
lishment, rise,  and  decline  of  the  priest  class,  their  sovereigns, 
whose  domination  forms  a  most  peculiar  and  interesting  phase 
in  the  general  history  of  the  country.  The  subject  indeed  com- 
prehends, or  naturally  demands,  some  notice  of  these  points  ; 
for,  up  to  a  recent  period,  San  Francisco,  from  its  being  the 
"  golden  gate  "  to  the  wealth  of  the  State,  and  from  its  many 
physical  advantages,  its  population,  the  rapidity  and  grandeur 
of  its  wondrous  rise  and  progress,  the  energy  of  its  citizens,  the 
extent  of  its  home  and  foreign  commerce,  its  universal  fame, 
arising  chiefly  from  its  being  associated  in  the  minds  of  men, 


22 


ANNALS    OF   SAN  FRANCISCO. 


Americans  as  well  as  foreigners,  with  the  first  discovery  and 
subsequent  astonishing  produce  of  gold — San  Francisco,  from 
these  and  other  causes,  has  been  in  a  great  measure  identified 
with  California  itself.  No  history,  therefore,  of  the  city,  could 
be  complete,  unless  it  included  some  account  of  the  circum- 
stances which  preceded  and  immediately  accompanied  its  rise, 
and  which  have  made  it  what  it  almost  already  is,  but  which  it 
will  more  plainly  soon  become,  the  greatest  and  most  magnifi- 
cent, wealthy  and  powerful  maritime  city  in  the  Pacific — a  city 
which  is  destined,  one  day,  to  be,  in  riches,  grandeur  and  influ- 
ence, like  Tyre  or  Carthage  of  the  olden  time,  or  like  Liverpool 
or  New  York  of  modern  days. 

We  propose  to  embody  in  a  succinct  and  continuous  narra- 
tive, the  subjects  already  particularly  noticed — a  general  account 
of  the  causes,  progress,  and  consequences  of  the  war  of  1846, 
between  the  Mexican  and  American  States — the  cession  of  Cali- 
fornia to  the  latter — the  first  discovery  of  gold,  and  the  imme- 
diate results  of  that  discovery  upon  the  prosperity  and  popula- 
tion of  the  country — its  admission  as  a  State  into  the  American 
Union — and  a  description  of  its  physical  geography,  and  of  its 
commercial,  agricultural,  pastoral,  and  mineral  wealth,  and 
capabilities  to  receive  and  satisfy  millions  of  additional  inhabit- 
ants.   These  matters  will  form  Part  First  of  the  work. 

We  shall  afterwards,  at  somewhat  greater  length,  describe, 
in  a  similar  continuous  narrative,  the  progress  and  the  various 
incidents  which  happened,  year  by  year,  and  month  by  month, 
in  San  Francisco  itself,  from  the  period  when  California  was 
ceded  by  the  Mexicans,  and  State  and  town  became  American,  up 
to  the  present  time,  and  which,  properly  speaking,  alone  consti- 
tute the  "  Annals  "  of  the  city.  This  subject  will  constitute 
Part  Second. 

In  the  subsequent  portion  of  the  volume,  we  shall  devote 
special  chapters,  in  no  particular  order,  to  the  more  minute  details 
of  whatever  things  were  most  peculiar  and  interesting — physical 
and  intellectual,  social  and  moral,  and  their  causes  and  conse- 
quences— which  marked  the  progress  of  the  city,  and  gave  it  a 
world-wide  reputation  for  good  or  for  evil.  In  this  division  of 
the  work  will  be  included  biographical  and  personal  sketches, 


ETYMOLOGY    OF    THE    NAME    CALIFORNIA.  23 


and  anecdotes  of  the  more  prominent  and  distinguished  actors  in 
the  bustling  scenes  of  the  time,  and  whose  names  are  closely 
associated  either  with  the  general  history  of  California,  or  with 
the  particular  rise  and  progress  of  San  Francisco  itself.  These 
topics  will  be  comprehended  in  and  constitute  Part  Third. 

The  remembrance  of  these  matters  is  still  fresh  in  the  minds 
of  our  people  ;  but,  in  the  silent  lapse  of  years,  many  of  them 
must  gradually  fade  away.  It  would  then  be  well,  that  after  the 
present  generation  disappears,  our  posterity  should  know  something 
of  the  early  history  and  triumphant  progress  of  their  glorious 
city,  and  of  its  worthiest  or  most  noted  sons,  and  the  exciting, 
troublous  scenes  of  the  last  seven  or  eight  years,  all  drawn  from 
the  fullest  and  most  accurate  sources  that  are  still  to  be  had. 
We  propose  then  to  make  this  book  an  original  record  of  the  sub- 
jects alluded  to. 

The  etymology  of  the  name  California  is  uncertain.  Some 
writers  have  pretended  that  it  is  derived  from  the  two  Latiu 
words  calida  fornax,  or,  in  the  Spanish  language,  calientc  fornalla 
— a  hot  furnace.  This,  however,  is  doubted  by  Michael  Venegas, 
a  Mexican  Jesuit,  in  his  "  Natural  and  Civil  History  of  California" 
(2  vols.  Madrid,  1758),  a  work  of  much  research  and  high  au- 
thority. In  his  opinion,  the  early  Spanish  discoverers  did  not 
name  their  new-found  lands  in  this  pedantic  fashion.  "  I  am 
therefore  inclined  to  think,"  he  says,  "  that  this  name  owed  its 
origin  to  some  accident  ;  possibly  to  some  words  spoken  by  the 
Indians,  and  misunderstood  by  the  Spaniards,"  as  happened  in 
several  other  cases. 

The  name  California  is  first  found  in  Bernal  Diaz  del  Castillo, 
an  officer  who  served  under  Hernando  Cortez,  in  the  conquest  of 
Mexico,  and  who  published  a  history  of  that  extraordinary  expe- 
dition ;  and  is  by  him  limited  to  a  single  bay  on  the  coast.  On 
the  other  hand,  Jean  Bleau,  the  celebrated  geographer  (Amster- 
dam, 1662),  includes  under  the  term  all  those  immense  tracks  of 
country  lying  west  of  New  Spain  and  New  Galicia,  comprehend- 
ing the  whole  coast  line  from  the  northern  parts  of  South  America 
to  the  Straits  of  Anian  (Behring's  Straits).  In  this  larger  sense 
of  the  word,  Jean  Bleau  is  followed  by  several  other  geographers. 


24 


ANNALS   OF    SAN  FRANCISCO. 


However,  whatever  be  the  limits  of  the  country,  the  name  has 
occasionally  changed.  In  some  English  maps  it  is  called  New 
Albion,  because  Sir  Francis  Drake,  the  well  known  English 
admiral,  who  touched  on  the  coast  in  1579,  so  styled  it.  About 
a  century  later,  it  is  denominated  Islas  Carolinas  (the  penin- 
sula of  California  being  then  supposed  to  be  an  island),  in  honor 
of  Charles  II.  of  Spain  ;  and  this  designation  was  adopted  by 
several  writers  and  geographers  of  repute.  After  a  time,  the 
original  name  of  California  was  revived,  and  soon  silently  and 
universally  adopted. 

California — meaning  the  existing  Lower,  or  Old  California, 
was  known  to  be  a  peninsula  so  early  as  1541,  when  a  map  drawn 
up  at  Madrid,  by  Castillo,  already  mentioned,  represents  the 
direction  of  the  coasts  nearly  as  they  are  known  at  present.  Yet 
this  fact  was  unaccountably  forgotten  for  one  hundred  and  sixty 
years,  when  Father  Kiihn  (Kino,  of  the  Spaniards)  seemed,  for 
the  first  time,  to  prove  that  California  was  not  an  island,  but  a 
peninsula.  In  the  early  part  of  the  sixteenth  century,  dreams  of 
a  direct  western  opening  to  the  Indias  filled  men's  minds,  as 
later  did  those  of  a  north-west  passage.  This  was  the  first  idea 
of  Columbus,  which  led  to  his  great  discoveries,  and  which  he 
held  till  death.  In  1523,  Charles  V.,  in  a  letter,  dated  from 
Valladolid,  recommended  to  Cortez  to  seek  on  the  eastern  and 
western  coasts  of  New  Spain,  for  such  a  passage.  Cortez,  in  his 
answer  to  the  emperor,  speaks  with  the  greatest  enthusiasm  of 
the  probability  of  such  a  discovery,  "  which,"  he  adds,  "  will 
render  your  majesty  master  of  so  many  kingdoms  that  you  will 
be  considered  as  the  monarch  of  the  world  ; "  and  seems  to  have 
undertaken  several  voyages  for  the  purpose  of  ascertaining  the 
fact. 

In  1534,  Cortez  fitted  out  two  ships  under  the  command  of 
Hernando  Grixalva  and  Diego  Becerra  de  Mendoza,  a  relation  of 
his  own,  partly  to  learn  the  fate  of  a  missing  vessel  of  a  previous 
expedition,  but  chiefly  to  continue  the  coast  discoveries.  These 
two  ships  happened  to  separate  the  first  night  following  their 
departure  from  Tehuantepec,  and  did  not  meet  again.  Grixalva, 
after  sailing  three  hundred  leagues,  came  to  a  desert  island,  which 
he  called  Santa  Thome,  believed  to  lie  near  the  point  of  Califor- 


EXPEDITIONS  OF  HERNANDO  CORTEZ. 


25 


nia.  This  is  supposed  to  be  one  of  the  group  of  islands  now 
called  the  Revillagigedo  Islands.  He  proceeded  no  farther  north, 
and  made  no  fresh  discoveries  ;  but  shortly  afterwards  returned 
to  New  Spain.  Becerra,  the  commander  of  the  other  ship  of  this 
expedition,  was  of  a  choleric,  haughty  disposition  ;  and,  having 
shown  that  offensively  to  his  people,  was  murdered  by  a  malcon- 
tent crew,  led  on  by  his  pilot  Ortun,  orFortuiio  Zimenes,  a  native 
of  Biscay. 

Zimenes  afterwards  continued  the  voyage  of  discovery,  and 
appears  to  have  sailed  westward  across  the  gulf,  and  to  have 
touched  the  peninsula  of  California.  This  was  in  the  year  1534. 
He  therefore  was  the  first  discoverer  of  the  country.  "  But," 
says  Venegas,  "  he  could  not  fly  from  the  hand  of  Omnipotence  ; 
for  coming  to  that  part  which  has  since  been  called  Santa  Cruz 
Bay,  and  seems  to  be  part  of  the  inward  coast  of  California,  he 
went  ashore,  and  was  there  killed  by  the  Indians,  with  twenty 
other  Spaniards."  Upon  this  disaster,  the  remaining  crew  got 
frightened,  and  returned  to  New  Spain.  This  Bay  of  Santa 
Cruz,  so  named  by  Cortez  the  following  year,  seems  to  be  the 
same  as  that  now  called  La  Paz,  lying  on  the  western  side  of  the 
Gulf  of  California,  about  a  hundred  miles  north  of  Cape  St. 
Lucas.  Some  writers,  however,  suppose  it  to  have  been  situated 
much  nearer  the  southern  extremity  of  the  peninsula. 

Humboldt,  in  his  "  Political  Essay  on  the  Kingdom  of  New 
Spain,"  in  stating  these  circumstances,  mentions  in  a  note,  that 
he  found  in  a  manuscript  preserved  in  the  archives  of  the  vice- 
royalty  of  Mexico,  that  California  was  discovered  in  1526,  though 
he  knew  not,  he  says,  on  what  authority  this  assertion  was  founded. 
From  an  examination  which  he  seems  to  have  made  of  other 
manuscripts  of  the  period,  preserved  in  the  Academy  of  History 
at  Madrid,  Humboldt  seems  satisfied  that  this  alleged  discovery 
of  California  in  1526  was  unfounded,  and  that  the  country  had 
not  even  been  seen  in  the  expedition  of  Diego  Hurtado  de  Men- 
doza,  who  was  a  near  relation  of  Cortez,  so  late  as  1532. 

In  1535,  Cortez  himself  coasted  both  sides  of  the  Gulf  of 
California,  which  was  first  called  the  Sea  of  Cortez,  but  was  more 
generally  known  as  the  Mar  Roxo,  6  Vermejo,  (the  Red,  or 
Vermillion  Sea),  probably  from  its  resembling  the  Red  Sea 


26 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FEANCISCO. 


between  Arabia  and  Egypt  in  shape,  or  from  the  discoloration  of 
its  waters  at  the  northern  extremity  by  the  Rio  Colorado,  or 
Red  River.  Gomara,  the  Spanish  historian,  in  1557,  likened  it 
more  judiciously  to  the  Adriatic.  In  the  English  maps,  it  is  gen- 
erally marked  as  the  Gulf  of  California.  Francisco  de  Ulloa, 
at  command  and  likewise  at  the  personal  expense  of  Cortez, 
prosecuted  farther  discoveries  along  the  coast,  and  during  the 
subsequent  two  years,  succeeded  in  exploring  the  gulf  nearly 
to  the  mouth  of  the  Colorado.  Neither  Cortez,  however,  nor 
Ulloa  seems  to  have  discovered  the  coast  of  New  or  Upper 
California. 

That  honor  was  reserved  to  Juan  Rodriguez  Cabrillo,  one  of 
the  pilots  of  Cortez.  Cabrillo  was  a  Portuguese  by  birth,  and  a 
man  of  great  courage  and  honor.  On  the  27th  June,  1542, 
under  instructions  from  the  then  viceroy  of  Spain,  Antonio  de 
Mendoza,  he  sailed  from  the  port  of  Navidad  in  Mexico,  on 
an  expedition  of  discoveiy  of  the  coast  towards  the  north.  He 
touched  at  various  places  on  the  voyage.  The  large  cape  between 
the  fortieth  and  forty-first  degrees  of  latitude  he  named  Cape 
Mendoza,  or  Mendocino,  in  honor  of  the  viceroy.  Cabrillo  reached 
44°  lat.  N.,  where  he  found  the  cold  (10th  March)  intense. 
This,  the  want  of  provisions,  and  the  bad  condition  of  his  ships, 
compelled  him  to  return  to  Navidad,  the  harbor  of  which  place 
he  re-entered  on  14th  April,  1543.  This  is  according  to  the 
authority  of  Venegas.  Other  accounts  say  that  Cabrillo,  who 
had  been  long  sick,  and  was  overcome  at  last  by  the  fatigues  of 
the  voyage,  died  at  Port  Possession,  in  the  Island  of  San  Ber- 
nardo, one  of  the  Santa  Barbara  group,  about  the  thirty-fourth 
parallel,  upon  the  3d  January,  1543,  leaving  the  subsequent 
guidance  of  the  expedition  farther  northwards  to  Bartolome 
Ferrelo,  his  pilot.  Ferrelo  is  said  to  have  named  a  promon- 
tory about  the  forty-first  degree  of  latitude,  Cabo  de  Fortunas 
(Cape  of  Perils,  or  Stormy  Cape),  from  the  rough  weather  and 
dangers  encountered  in  its  vicinity.  This  promontory  is  supposed 
to  be  the  same,  already  noticed,  which  was  called  Cape  Men- 
docino. There  is  therefore  some  discrepancy  between  the  accounts 
of  the  voyage  under  the  command  of  Cabrillo,  or  successively 
of  him  and  his  pilot  Ferrelo.    Neither  of  these  navigators, 


EXPEDITION   OF  SIR  FRANCIS  DRAKE. 


27 


however,  while  they  noticed  and  named  various  prominent  points 
of  the  coast,  seem  to  have  discovered  the  entrance  to  the  great 
Bay  of  San  Francisco. 


Sir  FsAHOIB  Dbakf. — From  an  old  English  Painting. 

In  1577,  Sir  Francis,  then  only  Captain  Drake,  already  dis- 
tinguished as  an  experienced  navigator,  fitted  out,  with  the  pecu- 
niary aid  of  some  friends,  a  buccaneering  expedition  against  the 


28 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


Spaniards,  which  ultimately  led  him  round  the  globe.  In  those 
days,  and  for  a  long  time  afterwards,  the  rich  Spanish  ships,  which 
bore  over  so  many  seas  the  wealth  of  their  new-found  world,  were 
the  natural  prey  of  the  English  buccaneers — or,  to  give  them  a 
more  honorable  title,  since  they  generally  sailed  under  formal 
license  from  the  government,  of  the  English  privateers.  Drake, 
Cavendish,  Dampier,  and  many  other  famous  early  navigators, 
were  all  of  that  class.  The  wealth  of  the  Philippines  was  gen- 
erally conveyed  by  a  single  annual  galleon  from  Manilla  to 
Acapulco,  on  its  way  to  Europe.  To  intercept  this  particular 
ship  was  one  great  aim  of  these  privateers.  Drake,  in  his  expe- 
dition of  1577,  after  safely  threading  the  Straits  of  Magellan, 
reached,  at  length,  the  Pacific,  north  of  the  equator,  and  appears, 
in  1579,  to  have  sailed  along  the  shores  of  California.  All  along 
the  west  coast  of  the  Americas  he  had  been  capturing  and  plun- 
dering the  newly  settled  Spanish  towns,  and  such  ships  as  came 
in  his  way.  Wishing  at  length  to  return  home,  and  afraid  lest 
the  Spaniards  might  be  waiting  to  catch  him  off  the  Straits  of 
Magellan,  he  tried  to  sail  westward,  and  so  reach  England  by  the 
Cape  of  Good  Hope.  This  was  in  the  autumn  of  1579.  Con- 
trary winds  preventing  that  course,  "  he  was  obliged,"  to  use  the 
language  of  an  old  chronicler  of  the  voyage,  "  to  sail  towards  the 
north ;  in  which  course,  having  continued  at  least  six  hundred 
leagues,  and  being  got  into  forty-three  degrees  north  latitude, 
they  found  it  intolerably  cold  ;  upon  which  they  steered  south- 
wards, till  they  got  into  thirty-eight  degrees  north  latitude, 
where  they  discovered  a  country,  which,  from  its  white  cliffs  they 
called  Nova  Albion,  though  it  is  now  known  by  the  name  of 
California. 

"  They  here  discovered  a  bay,  which  entering  with  a  favorable 
gale,  they  found  several  huts  by  the  water  side,  well  defended 
from  the  severity  of  the  weather.  Going  on  shore,  they  found  a 
fire  in  the  middle  of  each  house,  and  the  people  lying  round  it 
upon  rushes.  The  men  go  quite  naked,  but  the  women  have  a 
deer  skin  over  their  shoulders,  and  round  their  waist  a  covering 
of  bulrushes  after  the  manner  of  hemp. 

"  These  people  bringing  the  admiral  (Drake)  a  present  of 
feathers  and  cauls  of  network,  he  entertained  them  so  kindly 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  NATIVES. 


29 


and  generously,  that  they  were  extremely  pleased,  and  soon  after- 
wards they  sent  him  a  present  of  feathers  and  bags  of  tobacco. 
A  number  of  them  coming  to  deliver  it,  gathered  themselves 
together  at  the  top  of  a  small  hill,  from  the  highest  point  of  which 
one  of  them  harangued  the  admiral,  whose  tent  was  placed  at  the 
bottom.  When  the  speech  was  ended,  they  laid  down  their  arms 
and  came  down,  offering  their  presents ;  at  the  same  time 
returning  what  the  admiral  had  given  them.  The  women 
remaining  on  the  hill,  tearing  their  hair  and  making  dreadful 
howlings,  the  admiral  supposed  them  engaged  in  making  sacri- 
fices, and  thereupon  ordered  divine  service  to  be  performed  at  his 
tent,  at  which  these  people  attended  with  astonishment. 


Sir  Francis  Drake  and  the  California  Indians. 

"The  arrival  of  the  English  in  California  being  soon  known 
through  the  country,  two  persons  in  the  character  of  ambassadors 
came  to  the  admiral,  and  informed  him,  in  the  best  manner  they 


30 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


were  able,  that  the  king-  would  visit  him,  if  he  might  be  assured 
of  coming  in  safety.  Being  satisfied  on  this  point,  a  numerous 
company  soon  appeared,  in  front  of  which  was  a  very  comely 
person,  bearing  a  kind  of  sceptre,  on  which  hung  two  crowns,  and 
three  chains  of  great  length.  The  chains  were  of  bones,  and  the 
crowns  of  net  work,  curiously  wrought  with  feathers  of  many 
colors. 

"  Next  to  the  sceptre-bearer  came  the  king,  a  handsome 
majestic  person,  surrounded  by  a  number  of  tall  men,  dressed  in 
skins,  who  were  followed  by  the  common  people,  who,  to  make 
the  grander  appearance,  had  painted  their  faces  of  various  colors, 
and  all  of  them,  even  the  children,  being  loaded  with  presents. 

"  The  men  being  drawn  up  in  line  of  battle,  the  admiral 
stood  ready  to  receive  the  king  within  the  fences  of  his  tent. 
The  company  having  halted  at  a  distance,  the  sceptre-bearer  made 
a  speech,  half  an  hour  long,  at  the  end  of  which  he  began  sing- 
ing and  dancing,  in  which  he  was  followed  by  the  king  and  all 
the  people  ;  who,  continuing  to  sing  and  dance,  came  quite  up  to 
the  tent  ;  when  sitting  down,  the  king  took  off  his  crown  of 
feathers,  placed  it  on  the  admiral's  head,  and  put  on  him  the 
other  ensigns  of  royalty  ;  and  it  is  said  that  he  made  him  a 
solemn  tender  of  his  ivhole  kingdom  /  all  which  the  admiral 
accepted  in  the  name  of  the  queen  his  sovereign,  in  hopes  that 
these  proceedings  might,  one  time  or  other,  contribute  to  the 
advantage  of  England. 

"  The  common  people,  dispersing  themselves  among  the  admi- 
ral's tents,  professed  the  utmost  admiration  and  esteem  for  the 
English,  whom  they  considered  as  more  than  mortal  ;  and  accord- 
ingly prepared  to  offer  sacrifices  to  them,  which  the  English 
rejected  with  abhorrence,  directing  them,  by  signs,  that  their 
religious  worship  was  alone  due  to  the  Supreme  Maker  and 
Preserver  of  all  things. 

"  The  admiral  and  some  of  his  people,  travelling  to  a  distance 
in  the  country,  saw  such  a  quantity  of  rabbits,  that  it  appeared 
an  entire  warren  ;  they  also  saw  deer  in  such  plenty  as  to  run  a 
thousand  in  a  herd.    The  earth  of  the  country  seemed  to 

PROMISE  RICH  VEINS  OF  GOLD  AND  SILVER,  SOME  OF  THE  ORE 
BEING  CONSTANTLY  FOUND  ON  DIGGING. 


BODEGA,  SAN  FRANCISCO,  AND  DRAKE'S  BAYS.  31 


"  The  admiral,  at  his  departure,  set  up  a  pillar  with  a  large 
plate  on  it,  on  which  was  engraved  her  majesty's  name,  picture, 
arms,  and  title  to  the  country ;  together  with  the  admiral's  name, 
and  the  time  of  his  arrival  there." 

This  is  a  curious  and  interesting  picture  of  the  aborigines  of 
California.  From  the  description  of  their  naked  bodies  and 
painted  faces,  their  howlings,  singing  and  dancing,  the  girdles  of 
bulrushes  of  the  women,  and  the  "  kind  of  sceptre,  on  which 
hung  "  the  chains  of  bone  and  the  crowns  of  network  "  curiously 
wrought  with  feathers  of  many  colors,"  of  the  king,  it  may  be 
presumed  that  the  people  were  in  the  rudest  state  of  barbarism. 
Though  the  earth  seemed  streaked  with  gold,  or,  as  Pinkerton 
says  in  his  description  of  Drake's  voyage,  "  the  land  is  so  rich  in 
gold  and  silver,  that  upon  the  slightest  turning  it  up  with  a 
spade  or  pick-axe,  these  rich  metals  plainly  appear  mixed  with 
the  mould,"  yet  the  natives  do  not  appear  to  have  worn  any  orna- 
ments made  of  these  metals,  which  has  usually  been  the  case  with 
other  savages  when  they  had  access  to  them.  The  beauty  and 
purity  of  the  metals  named,  especially  of  gold,  and  the  ease  of 
working  in  them,  naturally  render  them  precious  in  the  eyes  of 
the  most  barbarous  tribes.  Unless,  therefore,  we  suppose  the 
Indians  to  have  been  the  most  stupid  and  helpless  people  exist- 
ing, it  may  be  reasonably  doubted  whether  so  extensive  indica- 
tions of  gold  and  silver  were  found  as  the  broad  statements  of 
the  chroniclers  seem  to  imply.  Certainly,  however,  the  traces  of 
the  precious  metals  discovered  by  Drake  were  the  first  authentic 
intimation  of  the  mineral  wealth  of  the  country. 

There  is  no  reason  to  suppose  that  Drake  knew  of  the  previ- 
ous discovery  of  the  country  by  the  Spaniards  ;  and  accordingly 
long  afterwards,  and  even  with  people  to  this  day,  it  has  been 
believed  that  he  was  the  first  discoverer  of  California.  Queen 
Elizabeth  afterwards  knighted  him  for  his  services  in  this  and 
previous  expeditions,  "  telling  him,  at  the  same  time,"  in  the 
words  of  the  writer  of  his  voyages  already  quoted,  "  that  his  ac- 
tions did  him  more  honor  than  his  title."  The  queen,  however, 
took  no  steps  to  secure  the  country  which  her  admiral  had  discov- 
ered :  and  the  "  pillar,  with  a  large  plate  on  it,"  and  all  its  rusted 


32  ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 

engravings,  may  peradventure  be  yet  some  day  discovered  by  the 
antiquary. 

In  popular  estimation  the  bay  which  Drake  entered  is  believ- 
ed to  be  that  of  San  Francisco  ;  while  many  who  might  have  had 
opportunities  to  examine  into  the  subject  have  hastily  concluded 


Sir  Francis  Drake's  Bay,  or  Jack's  Harbor 


that  it  must  have  been  Bodega  Bay.  There  is,  however,  another 
bay  not  far  from  these,  and  lying  between  them,  known  formerly 
under  the  very  name  of  Sir  Francis  Drake's  Bay,  though  better 
now  as  Jack's  Harbor.  This,  on  a  careful  examination  of  the 
subject,  seems  to  have  been  the  true  and  only  bay  which  Drake 
ever  visited  on  the  coast.  There  is  a  sad  confusion,  even  among 
recent  writers  and  geographers,  as  to  the  names  and  relative 
positions  of  these  bays.  Most  of  them  seem  to  think  that 
Bodega  and  Drake's  Bays  are  the  same.  Thus  Humboldt  says, 
"  This  port  (San  Francisco)  is  frequently  confounded  by  geogra- 


SIR  FRANCIS  DRAKE'S  BAY. 


33 


phers  with  the  Port  of  Drake  farther  north,  under  the  38°  10J 
of  latitude,  called  by  the  Spaniards  the  Puerto  de  Bodega,."  The 
latitude  of  Jack's  Harbor,  or  Drake's  Bay,  is  37°  59'  5"  (longitude 
122°  57^'),  thus  corresponding  exactly  with  the  statement  of  the 
chronicler  ;  while  San  Francisco  and  Bodega  Bays  are  a  good 
many  miles  to  the  south  and  north  respectively  of  the  parallel 
named  by  him.  If  Drake  had  really  entered  San  Francisco  Bay, 
it  is  more  than  likely  that  he,  or  his  chronicler,  would  have  said 
something  more  of  its  peculiarities — its  unusual  excellence,  and 
the  great  arms  which  it  stretches  both  to  south  and  north.  In 
the  English  maps,  constructed  after  Drake's  voyage,  there  is  a 
bay  laid  down  bearing  his  name  ;  although,  owing  to  the  general 
ignorance  of  the  coast  and  the  confusion  in  regard  to  particular 
bays  alluded  to,  this  bay  has  been  often  held  to  be  the  same  as 
that  of  Bodega.  There  is,  therefore,  every  probability  that  the 
Bay  of  San  Francisco  had  never  been  seen  at  all  by  either  the 
Spanish  or  the  English  navigators  (for  there  were  others  of  the 
latter  nation  after  Drake  along  the  California  coast),  but  that, 
in  reality,  it  was  discovered  by  travellers  on  land,  and  most  pro- 
bably first  by  the  missionaries  in  1769.  It  may  also  be  remarked 
in  corroboration  of  these  opinions,  that  the  white  cliffs  and  the 
abundance  of  rabbits  seen  by  Drake,  closely  correspond  to  the 
present  description  of  Punta  de  los  Penes  (Cape  of  Kings),  and 
the  country  around  Jack's  Harbor.  The  cliffs  about  this  part  of 
the  coast,  for  a  space  of  nearly  forty  miles,  resemble  in  height 
and  color,  those  of  Gieat  Britain  in  the  English  Channel,  at 
Brighton  and  Dover.  Hence  the  propriety  of  the  old  designation 
of  the  country,  New  Albion.  We  give  an  illustration  of  these 
cliffs  and  of  Drake's  Bay.  This  bay  has  somehow  grown  out  of 
most  people's  remembrance,  or  at  least  their  appreciation,  since  it 
is  a  very  safe  and  most  important  port  of  refuge  along  a  foggy  and 
dangerous  coast.  A  number  of  fishing  vessels  have  made  use  of 
it  during  the  last  few  years,  and  it  was  their  crews  who  dubbed 
it  Jack's  Harbor,  in  ignorance  of  its  previous  name.  It  is  likely 
that  public  attention  will  be  called  to  its  peculiar  advantages 
before  long.  We  think,  however,  that  no  new  name  should  be 
allowed  to  supersede  the  historical  one  of  "  Sir  Francis  Drake's 


3 


34 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


Bay."  It  would  be  a  pity  not  to  preserve  some  such  remembrance 
of  one  of  the  greatest  and  earliest  navigators  along  our  coasts. 

On  the  14th  of  October,  1587,  Captain  Thomas  Cavendish, 
afterwards  knighted  by  Queen  Elizabeth,  when  in  a  privateering 
expedition  against  the  Spaniards,  fell  in  with  Cape  St.  Lucas, 
at  the  extremity  of  California.  A  tine  bay,  named  by  the  Span- 
iards Aguada  Segura,  is  within  this  cape,  and  there  Cavendish 
lay  in  wait  for  the  Acapulco  galleon,  laden  with  the  wealth  of  the 
Philippines.  At  length  she  appeared,  and  after  a  severe  fight, 
was  taken  possession  of  by  the  English  admiral.  "  This  prize," 
says  the  relator  of  the  voyage,  "  contained  one  hundred  and 
twenty-two  thousand  pezoes  of  gold,  besides  great  quantities  of 
rich  silks,  satins,  damask  and  musk,  and  a  good  stock  of  provi- 
sions." Pretty  fair  all  that  for  an  English  adventurer  !  In  those 
days,  piracy  was  honorable,  and  legalized  by  formal  license,  tin  nigh 
the  spoil  was  only  gold  and  silver  and  light  moveable  goods — booty 
of  the  common  robber.  After  all,  the  old  buccaneers  were  poor 
grovelling  souls.  In  our  own  times,  pirates — called  "  filibusters," 
whose  business  is  notoriously  unlawful,  have  much  grander  views 
of  glory  and  profit.  Cuba  and  Sonora,  which  are  countries  equal 
to  Italy  of  the  old  world  in  beauty,  fertility  and  real  wealth,  are 
certainly  prizes  worth  stealing  and  fighting  for — the  rewards  of 
Alexanders,  Cassars  and  Bonapartes.  But  then,  principles  of 
action  being  nearly  the  same,  "  Young  America"  is  very  much 
smarter  than  "  Old  England." 

The  next  Englishman  who  is  specially  recorded  to  have 
touched  the  California  coast  is  Captain  Woodes  Rogers,  who  was 
in  command  of  the  usual  filibustering  or  privateering  expeditions. 
This  was  in  November,  1709.  He  describes  the  aborigines  of  the 
peninsula  as  being  "  quite  naked,  and  strangers  to  the  European 
manner  of  trafficking.  They  lived  in  huts  made  of  boughs  and 
leaves,  erected  in  the  form  of  bowers,  with  a  fire  before  the 
door,  round  which  they  lay  and  slept.  The  men  were  quite  naked, 
and  the  women  had  only  a  short  petticoat  reaching  scarcely  to  the 
knee,  made  of  silk  grass,  or  the  skins  of  pelicans  or  deers.  Some 
of  them  wore  pearls  about  their  necks,  which  they  fastened  with 
a  string  of  silk  grass,  having  first  notched  them  round  :  and 
Captain  Rogers  imagined  that  they  did  not  know  how  to  bore 


CAPTAIN  WOODES  ROGERS. 


35 


them.  These  pearls  were  mixed  with  sticks,  bits  of  shells  and 
little  red  berries,  which  they  thought  so  great  an  ornament  that 
they  would  hot  accept  of  glass  beads  of  various  colors,  which  the 
English  would  have  given  them.  The  men  are  straight  and  well 
built,  having  long  black  hair,  and  are  of  a  dark  brown  complexion. 
They  live  by  hunting  and  fishing.    They  use  bows  and  arrows, 


Landing  of  Captain  YVoodcs  lingers. — from  an  old  English  engraving. 


and  are  excellent  marksmen.  The  women,  whose  features  are 
rather  disagreeable,  are  employed  in  making  fishing  lines,  or  in 
gathering  grain  (doubtless  what  grew  spontaneously),  which  they 
grind  upon  a  stone.  The  people  were  willing  to  assist  the  English 
in  filling  water,  and  would  supply  them  with  whatever  they  could 
get ;  they  were  a  very  honest  people,  and  would  not  take  the 
least  thing  without  permission."  This  description,  and  that 
already  given  from  Drake's  voyage,  make  up  a  pretty  complete 
picture  of  the  aborigines  of  the  Californias.  They  appear  to  have 
been  a  simple,  honest,  good-natured,  stupid  race  of  people,  and, 


36 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


in  most  respects,  resemble  the  savages  which  we  find  in  other 
newly  discovered  countries. 

Captain  Rogers  was,  of  course,  lying  in  ambush  for  the 
"  great  Manilla  ship  ; "  and,  in  due  course  of  time,  she  appeared 
and  was  captured.  "  The  prize  was  called  Nuestra  Senora  de  la 
Incarnation,  commanded  by  Sir  John  Pichberty,  a  gallant  French- 
man ;  and  the  prisoners  said  that  the  cargo  in  India  amounted 
to  two  millions  of  dollars.  She  carried  one  hundred  and  ninety- 
three  men,  and  mounted  twenty  guns." 

As  illustrating  the  career  of  these  English  buccaneers,  and 
the  state  of  terror  in  which  the  Spaniards  were  constantly  kept 
by  their  depredations,  and  which  was  one  of  the  chief  causes  that 
induced  the  Spanish  Government,  as  we  shall  afterwards  see, 
strenuously  to  prosecute  farther  discoveries  and  settlements  along 
the  coast  of  California,  we  shall  give  a  copy  of  a  deed,  or  instru- 
ment, executed  between  the  said  Captain  Rogers  and  the  town 
of  Guiaquil.  The  exjiloits  of  Rogers  and  his  men  are  indeed 
much  later  in  date  than  some  of  the  expeditions  yet  to  be  noticed, 
of  the  Spanish  navigators  along  the  California  coast ;  still,  as  they 
forcibly  explain  one  reason,  at  least,  why  such  expeditions  were 
undertaken  on  the  part  of  the  Spaniards,  it  appears  better  to 
notice  them  here  than  in  mere  chronological  order.  The  notices 
of  the  voyages  of  Drake,  Cavendish  and  Rogers,  are  taken  from 
accounts  contained  in  an  old  folio  volume  of  voyages  and  travels 
kindly  placed  at  our  disposal  by  the  "  Society  of  California  Pio- 
neers." 

The  "high  contracting  parties"  entered  into  the  following 
agreement  : 

"Contract  for  the  ransom  of  the  town  of  Guiaquil: 
"  Whereas  the  City  of  Guiaquil,  lately  ia  subjection  to  Philip  V.,  King 
of  Spain,  is  now  taken  by  storm,  and  in  possession  of  the  Captains  Thomas 
Dover,  Woodes  Rogers,  and  Stephen  Courtney," — [the  expedition,  fitted  out 
at  the  cost  of  some  "  British  gentlemen,"  consisted  of  the  Dide,  a  ship  of 
three  hundred  tons  burthen,  thirty  guns  and  one  hundred  and  seventy  men, 
commanded  by  Rogers,  and  the  Duchess,  of  two  hundred  and  seventy  tons, 
twenty-six  guns,  and  one  hundred  and  fifty-one  men,  under  the  command  of 
Courtney] —  "  commanding  a  body  of  her  Majesty  of  Great  Britain's  subjects  ; 
we,  the  underwritten,  are  content  to  become  hostages  for  the  said  city,  and  to 
continue  in  the  custody  of  the  said  Captains  Thomas  Dover,  Woodes  Rogers  and 
Stephen  Courtney,  till  thirty  thousand  pieces  of  gold  should  be  paid  to  them 


RANSOM  OF  GUIAQUIL. 


37 


for  the  ransom  of  the  said  city,  two  new  ships,  and  six  barks ;  during  which 
time  no  hostility  is  to  be  committed  on  either  side,  between  this  and  Puna  : 
the  said  sum  to  be  paid  at  Puna,  within  six  days  from  the  date  hereof;  and 
then  the  hostages  to  be  discharged,  and  all  the  prisoners  to  be  delivered  im- 
mediately; otherwise  the  said  hostages  do  agree  to  remain  prisoners  till  the 
said  sum  is  discharged  in  any  other  part  of  the  world. 

In  Witness  Whereof,  We  have  voluntarily  set  our  hands,  this  twenty  - 
seventh  day  of  April,  old  stile,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord,  1709." 

This  ransom  seems  to  have  been  punctually  paid,  and  the 
hostages  faithfully  liberated.  However,  Captains  Thomas  Dover, 
Woodes  Rogers  and  Stephen  Courtney  appear,  in  addition,  to 
have  plundered  the  town  pretty  thoroughly. 


CHAPTER  II. 


Expeditions  of  Viscaino. — Admiral  Otondo  and  Father  Kino. — First  settlement^  and  introduction  of 
tlic  priest  rule  in  the  California?. — Failure  ami  withdrawal  of  the  first  missions. — Renewed  at- 
tempts to  make  settlements. — Father  Salva-Tierra  and  his  coadjutors.  -  Final  establishment  of  the 
Jesuits  in  the  country. — Geographical  discoveries  of  Father  Kino. — Jesuits  expelled  and  super- 
seded by  Franciscan  Friars ;  these,  in  turn,  by  the  Dominican  Monks. — Population  and  physical 
character  of  Old  or  Lower  California. 

We  shall  now  return  to  the  progress  of  the  Spaniards  in  dis- 
covering and  settling  the  coast  of  California  : — In  1596  Caspar 
de  Zuniga,  Count  de  Monte-rey,  then  viceroy  of  Mexico,  received 
an  order  from  Philip  II.  to  make  farther  discoveries  and  settle- 
ments on  the  coast  of  California.  The  visit  of  Drake,  and  his 
naming  and  claiming  the  country  as  first  discoverer,  for  Queen 
Elizabeth,  had  struck  the  inhabitants  of  the  coast  lower  down 
with  consternation  ;  and  already  Englishmen,  particularly  the 
famous  Thomas  Cavendish,  and  others,  had  fortified  themselves 
on  the  coast,  and  molested  the  rich  Spanish  ships  which  yearly 
sailed  between  the  Philippine  Islands  and  New  Spain,  and  which 
generally  made  the  coast  of  California  about  Cape  Mendocino. 
At  that  period,  there  was  much  talk  of  a  north-east  passage  from 
the  Pacific  to  the  old  world  by  the  Straits  of  Anian  (Behring's 
Straits),  and  the  Spanish  Government  in  Europe  was  considerably 
alarmed  lest  the  English  should,  by  that  probable  route,  strike  a 
deadly  blow  at  their  unprotected  colonies  on  the  west  coast  of  the 
Americas.  An  expedition  to  make  fresh  discoveries  was  accord- 
ingly undertaken,  and  put  under  the  command  of  General  Sebas- 
tian Viscaino,  a  man  of  great  and  tried  abilities. 

Viscaino  accordingly  sailed  from  Acapulco,  but  does  not 
appear  to  have  proceeded  far  northwards  ;  for,  in  the  same  year 
(1596),  we  find  him  returned  to  New  Spain.  Want  of  provisions 
and  unfortunate  disputes  with  the  Indians,  produced  this  speedy 


EXPEDITIONS  OF  VISCAINO. 


39 


result.  The  Spanish  Government,  however,  was  keeping  the 
matter  in  view.  In  1599  another  order  was  dispatched  from 
Europe  to  Count  Monte-rey  to  fit  out  a  new  expedition  for  the 
purposes  already  mentioned.  This  again  was  placed  under  the 
command  of  General  Viscaino.  In  May,  1602,  Viscaino,  in 
pursuance  of  his  instructions,  sailed  from  Acapulco,  and  proceeded 


View  in  the  Interior  of  California. 


northwards  till  he  reached  the  forty-second  degree  of  latitude. 
Uj)  to  the  twenty-sixth  parallel,  he  appears  to  have  surveyed  the 
coast  minutely  ;  but  between  that  degree  and  the  most  northern 
limits  of  his  voyage,  he  seems  to  have  been  satisfied  with  merely 
keeping  the  land  in  sight.  He  discovered  the  ports  of  San  Diego 
and  Monterey,  which  latter  was  so  named  in  honor  of  the  viceroy. 
Still  not  a  word  of  San  Francisco  Bay.  Indeed  it  is  quite 
evident  that  up  to  this  period  that  great  harbor  had  escaped 
the  observation  of  all  the  navigators  who  had  attempted  to 
explore  the  coast.  Viscaino,  excited  by  his  imperfect  dis- 
coveries, and  full  of  hope  of  making  more  important  ones  on 
a  fresh  expedition,  solicited  the  viceroy  for  permission  to  pur- 
sue it  at  his  own  expense  ;  but  the  viceroy  referred  him  to  the 


40 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


Court  at  Madrid,  who  seemed  to  have  taken  the  business  into 
their  own  hands.  Viscaino  therefore  visited  Spain,  and  pressed 
his  suit,  but  in  vain.  At  last,  in  1606,  after  Viscaino,  wearied 
and  sick  at  heart  with  "  hope  deferred,"  had  retired,  moody  and 
discontented,  to  Mexico,  another  ordinance  was  issued  by  Philip, 
commanding  a  fresh  expedition  of  discovery  and  settlement  to  be 
undertaken.  The  conduct  of  this  was  bestowed  upon  Viscaino, 
who  accepted  the  charge  with  alacrity  ;  but  before  any  progress 
was  made  in  the  matter,  he  was  seized  with  a  fatal  distemper. 
After  his  death  nothing  was  done  or  said  about  the  expedition. 

Various  attempts  on  a  moderate  scale,  partly  by  adventurers 
at  their  own  cost,  and  partly  under  royal  ordinances,  were  subse- 
quently made  to  prosecute  the  survey  and  settlement  of  the  coast. 
In  1615,  in  1633  and  1634,  in  1640,  1642,  1648,  1665,  and 
1668,  several  fruitless  efforts  were  made  for  these  purposes.  In 
the  interval,  the  public  mind  was  rilled  with  magnificent  views  of 
the  wealth  of  the  scarcely  discovered  country.  It  was  known 
that  pearls,  of  great  beauty  and  value,  were  found  at  various 
places  in  the  gulf  and  along  the  coast.  Perhaps  also  the  glowing 
statements  made  by  Sir  Francis  Drake  of  the  golden  sands  and 
other  mineral  riches  which  he  saw  there,  helped  to  fire  the  ima- 
ginations of  the  Spaniards.  Omne  ignotum  pro  magnifico.  Cali- 
fornia was  long  viewed  as  the  Dorado  of  New  Spain  ;  and  was 
believed  not  merely  to  be  abounding  in  pearls  and  gold  and  silver, 
but  also  in  diamonds,  and  all  manner  of  other  pi-ecious  metals  and 
gems.  Our  own  days  have  justified  these  sparkling  fancies,  though 
scarcely  perhaps  in  the  exact  manner  and  localities  of  which  the 
old  Spaniards  dreamed. 

In  1677,  instructions  were,  after  long  and  mature  delibera- 
tion, sent  by  the  Court  at  Madrid  to  Don  Francis  Payo  Enriquez 
de  Rivera,  archbishop  of  Mexico,  and  viceroy  of  New  Spain,  to 
undertake  afresh  the  survey,  conquest  and  settlement  of  Califor- 
nia ;  and  that  Admiral  Pinadero,  who  had  previously  carried  on 
some  private  expeditions  for  the  same  end,  at  his  own  cost, 
should  be  employed  in  the  affair  ; — that,  if  he  declined,  the 
business  should  be  offered  to,  and  managed  by  others,  also  at 
their  expense,  under  certain  specified  conditions  ; — but  that,  if  no 
volunteer  came  forward,  the  undertaking  should  be  conducted  at 


ATTEMPTS  TO  SETTLE  CALIFORNIA. 


41 


the  cost  of  the  Crown.  The  enterprise  fell  to  Admiral  Dun 
Isidro  Otondo  and  Antillion,  who  signed  an  instrument  for  that 
purpose,  in  December,  1678,  which  was  approved  of  at  Madrid 
on  29th  December,  1679.  By  this  deed,  the  spiritual  government 
was  conferred  on  the  Jesuits  and  Father  Eusebio  Francisco  Kiihn, 
— a  German  by  birth,  called  by  the  Spaniards  Kino,  and  who  was 
a  distinguished  member  of  the  Society  of  Jesus.  This  seems  the 
origin  of  the  connection  of  the  Jesuits  and  priest  class  with  Cali- 
fornia. Otondo  and  his  Jesuits  put  to  sea  from  Chacala,  in  May, 
1683,  and  sailed  up  the  gulf.  During  two  years  the  admiral  and 
his  missionary  priests,  who  had  meanwhile  learned  the  native 
languages,  met  with  various  success  among  the  Indians  of  the 
peninsula,  many  of  whom  they  succeeded  in  converting  to  Chris- 
tianity. However,  they  occasionally  found  rebellious  tribes  ;  and 
on  the  whole,  were  unable  to  make  any  serious  impression  on  their 
minds,  or  to  establish  any  permanent  settlement  of  importance. 
This  was  caused  indeed  more  by  the  natural  barrenness  of  the 
country,  and  the  difficulty  and  expense  of  supporting  existence 
there,  than  by  the  vicious  habits  of  the  natives,  who  are  described 
as  a  simple,  inoffensive  and  feeble  race,  more  prone  to  consider 
their  white  visitors  as  absolute  deities  on  earth  than  as  invaders 
of  their  territorial  rights. 

The  Spanish  Court,  which  appears  to  have  been  drawn  into  a 
large  expenditure  by  this  expedition,  and  by  another,  which  im- 
mediately followed,  conducted  by  the  same  parties,  soon  got  tired 
of  the  subject,  and  judged  the  conquest  and  settlement  of  the 
country  to  be  impracticable.  They  declined,  therefore,  to  prose- 
cute the  undertaking  farther ;  but  knowing  the  political  impor- 
tance of  having  it  somehow  accomplished,  they  recommended  the 
Society  of  Jesus  to  finish  it,  and  offered  that  body  large  annual 
subsidies  from  the  royal  treasury  in  aid.  The  Society,  after 
discussing  the  "  estimates  "  of  Admiral  Otondo  and  Father  Kino, 
and  their  own  "  ways  and  means,"  respectfully  rejected  the  royal 
proposal  ;  and  thus  a  measure  which  had  been  agitated  for  nearly 
two  hundred  years,  and  of  which  all  admitted  the  political  im- 
portance, while  the  personal  and  pecuniary  reward  of  success  was 
believed  to  be  immense,  was  abruptly  brought  to  a  close.  So 
doubtful,  expensive  aud  dangerous  .  id  the  undertaking  appear, 


42 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


that  the  Crown  refused  the  petition  of  Captain  Francisco  Lu- 
zenilla  to  attempt  it  at  his  own  expense.  In  the  year  1G94, 
indeed,  a  royal  license  was  granted  to  Captain  Francisco  Itamarra 
for  making  a  descent  at  his  own  risk  and  charges  ;  but  he  had  no 
better  success  than  his  predecessors. 


Spanish  ship  of  the  seventeenth  century,  and  coast  of  California. 


The  missionaries,  who  had  accompanied  the  expeditions  of 
Admiral  Otondo,  were  now  drafted  to  different  places  elsewhere, 
although  many  of  them  deeply  regretted  that  the  rich  harvest  of 
heathenism  should  be  so  suddenly  and  unexpectedly  abandoned, 
just  when  the  sickle  was  sharpened  and  the  laborers  were  in 
the  field.  They  had  labored  with  great  industry  to  accom- 
plish an  object  toward  which  they  looked  forward  with  anx- 
ious hopes,  which  they  now  saw  would  never  be  realized. 
They  thought  that  their  Indian  conversions  would,  sooner  or 
later,  have  extended  over  the  whole  tribes  in  California,  had 
they  been  enabled  to  retain  settlements  there  ;  while  it  was 
more  than  probable  that  their  new  converts  would  relapse  into 
their  old  idolatry  on  the  departure  of  their  spiritual  teachers. 
Without  detailing,  therefore,  the  various  steps  taken  by  the 


FATHER  SALVA-TIERRA  AND  HIS  COADJUTORS. 


Fathers  to  preserve  and  advance  their  spiritual  ascendency  in 
California,  it  may  be  sufficient  to  say,  that  Father  Kino,  who  had 
these  conversions  much  at  heart,  met  with  Father  Salva-Tierra, 
a  man,  like  himself,  of  great  enthusiasm  for  the  Catholic  faith, 
and  of  untiring  courage,  and  much  benevolence  and  sweetness  of 
disposition.  These  two  men, — particularly  the  latter,  who  had 
chosen  St.  Francis  Xavier  as  his  model, — were  the  true  apostles 
of  California.  Somewhat  later,  Fathers  Francisco  Maria  Piccolo 
and  Juan  Ugarte  associated  themselves  with  these  pioneers  of 
Christianity  and  civilization.  Their  biographies  would  make  an 
indispensable  and  most  interesting  chapter  in  the  early  history  of 
Lower  California,  but  are  out  of  place  in  this  short  summary  of 
the  progress  of  discovery  and  gradual  settlement  of  the  general 
country.  It  is  sufficient  to  observe  that  their  pious  zeal  urged 
them  on  against  every  obstacle — the  unwillingness  of  their  own 
Society  of  Jesus — the  indifference  of  the  Court,  when  it  had  to 
advance  the  whole  funds — the  delays  of  officials — the  poverty  of 
their  own  means,  and  the  fewness  of  their  coadjutors.  At  last, 
the  eloquence  and  pertinacity  of  Father  Salva-Tierra  kindled 
some  life  among  the  superiors  of  their  order  and  in  a  few  wealthy 
laymen.  The  last  assisted  the  Society  by  large  donations  ;  aud 
soon  subscriptions  began  to  pour  in  from  the  general  public,  to 
promote  the  pious  work  of  conquering  California  to  Christianity. 
A  crusade — peaceful,  if  the  devil  got  frightened  and  retired 
from  the  contest  ;  but  warlike,  if  need  were — was  proclaimed  ; 
and  all  were  invited  to  support  the  scheme  by  pecuniary  means, 
while  the  Spanish  Government  supplied  the  necessary  soldiers  to 
protect  the  Fathers,  and  execute  their  decrees  and  those  of 
heaven.  It  was  all,  in  terms  of  the  motto  and  ruling  spirit  of 
the  Society,  ad  majorem  Dei  gloriam  ;  and  great  indeed  would 
be  the  reward  in  heaven  of  the  patrons  of  the  business.  After 
many  hardships,  and  a  slow,  painful  progress,  the  Jesuit  mission- 
aries succeeded  in  planting  various  missions  over  the  whole 
peninsula.  Aided  by  subscriptions  from  the  pious,  and  donations 
from  the  Crown,  they  were  enabled  to  give  the  simple  Indians 
daily  food  and  a  scanty  raiment,  and  soon,  with  unwearied  pa- 
tience, converted  them  into  excellent  and  faithful  servants  and 
devout  Christians.    They  had  no  more  sense  than  mere  children, 


44 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


and  they  were  accordingly  treated  as  such.  Like  children,  they 
were  always  believing  and  obedient.  Ignorant  and  helpless,  they 
were  slaves  both  in  body  and  mind,  and  knew  no  will  but  that  of 
their  spiritual  and  temporal  lords. 

Father  Salva-Tierra,  in  1705,  was  chosen  provincial  of  his 
Order  in  Mexico,  and  thus  absolutely  governed  the  country  both 
in  spiritual  and  temporal  things.  It  was  in  1700  and  1701,  by 
some  accounts,  and  in  1709  by  others,  that,  in  the  course  of  sev- 
eral journeys  undertaken  for  the  purpose,  Father  Kino  discovered 
that  California  was  united  with  the  main  land.  We  have  seen 
that  this  fact  was  known  as  early  as  1541,  where  it  appears  a 
peninsula  in  the  map  of  Castillo  ;  but  somehow  the  circumstance 
had  been  unaccountably  forgotten,  and  the  contrary  was  almost 
universally  believed. 

In  1767,  the  Fathers  lost  the  missions,  in  consequence  of  an 
ordinance  issued  by  Charles  III.  for  the  instant  and  general  ex- 
pulsion of  the  Jesuits  from  all  the  Spanish  dominions.  This 
stringent  decree  was  immediately  obeyed  in  the  Mexican  provinces, 
where  the  Jesuits  were  arrested  without  delay,  and  hundreds  of 
them  shipped  off  to  Europe.  They  were  succeeded  in  California 
by  a  body  of  Franciscan  Friars  from  Mexico  ;  but  these  in  turn 
were  soon  superseded  by  the  Dominican  Monks,  who  still  retain 
possession  of  the  country. 

The  population  of  Lower  California  was  never  great,  and 
towards  the  end  of  last  century  was  rapidly  diminishing.  Hum- 
boldt, in  his  "  Political  Essay  on  New  Spain,"  estimates  that  the 
population,  in  1803,  did  not  exceed  nine  thousand  of  all  races, — 
somewhat  more  than  the  half  of  which  number  consisting  of  the 
domesticated  converts  of  the  Fathers.  The  missions  had  then 
been  reduced  to  sixteen.  Mr.  Alexander  Forbes,  in  his  "  History 
of  Upper  and  Lower  California"  (London,  1839),  estimates  the 
total  population,  in  1835,  not  to  exceed  fourteen  or  fifteen  thou- 
sand. Compared  with  New  California,  the  old  country  of  that 
name  is  a  dry  and  barren  land — with  a  serene  and  beautiful  sky, 
indeed,  but  with  a  rocky,  or  sandy  and  arid  soil,  where  rains  sel- 
dom fall,  and  vegetation  is  consequently  of  little  account.  Such 
a  country  could  never  become  very  populous,  either  in  a  savage 
or  a  civilized  state. 


CHAPTER  III. 


First  settlement  of  New  or  Upper  California  by  Franciscan  Monks.— Supposed  earliest  discovery  of 
San  Francisco  Bay. — Origin  of  the  name  — Establishment  of  a  Mission  and  Presidio  there,  and 
ceremonies  on  the  occasion. -Gradual  establishment  of  Missions  and  Presidios  over  the  country.— 
List  of  these,  and  population  of  same  at  various  dates.— The  gente  de  razon  and  (he  lifstian,  or 
the  rational  creatures  and  beasts  of  the  country. — Causes  why  free  white  settlers  few  in  number. — 
Character  of  the  natives  as  given  by  Venegas,  and  other  writers.— Progress  and  apparent  destiny 
of  the  Anglo-Saxons  in  the  Pacific. 

Still  later  than  Old  California,  and  upwards  of  two  hundred 
years  after  its  first  discovery,  New  or  Upper  California,  was  first 
settled.  The  Spanish  Court,  afraid,  as  of  old,  lest  some  of  the 
other  maritime  nations  of  Europe  should  settle  on  the  north-west 
coasts  of  America,  and  induced  by  other  political  reasons,  alluded 
to  in  the  previous  chapters,  sent  instructions  to  the  Marquis  de 
Croix,  then  viceroy  of  New  Spain,  to  found  missions,  and  presidios 
for  their  military  protection,  in  the  ports  of  San  Diego  and 
Monterey,  and  at  various  other  parts  of  the  country.  TlnV 
was  accordingly  done,  with  the  aid  of  the  church,  in  1769,  and 
following  years  ;  and  immediately,  in  gratitude  or  in  terms  of 
special  agreement,  both  the  spiritual  and  temporal  government  of 
the  country  were  put  under  the  control  of  certain  monks  of  the 
Order  of  St.  Francis,  two  being  placed  at  the  head  of  each  mis- 
sion established.  Presidios,  in  addition  to  those  at  San  Diego 
and  Monterey,  were  subsequently  formed  at  Santa  Barbara  and 
San  Francisco.  Father  Junipero  Serra, — a  man  of  the  Salva- 
Tierra  and  Kino  stamp, — was  the  first  presiding  missionary  ;  and 
under  his  immediate  auspices  the  mission  of  San  Diego  was 
founded  in  1769,  being  the  earliest. 

Without  dwelling  on  the  successive  establishment  of  the 
other  missions,  let  us  say  a  few  words  upon  that  of  San  Francisco. 
The  missionaries,  in  proceeding  northwards,  with  the  intention 


46 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


of  reaching  Monterey,  happened  to  take  the  eastern  side  of  the 
range  of  mountains  which  borders  the  coast  north  of  San  Diejro, 
which  place  they  had  just  left,  after  establishing  its  mission. 
They  undesignedly  passed  by  Monterey,  and  journeyed  on  till 
they  reached  the  magnificent  bay  and  harbor  which  are  now 
called  San  Francisco  ;  and  which  are  said  to  be  so  named  from 
the  following  circumstance : — Father  Junipero,  on  leaving  Lower 
California,  had  received  instructions  from  the  visitador,  or  inspector- 
general  of  the  Spanish  Government,  respecting  the  names  of  the 
proposed  missions,  and  the  saints  carefully  selected  from  the 
calendar,  to  whose  special  patronage  they  should  be  entrusted  ; 
but  among  them  the  name  of  St.  Francis  did  not  happen  to  occur. 
"  What  ! "  exclaimed  the  good  missionary,  surprised  and  shocked 
at  such  an  insulting  neglect,  "  is  not  our  own  dear  Father,  St. 
Francis,  to  have  a  mission  assigned  to  him  ? "  To  this  remon- 
strance, the  visitador  calmly  replied,  "  If  Saint  Francis  wish  a 
mission,  let  him  show  you  a  good  port,  and  then  it  will  bear  his 
name."  When  accordingly  the  missionaries,  in  their  progress 
northwards,  discovered  the  spacious  bay  mentioned,  they  cried 
out,  "  This  then  is  the  port  to  which  the  visitador  referred,  and 
to  which  the  saint  has  led  us — blessed  be  his  name  !"  And 
forthwith  they  named  it  San  Francisco  Bay,  in  compliment  to 
their  patron  and  guide.  They  next  set  up  the  usual  cross,  took 
formal  possession,  and  returned  to  San  Diego,  where  they  arrived 
on  the  24th  January,  1770.  From  any  thing  that  can  be  cer- 
tainly learned  of  the  proceedings  of  previous  travellers  and  voy- 
agers, this  seems  the  true  and  first  discovery  of  that  great  bay — 
nearly  two  hundred  years  after  Sir  Francis  Drake  was  reputed  to 
have  visited  it. 

The  mission  itself  of  San  Francisco  was  only  founded  in  1776, 
though  it  had  been  projected  ever  since  the  discovery  of  the 
bay,  about  the  end  of  October,  1769.  On  the  27th  June  of  the 
first  mentioned  year,  an  expedition  which  had  started  by  land 
from  Monterey,  arrived  on  the  borders  of  a  small  lake, — the  same 
which  is  now  called  "  Washerwoman's  Lagoon," — near  the 
sea-shore,  from  which  it  is  separated  by  a  low  sand-hill.  This  is 
situated  towards  the  northern  extremity  of  the  Peninsula  of  San 
Francisco,  and  the  surplus  waters  of  which  discharge  themselves 


MISSION  AND  PRESIDIO  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


47 


into  the  strait  that  connects  the  bay  with  the  ocean,  and  which 
was  afterwards  called  the  il  Golden  Gate."  The  neighborhood  of 
this  lake  promised  to  be  the  best  spot  for  establishing  the  mission  ; 
though  it  was  subsequently  planted  about  two  miles  to  the  south. 
A  store-ship  had  previously  left  Monterey  with  the  necessary  sup- 
plies for  the  wants  of  the  missionary  band.  Some  soldiers,  and 
a  few  families  from  Sonora,  as  intending  settlers,  had  accompanied 
the  expedition.  They  carried  with  them  a  number  of  black  cat- 
tle and  sheep,  horses,  mules,  field  and  garden  seeds,  and  other 
necessary  means  of  stocking  and  making  the  settlements  a  profit- 
able investment.  While  waiting  the  arrival  of  the  store-ship  from 
Monterey,  which,  owing  to  foul  winds,  did  not  take  place  till  the 
18th  August  following,  the  expedition  began  to  make  preparations 
for  their  permanent  abode  by  cutting  down  timber,  and  selecting 
what  appeared  to  be  the  most  eligible  site  for  a  settlement.  On 
the  17th  day  of  September,  solemn  possession  was  taken  of  the 
presidio — "  the  day,"  according  to  Father  Palou,  the  historian  of 
the  achievements  of  Father  Junipero,  "being  the  festival  of  the 
impression  of  the  sores  of  Saint  Francis,  the  patron  of  the  port. 
After  blessing,  adoring,  and  planting  the  holy  cross,  the  first  mass 
was  chaunted,  and  the  ceremony  concluded  by  a  Te  Deum  :  the 
act  of  possession  in  the  name  of  our  sovereign  being  accompanied 
with  many  discharges  of  artillery  and  musketry  by  sea  and  land." 

After  these  ceremonies,  the  harbor  was  surveyed,  both  from  the 
shore  and  by  means  of  a  launch,  from  the  water  ;  when  it  was 
ascertained  that  there  was  only  one  outlet  to  the  sea,  that  by 
which  the  store-ship  had  entered.  On  the  9th  day  of  November 
— being  the  day  of  Saint  Francis — a  similar  ceremony  was  per- 
formed on  taking  possession  of  the  mission  ;  when,  as  Father 
Palou  remarks  of  the  establishment  and  consecration  of  the  mis- 
sion and  church  of  San  Fernando,  "  the  want  of  an  organ  and 
other  musical  instruments  was  supplied  by  the  continual  discharge 
of  the  fire-arms  during  the  ceremony,  and  the  want  of  incense, 
of  which  they  had  none,  by  the  smoke  of  the  muskets."  No 
doubt  the  pious  priests  thought  this  was  a  pretty  way  of  pleasing 
the  Omnipotent.  Certainly  it  was  one  admirably  suited  to  en- 
chain the  minds  of  the  scared  natives.  The  white  "  sorcerers  " 
were  clearly  more  clever  than  the  brown  ones.    This  mission  sub- 


48 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


sequently  bore  the  name  Dolores,  in  commemoration  of  the  suf- 
ferings of  the  Virgin. 


Mission  of  San  Francisco. 


The  Fathers  showed  much  good  taste  in  selecting  the  site  of 
the  mission  buildings,  which  was  a  small  fertile  plain,  embosomed 
among  gentle,  green-clad  hills,  little  more  than  a  mile  from  the 
shore  and  about  two  miles  from  the  centre  of  the  present  city  of 
San  Francisco.  Several  tiny  rivulets  of  clear,  sweet  water,  met 
about  the  spot,  whose  united  streams  were  conducted  to  the  bay 
by  one  larger  creek,  known  by  the  name  of  Mission  Creek.  Far- 
ther north  the  land  was  one  continued  succession  of  bleak  sand- 
hills, among  which  the  present  city  is  situated.  An  exception, 
however,  must  be  made  of  the  spot  where  the  presidio  was  estab- 
lished, which  indeed  was  very  prettily  and  agreeably  situated  A 
small  cove  lay  to  the  eastward  of  the  presidio,  within  the  narrow 
entrance  to  the  bay,  where  good  anchorage  ground  and  shelter 
coidd  be  had.  This  was  the  original  port  of  the  mission,  though 
latterly  the  cove  of  Yerba  Buena,  a  few  miles  distant,  and  within 
the  bay  itself,  was  more  frequently  adopted  as  a  harbor. 

On  the  arrival  of  this  expedition  at  the  bay,  many  of  the 
natives  had  affectionately  approached  the  missionaries  with  de- 


NAMES  AND  FOUNDATIONS  OF  THE  MISSIONS. 


49 


monstrations  of  peace,  and  all  the  signs  of  extreme  pleasure  at 
their  appearance ;  but  before  the  ceremonies  alluded  to — the  im- 
posing chanted  masses  and  Te  Deums,  and  still  more  wonderful  sal- 
vos of  artillery  and  musketry — had  been  played,  the  whole  of  the 
natives  who  had  inhabited  the  place,  having  been  surprised  by  an 
unfriendly  tribe,  suddenly  disappeared.  This  untoward  circum- 
stance somewhat  delayed  the  conversions,  the  first  baptism  hav- 
ing taken  place  only  on  Saint  John's  Day,  December  27th,  of 
the  same  year. 

The  names  and  foundations  of  the  various  missions,  up  U 
1803,  according  to  the  authority  of  Humboldt,  taking  them  in 
their  order  from  south  to  north,  with  their  respective  Indian  pop- 
ulations at  the  close  of  1802,  are  as  follows  : — 


Foundations. 

Missions. 

Males. 

|  Females. 

Total. 

1769 

737 

822 

1559 

1798 

San  Luis  Key  de  Francia,  

256 

276 

532 

1776 

502 

511 

1013 

1771 

532 

515 

1047 

1797 

317 

297 

614 

1782 

San  Buenaventura  

436 

502 

938 

1786 

521 

572 

1093 

1787 

La  Purissima  Concepoion,  

457 

571 

1028 

1772 

San  Luis  Obispo,  

374 

325 

699 

1797 

309 

305 

614 

17D1 

Boledad,  

296 

267 

563 

1771 

San  Antonio  de  Padua,  

568 

484 

1052 

1770 

San  Carlos  de  Monterey,  

376 

312 

688 

1797 

530 

428 

958 

179-1 

238 

199 

437 

1777 

736 

555 

1291 

1797 

327 

295 

622 

1776 

433 

381 

814 

Total,  .... 

7945 

7617 

15562 

Note  — Forbes  gives  this  table  as  taken  from  Humboldt ;  but  there  is  a 
slight  discrepancy  in  the  two  sets  of  figures.  It  is  possible  that  the  English 
translation  is  incorrect.  Forbes*  table  distinguishes  the  males  and  females 
which  Humboldt's  does  not.  Forbes'  table  is  therefore  adopted  with  sonu- 
verbal  corrections  from  Humboldt  direct.  This  translation,  or  the  original 
work  itself,  has  various  discrepancies  in  its  figures.  For  instance,  it  talks  of 
the  population  being  15,562,  at  one  place,  while  in  its  table,  for  the  same  year, 
the  figures  summed  up,  make  15,630. 

These  populations  include  only  the  converted  Indians,  win 
were  attached  to  the  missions.    There  are  no  statistics  which  can 

4 


50 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FEANCISCO. 


be  relied  upon  as  to  the  numbers  of  wild  Indians, — or  gentiles,  as 
they  were  called  by  the  Spaniards.  Indeed  as  these  gentiles  were 
naturally  of  an  emigratory  habit,  roaming  from  place  to  place  in 
search  of  game,  or  in  pursuit  of  hostile  tribes,  they  could  scarcely 
be  classed  as  among  the  permanent  inhabitants  of  any  particular 
district  of  country.  It  was  estimated  by  Humboldt  that,  in  1802, 
the  number  of  whites,  mestizoes  and  mulattoes,  and  who  lived 
either  in  the  presidios  or  in  the  service  of  the  monks,  was  only 
about  thirteen  hundred.  These  were  the  gente  de  razon,  or 
rational  creatures  of  the  country,  in  contradistinction  to  the 
natives,  who  were  considered  only  as  bestias,  or  beasts. 

In  1802,  the  total  Indian  population  connected  with  the 
missions,  when  they  were  eighteen  in  number,  as  shown  by  the 
above  table,  amounted  to  15,562.  In  1801,  Humboldt  says,  that 
the  Indian  population  was  13,668,  and  in  1790,  when  the  mis- 
sions were  eleven  in  number,  it  was  7748.  La  Perouse,  in  1786, 
when  there  were  only  ten  missions,  estimates  the  converted  or 
domesticated  Indians  at  5143.  These  figures  show  a  very  rapid 
increase  of  population,  or  rather  of  conversions,  in  so  few  years. 
The  real  increase  of  population,  however,  would  have  been  con- 
siderable among  the  gente  de  razon  had  not  the  traditionary  cus- 
toms or  laws,  which  regulated  the  Spanish  presidios  for  ages, 
stood  in  the  way  of  the  settling  of  the  white  population.  The 
governing  priests  were  jealous  of  their  white  subjects  (the  people 
of  reason),  and  wished  only  a  tame  Indian  population,  who 
were  supposed  unable  to  reason.  Therefore  the  soldiers  of  the 
presidios  were  not  allowed  to  establish  themselves  as  colonists, 
nor  was  any  building  permitted  to  be  erected  in  the  neighborhood 
of  these  fortresses.  Indeed  no  marriages  were  tolerated  among 
the  soldiers,  without  the  consent  of  the  Spanish  Crown,  and  such 
consent  the  Fathers  hindered  as  much  as  lay  in  their  power. 
Notwithstanding  these  impolitic  restrictions,  the  fertility  and 
pleasantness  of  the  land  were  so  great  as  gradually  to  draw  a 
small  number  of  white  settlers  from  other  provinces  of  New 
Spain  ;  and  although  grants  of  land  could  only  flow  from  the 
Fathers  themselves,  yet,  either  through  favor  or  direct  interest, 
such  grants  were  occasionally  obtained,  though  generally  the  land 
thus  given  lay  at  a  considerable  distance  from  the  missions  and 
presidios. 


POPULATION  OF  THE  MISSIONS. 


51 


The  Indian  population  attached  to  the  missions  were  mean- 
while becoming  an  industrious,  contented  and  numerous  class, 
though  indeed,  in  intelligence  and  manly  spirit,  they  were  little 
better  than  bestias — beasts,  after  all.  Generally  speaking,  the 
Indians  along  the  whole  north-west  coast  of  America  were  a  very 
inferior  order  of  beings  to  the  great  tribes  who  inhabited  the 
Atlantic  border  ;  and,  in  particular,  the  different  races  who 
dwelt  in  California  were  but  poor  wandering  clans  who  subsisted 
on  what  they  could  procure  by  hunting  and  fishing,  and  on  the 
fruits  and  grains  which  grew  spontaneously  ;  but  they  knew 
nothing  of  the  arts  of  agriculture,  or  even  of  a  pastoral  life. 
They  might  properly  enough  be  compared  to  the  aborigines  of 
Australia  or  to  the  Hottentots,  or,  perhaps,  even  the  Bosjesmans 
of  Southern  Africa,  who  have  been  considered  the  most  barbarous 
and  brute-like  people  on  the  earth.  On  this  subject,  Humboldt 
remarks  that  "  the  Indians  of  the  Bay  of  San  Francisco  were 
equally  wretched  at  that  time  (the  establishment  of  the  missions), 
with  the  inhabitants  of  Van  Diemen's  Land."  Venegas  has  said 
of  the  aborigines  of  the  peninsula,  who  closely  resembled  their 
brethren  in  Upper  California,  that  "  it  is  not  easy  for  Europeans 
who  were  never  out  of  their  own  country  to  conceive  an  adequate 
idea  of  these  people.  For  even  in  the  least  frequented  corners 
of  the  globe  there  is  not  a  nation  so  stupid,  of  such  contracted 
ideas,  and  weak  both  in  body  and  mind,  as  the  unhappy  Califor- 
nians.  Their  characteristics  are  stupidity  and  insensibility,  want 
of  knowledge  and  reflection,  inconstancy,  impetuosity  and  blind- 
ness of  appetite,  an  excessive  sloth,  and  abhorrence  of  all  fatigues 
of  every  kind,  however  trifling  or  brutal ;  in  fine,  a  most  wretched 
want  of  every  thing  which  constitutes  the  real  man  and  renders 
him  rational,  inventive,  tractable,  and  useful  to  himself  and 
society." 

The  worthy  Father  Michael  certainly  paints,  in  dull  enough 
colors,  his  proteges  and  converts.  It  may  be  farther  remarked, 
that  the  Indians  appear  to  have  had  little  or  no  notion  of  religion, 
although  they  seem  to  have  had  a  kind  of  sorcerers  among  them, 
who  amused  or  terrified  themselves  and  their  patients  with  sundry 
superstitious  observances.  Some  writers,  such  as  La  Perouse, 
say,  that  they  had  no  knowledge  of  a  God  or  a  future  state  ; 


52 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


others  simply  call  them  idolaters.  The  natives  around  San  Fran- 
cisco Bay  appear  to  have  burned  the  corpses  of  their  people,  while 
other  tribes,  more  to  the  south,  always  buried  theirs.  Occasion- 
ally, they  appear  to  have  eaten  pieces  of  the  bodies  of  their  more 
distinguished  adversaries  killed  in  battle,  although  this  was  pro- 


1.  Wahla,  chief  of  tlic  Yuba  tribe. — civilized  and  employed  by  Mr.  S.  Brannnn.   2.  A  partly 
civilized  Indian.    3.  A  wild  Indian. — From  daguerreotypes  by  Mr.  W.  Shew. 

bably  only  to  insure,  as  they  imagined,  that  a  portion  of  the 
brave  spirit  and  good  qualities  of  the  slain  should  enter  into  and 
be  incorporated  with  their  own  systems  along  with  the  literal 
flesh  of  their  antagonists. 

These  notices  and  the  extracts  previously  given  from  the  voy- 
ages of  Drake  and  Cavendish,  abundantly  establish  the  fact  of 
the  wretched  state  of  humanity  in  California.  And  so  it  might 
have  been  till  doomsday,  had  not  a  new  people  appeared  on  the 
scene.  The  Spanish  population,  and  the  Fathers,  could  not,  or 
would  not,  as  truly  they  did  not,  as  we  may  afterwards  see,  do 
any  thing  to  promote  the  happiness  of  the  human  race  in  the 


THE  ANGLO-SAXONS  IN  THE  PACIFIC. 


53 


country.  Men  feed  the  ox  and  the  sheep  for  their  milk  and 
fleece,  the  hog  for  his  flesh,  the  ass  for  the  strength  of  his  back, 
and  all  for  their  increase  ;  so  did  the  Fathers  feed  their  Indian 
converts,  and  find  abundant  profit  in  their  labor  and  personal 
services,  whom  they  left,  as  they  perhaps  found,  if  they  did  not 
transform  them  into  moral  beasts,  just  as  tame,  dull  and  silly, 
dirty,  diseased  and  stupidly  obstinate  as  the  other  brutes  named. 
Meanwhile,  the  little  independence,  natural  intelligence  and  su- 
periority of  mind  and  character  which  even  the  rudest  savages 
possess  over  the  lower  creatures  were  gradually  sapped  and 
brushed  away,  and  the  Christian  converts  left  ignorant,  super- 
stitious and  besotted,  having  neither  thoughts  nor  passions, 
strength  nor  will,  but  at  the  command  and  heck  of  their  spiritual 
and  temporal  teachers  and  masters.  Better,  a  thousand  times, 
that  the  missions  and  all  their  two-legged  and  four-legged  beasts 
should  be  ruthlessly  swept  away,  than  that  so  fine  a  country,  one 
so  favored  and  framed  by  bountiful  nature  for  the  support,  com- 
fort and  elevation  of  her  worthier  children,  should  longer  lie  a 
physical  and  moral  waste — a  blotch  on  the  fair  face  of  creation. 

But  another  race  was  destined  soon  to  blow  aside  the  old 
mists  of  ignorance  and  stupidity,  and  to  develope  the  exceeding 
riches  of  the  land,  which  had  lain,  undisturbed  and  concealed, 
during  so  many  ages.  The  Spaniards  had  scarcely  proceeded  any 
way  in  the  great  work, — if  they  had  not  rather  retarded  it, — when 
the  Anglo-Saxons,  the  true  and  perhaps  only  type  of  modern 
progress,  hastily  stepped  in,  and  unscrupulously  swept  away  both 
their  immediate  forerunners  as  effete  workers,  and  the  aborigines 
of  the  land,  all  as  lumberers  and  nuisances  in  the  great  western 
highway  of  civilization.  This  highway  is  fated  to  girdle  the 
globe,  and  probably,  in  the  course  of  a  few  centuries,  will  join 
the  original  starting-point  in  the  natal  home  of  the  "  Pilgrim 
Fathers  "  in  old  England.  The  "  pioneers  "  of  California  are  our 
"  Pilgrim  Fathers,"  and  there,  need  be  not  the  slightest  doubt 
but  that  the  empire,  or  rather  the  great  union  of  peoples  and 
nations  in  the  Pacific  will  soon — perhaps  in  fifty  years,  perhaps 
in  a  century — rival,  if  not  surpass  the  magnificent  States  of  the 
Atlantic.  Indians,  Spaniards  of  many  provinces,  Hawaiian s, 
Japanese,  Chinese,  Malays,  Tartars  and  Russians,  must  all  give 
i 


54 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


place  to  the  resistless  flood  of  Anglo-Saxon  or  American  progress. 
These  peoples  need  not,  and  most  of  them  probably  cannot  be 
swept  from  the  face  of  the  earth  ;  but  undoubtedly  their  national 
characteristics  and  opposing  qualities  and  customs  must  be  ma- 
terially modified,  and  closely  assimilated  to  those  of  the  civilizing 
and  dominant  race.  The  English  in  India  have  already  shown 
how  a  beginning  may  be  made  ;  the  Americans,  on  the  California 
coasts,  and  farther  west,  will  still  more  develope  the  modern 
system  of  progress.  People  may  differ  in  opinion  as  to  the  equity 
of  the  particular  steps  attending  the  process,  and  many  honest 
folk  may  even  doubt  its  ultimate  benefit  to  mankind  ;  yet  that 
some  such  grand  result  will  hereafter  be  evolved  from  the  energy 
and  ebullition  of  the  American  character,  and  from  the  peculiar 
circumstances  of  American  position  in  the  world,  must  be  evident 
to  all  who  take  a  dispassionate  and  unprejudiced  view  of  the 
matter. 

Not  only  are  Japan  and  China  much  nearer  to  the  Californian 
coast  than  India  is  to  England  ;  but  with  the  aid  of  steam  the 
time  for  accomplishing  the  distance  is  immensely  reduced.  In 
the  palmy  days  of  the  English  conquests  in  India,  her  ships  took 
several  years  to  make  the  voyage  out  and  home.  Now,  the  ocean 
steamship  may  traverse  the  whole  northern  Pacific  from  California 
to  China,  and  back  again,  within  two  months  !  Indian  sepoys 
fought  the  battles  of  England  against  their  own  countrymen, 
Chinese  sepoys  may  do  the  same  for  Americans.  China,  like 
India,  has  been  long  used  to,  and  its  national  spirit  broken 
by  the  usurping  governments  of  foreign  races.  And  even 
while  we  write,  its  extensive  dominions  are  being  separated 
by  a  wide-spread  and  hitherto  successful  rebellion,  into  detached 
kingdoms  under  the  sway  of  military  chiefs.  These,  standing 
alone,  and  mutually  jealous  of  their  conquering  neighbors,  may 
be  easily  played  off,  one  against  another,  by  a  white  people 
skilled  enough  to  take  advantage  of  circumstances  and  direct  the 
moves  of  the  political  chess-board.  So  it  was  with  the  English 
in  India  ;  and  so  it  may  be  with  the  Americans  in  China.  Only 
give  us  time.  England  has  not  been  very  scrupulous  in  her 
stealthy  progress  over  Hindostan,  Ceylon  and  Birmah.  Then 
neither  need  America  fear  her  reproaches,  if  she,  in  like  manner, 


THE  ANGLO-SAXONS  IN  THE  PACIFIC. 


55 


acquire,  conquer,  or  annex  the  Sandwich  Islands,  the  Islands  of 
Japan,  those  of  the  great  Malayan  Archipelago,  or  the  mighty 
"  Flowery  Empire  "  itself.   A  few  more  years,  and  a  few  millions  of 
Americans  on  the  Pacific  may  realize  the  gigantic  scheme,  which 
even  our  fathers,  on  the  Atlantic  border,  would  have  laughed  at 
as  impossible  and  ridiculous.    The  railway  across,  or  through  the 
Snowy  and  Rocky  Mountains,  which  will  bind  all  North  America 
with  its  iron  arm  into  one  mighty  empire,  will  facilitate  the 
operation.     And  then  San  Francisco — in  the  execution  and 
triumph  of  that  scheme,  will  assuredly  become  what  Liverpool, 
or  even  London  is  to  England,  and  what  New  York  is  to  the 
Middle  and  Eastern  States  of  America — a  grand  depot  for  num- 
berless manufactures  and  produce,  and  a  harbor  for  the  fleets  of 
every  nation.    Long  before  that  time,  the  English  and  American 
peoples  will  have  finished  the  last  great  struggle  which  must 
some  day  take  place  between  them  for  the  commercial  and  polit- 
ical supremacy  of  the  world.    It  is  more  than  probable  that  the 
hosts  of  English  from  India,  and  Americans  from  California, 
will  meet  on  the  rich  and  densely  peopled  plains  of  China,  and 
there  decide  their  rival  pretensions  to  universal  dominion.  What- 
ever .may,  in  1854,  be  thought  of  the  relative  strength  of  the 
two  nations,  it  appears  very  evident  to  the  people  of  America, 
that  the  natural  increase  of  their  population  must  necessarily 
make  them  victors  in  the  end. 


CHAPTER  IV. 


Oonduct  of  the  Fathers  towards  the  natives. — Their  mode  of  instructing,  employing  and  subsisting 
the  converts. — The  Fathers  do  not  appear  to  have  promoted  the  true  welfare  of  the  aborigines 
or  done  any  good  to  humanity. — Pictures,  if  gaudily  colored  and  horrible  in  subject,  great  aid- 
to  conversion. — Missions  and  population  of  the  country  at  recent  dates. — Table  on  this  subject- 
Tables  of  the  farm  produce  and  domestic  cattle  of  the  country. — Table  of  prices. 

It  may  now  be  necessary  to  explain  shortly  in  what  manner  the 
Fathers  conducted  their  missions,  and  the  state  of  their  property 
and  finances  down  to  the  decline  of  their  prosperity  a.nd  ultimate 
fall.    Their  mode  of  conversion,  if  not  very  ingenious,  was  easy 
enough.    It  was  like  the  teaching  of  a  monkey,  or  a  dog,  by 
means  of  food  and  caresses,  or  sometimes  by  kicks,  to  perform  a 
few  simple  tricks.    The  Indian — like  the  hare  in  Meg  Dodds',  or 
it  may  be  Mrs.  Glass's  Cookery  Book,  being  first  caught,  was 
dressed  in  the  following  fashion,  as  described  by  Captain  Beechy, 
in  his  second  voyage  : — "  I  happened  to  visit  the  mission  about 
this  time  and  saw  these  unfortunate  beings  under  tuition.  They 
were  clothed  in  blankets,  and  arrayed  in  a  row  before  a  blind 
Indian  who  understood  their  dialect,  and  was  assisted  by  an 
alcalde  to  keep  order.    Their  tutor  began  by  desiring  them  to 
kneel,  informing  them  that  he  was  going  to  teach  them  the  names 
of  the  persons  composing  the  Trinity,  and  that  they  were  to 
repeat  in  Spanish  what  he  dictated.    The  neophytes  being  thus 
arranged,  the  speaker  began  : — Santissima  Trinidad,  Dios, 
J csu  Christo,  Espiritu  Santo — pausing  between  each  name  to 
listen  if  the  simple  Indians,  who  had  never  spoken  a  Spanish 
word  before,  pronounced  it  correctly,  or  any  thing  near  the  mark. 
After  they  had  repeated  these  names  satisfactorily,  their  blind 
tutor,  after  a  pause,  added,  Santos — and  recapitulated  the  names 
of  a  great  many  saints,  which  finished  the  morning's  tuition." 
The  pay  and  inducement  to  the  Indians  to  submit  to  what 


TREATMENT  OF  THE  NATIVES. 


57 


would  doubtless  appear  even  to  them  a  farrago  of  nonsense,  were 
a  daily  allowance  of  Atole  and  Pozzoli,  which  were  two  kinds  of 
pottages,  the  first  composed  of  barley  flour  and  the  second  of  the 
same,  varied  by  the  addition  of  peas,  beans  and  maize.    The  for- 


Indians  under  instruction 


mer  was  the  usual  breakfast  and  supper  dish,  the  latter  was 
chiefly  taken  for  dinner.  Then  huts,  of  which  the  Fathers  kept 
the  keys,  were  provided  for  the  nightly  lodgings  of  the  faithful  ; 
while  a  simple  kind  of  clothing  was  furnished  to  them  at  intervals. 
Soldiers  took  care  meanwhile  that  order,  decency  and  obedience 
were  strictly  observed  at  work  and  play,  at  devotion  and  rest. 
In  return  for  these  benefits,  the  Indians  rose  early,  and  attended 
mass  every  morning,  for  an  hour  ;  and  during  the  day,  in  the 
intervals  betweeu  a  second  mass  and  meals  and  pretty  constant 
prayers,  cultivated  the  gardens  and  fields  of  the  missions,  gath- 
ered, preserved  and  arranged  for  sale  the  farm  produce,  herded 
and  attended  to  the  wants  of  their  cattle,  built  their  houses,  spun, 


58 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


wove  and  cooked,  and  in  all  respects  drudged  patiently,  though 
they  do  not  appear  to  have  taken  the  work  very  laboriously,  as 
the  born  slaves  of  the  Fathers,  whose  absolute  will  was  all  that 
they  could  comprehend  or  obey.  With  the  instinct  of  a  dog, 
they  fawned  on  and  loved  their  owners,  and  perhaps  would  have 
readily  died  to  do  them  service.  How  different  all  this  from  the 
free,  intelligent  and  bold  spirit  of  the  present  community  !  To 
sharpen  the  intellects  of  the  converts,  sticks,  whips,  long  goads 
and  the  like  were  unhesitatingly  employed  by  the  beadles  of  the 
churches,  during  mass  and  prayers,  to  silence  the  unruly  and 
make  the  refractory  attentive  and  dutiful.  Starvation  and  stripes 
indeed  attended  the  perverse  Indian  wherever  he  went  ;  and  it 
was  his  interest, — he  could  be  made  to  understand  that  at  all 
events, — to  comply  with  the  wishes  of  his  kind  priestly  persecu- 
tors, as  far  as  his  animal  nature  would  permit. 

The  conversion  produced  by  such  means  could  scarcely  be 
intellectual  or  very  sincere.  It  seemed  sufficient,  however,  that 
the  Indian  duly  attended  mass  (which  he  was  obliged  to  do 
under  penalty  of  a  sound,  edifying  whipping),  knelt  and  mutter- 
ed his  incomprehensible  Spanish  words,  made  the  sign  of  the 
cross  often  and  properly  enough,  and  could  correctly  repeat  to  his 
spiritual  tutors,  when  called  upon,  the  few  cabalistic  phrases 
which  they  had  taught  him.  Whether  he  understood  the  mean- 
ing of  these  things  was  quite  another  question,  as  to  which  it  was 
not  necessary  for  the  Fathers  to  be  impertinently  curious.  What 
were  these  brown  things,  after  all,  but  beasts — irrational  beings, 
who  might  have  a  soul  truly  to  be  saved,  but  whom  it  was  absurd 
to  consider  as  having  a  mind  !  Individually,  the  Fathers  seem 
to  have  been  pious  and  philanthropic  men  ;  but  certainly  humanity 
and  California  owe  them  nothing.  Every  thing,  even  happiness, 
is  comparative  ;  and  to  the  mind,  undarkened  by  the  gloomy 
theology  which  considers  the  formal  act  of  baptism  without  the 
understanding  soul  to  be  sufficient  for  salvation,  it  must  surely 
be  evident  that  the  aboriginal  savage,  "  lord  of  all  he  surveyed," 
was  a  more  dignified  and  happy  creature  than  the  steek,  lazy, 
stall-fed  beast  of  burden  into  which  the  Fathers  had  entrapped, 
or  converted  him. 

In  the  churches,  which  were,  of  course,  the  leading  and  most 


MEANS  OK  CONVERSION. 


59 


substantial  buildings  of  the  country,  the  walls  were  hung  with 
glaringly  painted  pictures — the  more  gaudy,  the  more  valuable 
and  effectual — of  the  saints,  and  especially  of  heaven  and  hell,  to 
astonish  and  fix  the  faith  of  the  converts.  La  Perouse  observes 
that  a  horrible  representation  of  hell  in  the  church  of  San  Carlos 
has  thus  had  a  wonderful  effect  in  promoting  conversion  ;  while 


Father  Garzes  and  the  Indians. 


he  considers  that  the  picture  of  paradise  in  the  same  church,  by 
reason  of  its  subdued  coloring  and  treatment,  had  comparatively 
little  effect.  In  1775,  when  Father  G-arzes  was  travelling,  on  a 
crusading  or  proselyting  expedition,  from  Sonora  to  California,  he 
carried  with  him  a  painted  banner,  on  one  side  of  which  was 
represented  the  Blessed  Virgin  Mary,  and  on  the  other  the  devil 
in  the  flames  of  hell.  On  arriving  at  an  Indian  settlement,  the 
missionary  took  his  first  step  of  conversion.  Just  as  the  trav- 
elling mountebank  blows  his  horn  and  flutters  his  flag  on 
approaching  a  village  of  likely  gulls,  so  did  our  good  Father 


60 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


hoist  his  standard,  and  cry  aloud  ;  when,  as  he  naively  observes/ 
the  fascinated  Indians,  on  seeing  the  Virgin,  usually  exclaimed, 
good  ! — but  when  they  observed  the  devil,  they  as  often  said,  bad  ! 
Probably  this  was  faith  enough  to  entitle  them  to  immediate 
baptism,  absolution  and  salvation.  Food,  lodging  and  raiment, 
and  freedom  from  the  cares  of  family  and  the  future,  naturally 
followed. 

By  such  means  the  Fathers  speedily  converted  the  whole  Indian 
tribes  within  their  reach  ;  while,  year  by  year,  as  the  missions, 
and  their  servants  and  cattle  increased  in  number,  they  took 
possession  of  the  most  fertile  and  desirable  lands  in  the  country. 
Much  judgment  and  discretion  were  exhibited,  as  well  in  select- 
ing the  localities  of  the  missions,  as  in  subsequently  managing 
them  for  a  time  to  the  best  possible  advantage.  The  moans 
adopted  for  converting,  training,  and  employing  the  natives, 
were  admirably  devised,  and  were  more  successful  and  satisfactory 
than  could  have  been  anticipated.  The  Fathers  eagerly  desired 
to  make  Indian  converts  ;  for  every  convert,  besides  becoming  a 
partaker  of  immortal  glory,  was  a  valuable  slave  ;  but  they 
dreaded,  and  never  invited  the  approach  of  free  white  settlers. 

The  first  mission,  San  Diego,  was  founded  in  1769  ;  in  1776, 
others  had  been  established  to  the  number  of  eight  ;  there  were 
eleven  in  1790 ;  and,  in  1802,  they  had  increased  to  eighteen. 
In  subsequent  years,  three  more  were  added,  viz.,  those  of  San 
Francisco  Solano,  San  Rafael  and  Santa  Ines.  In  1831,  accord- 
ing to  the  authority  of  Mr.  Forbes  in  his  excellent  work,  already 
mentioned,  on  the  "  History  of  Lower  and  Upper  California," 
the  population  of  all  classes  for  the  whole  latter  country  was 
23,025 — the  Indians  constituting  18,683  of  this  number,  and  the 
garrisons,  missions  and  free  settlements  comprehending  4342. 
That  author  supposes  that  as  the  population,  for  some  years 
afterwards,  was  nearly  stationary,  the  same  enumeration  would 
nearly  hold  good  for  1835,  when  he  wrote,  although  his  state- 
ments were  not  published  till  1839.  We  extract  a  valuable  table 
from  Mr.  Forbes'  volume,  showing  the  localities  peopled,  with  the 
amounts  of  their  population  respectively  : — 


POPULATION  OF  THE  COUNTRY. 


61 


NAMES  OF  TIIF,  JURISDICTIONS,  MISSIONS  AND 
TOWNS. 

PEOPLE  OF  ALL  CLASSES  AND  AGES. 

Girls. 

Total. 

> 

Jurisdiction  of  San  Francisco. 

124 

85 

89 

73 

371 

166 

145 

103 

110 

524 

285 

242 

88 

90 

705 

406 

410 

105 

106 

1027 

146 

65 

13 

13 

237 

752 

491 

68 

60 

1371 

823 

659 

100 

145 

1727 

222 

94 

30 

20 

366 

Jurisdiction  of  Monterey. 

311 

190 

110 

97 

708 

52 

34 

27 

17 

130 

480 

351 

85 

71 

987 

102 

79 

84 

21 

236 

210 

81 

28 

20 

334 

394 

209 

51 

17 

671 

*/         . j»  o   \f:«,»„t 

349 

292 

46 

61 

748 

"       of  San  Luis  Obispo  

211 

103 

8 

7 

329 

Jurisdiction  of  Santa  Buroara. 

167 

120 

162 

164 

613 

Mission  of  La  Purissima 

151 

218 

47 

84 

450 

136 

82 

96 

456 

374 

267 

51 

70 

762 

383 

283 

66 

59 

791 

249 

226 

177 

181 

838 

552 

421 

218 

202 

1388 

Jurisdiction  of  San  Dietjo. 

2951 

574  1 

1911 

683 

621 

•5686 

"       of  San  Juan  Capistrano  

464  [ 

1138  J 

750 

520 

162 

143 

1575 

10272 

7632 

2623 

2498 

23025 

From  the  pages  also  of  Mr.  Forbes,  who  seems  to  have  made 
minute  researches  on  the  subject,  we  extract  the  two  following 
tables, — the  first  of  which  shows  the  whole  produce,  in  grain, 
of  the  country,  in  1831,  calculated  according  to  localities,  and  in 
fanegas.  The  second  table,  calculated  also  by  localities,  gives  the 
total  number  of  cattle,  of  all  descriptions,  in  the  same  year.  It 
may  be  mentioned,  however,  that  in  addition  to  the  number  of 
domestic  cattle  in  the  table,  there  were  great  numbers,  particu- 
larly mares,  running  wild  ;  and  which  were  occasionally  hunted 

*  "  We  are  unable,"  says  Mr.  Forbes,  "  to  give  tliese  latter  details  accu- 
rately, the  copy  having  accidentally  caught  fire  when  in  the  hands  of  the 
printer." 


62 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


and  killed  to  prevent  them  eating  the  pasture  of  the  tamer 
species. 


GRAIN. 


NAMES  OF  THE  JURISDICTIONS,  MISSIONS  AND  TOWNS. 


Jurisdiction  of  San  Francisco. 

Presidio  ok  San  Francisco  

Town  of  Sun  Jose  de  Guadalupe  

Mission  of  San  Francisco  Solano  

"       of  San  Rafael  

"       of  San  Francisco  

"       of  Santa  Clara  

"       of  San  Jose  

"      of  Santa  Cruz  

Jurisdiction  of  Monterey. 

Presidio  of  Monterev  

Village  of  Branciforte  

Mission  of  San  Juan  Bautista  

"       of  San  Carlos  

"      of  Na.  Sa.  de  la  Soledad  , 

"      of  San  Antonio  

"      of  San  Miguel  , 

"      of  San  Luis  Obispo  

Jurisdiction  of  Santa  Barbara. 

Presidio  of  Santa  Barbara  

Mission  of  La  Purissima  

'•      of  Santa  Ines  

"       of  Santa  Barbara  

"       of  Buenaventura  

"       of  San  Fernando  

Town  of  La  Keyna  de  los  Angeles. .. 

Jurisdiction  of  San  Diego. 

Presidio  of  San  Diego  

Mission  of  San  Gabriel  

"       of  San  Juan  Capistrano  

"       of  San  Luis  Rey  

"      of  San  Diego  

Total  fanegas . . 


8 
Ja 

Se 

Maize  or 
Indiuo  Corn. 

e  c 

1 

S  *  5 

*  5  5 

« 

O 

3 

e 
■ 
h 

233 

70 

40 

843 

1657 

1560 

191 

3408 

1171 

200 

24 

241 

24 

1660 

774 

130 

15 

388 

20 

1327 

670 

15 

9 

340 

58 

1092 

2400 

60 

25 

200 

2685 

4000 

1000 

123 

1100 

418 

6641 

160 

300 

10 

386 

20 

876 

490 

332 

131 

953 

103 

160 

80 

343 

840 

170 

40 

256 

6 

1311 

200 

215 

62 

477 

538 

50 

243 

62 

893 

955 

115 

40 

568 

23 

1701 

599 

36 

9 

57 

33 

734 

350 

60 

20 

20 

450 

800 

90 

890 

700 

100 

20 

56 

17 

893 

800 

400 

20 

1220 

730 

90 

50 

336 

80 

1236 

700 

200 

160 

800 

1860 

200 

250 

40 

65 

555 

188 

1758 

179 

2075 

140 

125 

5 

270 

1400 

400 

13 

25 

1838 

450 

625 

30 

5 

1110 

1800 

2000 

200 

1200 

15 

5215 

2946 

420 

80 

1200 

4646 

25144 

10926 

1644 

7405 

1083 

46202 

Taking  the  fanega  at  two  and  a  half  English  bushels,  the  har- 
vest in  1831  would  be  as  follows  : — Wheat,  7857|  quarters  ; 
maize,  3414^  quarters ;  frijoles,  514  quarters ;  barley,  2314 
quarters  ;  beans,  garvanzos  and  peas,  338  quarters  ;  total,  14,438 
quarters.  Reckoning  the  average  price  of  grain  in  California  at 
the  same  period  to  be,  wheat  and  barley  two  dollars  the  fanega, 
or  one  pound  five  shillings  the  English  quarter,  and  maize  at  one 
and  a  half  dollars,  or  one  pound  per  quarter,  the  following  will  be 
the  value  of  the  produce,  viz. :  wheat,  $49,114  25,  or  £9,822  17s. 
sterling  ;  maize,  $21,340,  or  £4,268  ;  barley,  $11,570,  or  £2,314  ; 


FARM  PRODUCE  AND  DOMESTIC  CATTLE. 


63 


peas  and  beans,  reckoned  as  barley,  $4,260,  or  £852  ;  total, 
$86,284  25,  or  £17,256  17s.  The  quantity  of  wheat  produced 
it  will  be  perceived,  is  much  greater  than  any  of  the  other  sorts 
of  <rrain,  which  is  the  reverse  of  what  takes  place  in  the  Mexican 
States,  where  the  produce  of  wheat  is  small  in  proportion  to 
that  of  maize,  the  latter  being  the  staple  bread  corn. 

DOMESTIC  CATTLE. 


NAMES  OP  THE  JURISDICTIONS,  MISSIONS 
AND  TOWNS. 


Jurisdiction  of  Son.  Francisco. 

Presidio  of  San  Francisco  . . . 
Town  of  San  Jose  de  Guadalupe.. 
Mission  of  San  Francisco  Solano. 

"       of  San  Rafael  

"       of  San  Francisco  

"       of  Santa  Clara  

"       of  San  Jose  

"      of  Santa  Cruz  

Jurisdiction  of  Monterey. 

Presidio  of  Monterey  

Village  of  Branci forte  

Mission  of  San  Juan  Bautista  

"      of  S  in  Carlos  

"       of  Na.  Sa.  de  la  Soledad.. 

"      of  San  Antonio  

"       of  San  Miguel  

"       of  San  Luis  Obispo  

Jurisdiction  of  Santa  Barbara. 

Presidio  ok  Santa  Barbara  

Mission  of  La  Purissima  

"      of  Santa  Ines  

"      of  Santa  Barbara  

"       of  Buenaventura  

"       of  San  Fernando  

Town  of  La  Reyna  de  los  Angeles 

Jurisdiction  of  San  Diego. 

Presidio  of  San  Dieoo  

Mission  of  San  Gabriel  

"       of  San  Juan  Capistrano. . 

"       of  San  Luis  Key  

"      of  San  Diego  

Total  


Black 
Cattle. 

Horses. 

Mules. 

Asses. 

Sheep. 

Goats. 

Swine. 

5610 

470 

40 

4443 

2386 

134 

2000 

725 

4 

5000 

50 

1200 

450 

1 

2000 

17 

4200 

1239 

18 

3000 

9000 

780 

88 

7000 

12000 

1300 

40 

13000 

40 

3500 

940 

82 

5403 

5641 

8310 

70 

1000 

1000 

3 

*7070 

401 

6 

1 

7017 

17 

2050 

470 

8 

4400 

55 

6599 

1070 

50 

6358 

5000 

1060 

80 

2 

10000 

55 

60 

3762 

950 

106 

28 

8999 

15 

60 

2000 

800 

200 

50 

1200 

24 

7900 

1300 

220 

10500 

1000 

160 

4 

7000 

80 

62 

7800 

820 

112 

22(10 

50 

2600 

511 

150 

2 

8300 

87 

68 

4000 

800 

60 

3100 

80 

8 

6000 

800 

60 

3 

3000 

38624 

5208 

520 

608 

625 

150 

58 

20-U)0 

1700 

120 

4 

13554 

76 

98 

lo'ino 

290 

30 

5 

4800 

50 

40 

26000 

2M0 

250 

5 

25500 

1200 

250 

6220 

1196 

182 

14 

17624 

825 

216727 

32201 

2S44 

177 

153455 

1873 

839 

The  average  prices  of  cattle,  about  the  same  period,  were, 
for  a  mule  or  saddle  horse,  ten  dollars,  or  two  pounds  sterling  ; 
a  mare,  cow  or  fat  ox,  five  dollars,  or  one  pound  ;  a  sheep,  two 
dollars,  or  eight  shillings. 

In  regard  to  the  preceding  tables,  it  may  be  remarked  that, 
in  1831,  the  missions  had  already  lost  much  of  their  former 
splendor  and  greatness.    Ever  since  1824,  their  progress  had 


64 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


been  of  a  downward  character.  Most  of  them  had  so  wilfully 
mismanaged  their  estates,  or  so  dissipated  their  means,  or  been 
plundered  of  them  by  the  Mexican  authorities,  that  their  wealth 
in  cattle,  farm  produce,  &c,  had  dwindled  down  to  less  than  one- 
fourth,  while  the  pecuniary  affairs  of  many  of  their  number 
showed  a  still  more  ruinous  appearance.  We  have  given  at  length 
the  tables  of  Mr.  Forbes,  because  he  appears  to  have  paid  much 
careful  attention  to  the  subject  ;  and  we  would  now  add  some 
statistics  as  to  the  riches  of  the  missions,  during  the  period  of 
their  reputed  greatest  prosperity,  extracted  from  the  Rev.  Walter 
Colton's  "  Three  Years  in  California"  (New  York,  1850),  whose 
statements,  however,  are  somewhat  more  sweeping  and  less 
detailed  than  those  of  Mr.  Forbes. 

The  Mission  of  San  Francisco  Dolores,  in  1825,  is  said  to 
have  possessed  76,000  head  of  cattle,  950  tame  horses,  2,000 
breeding  mares,  84  stud  of  choice  breed,  820  mules,  79,000  sheep, 
2,000  hogs,  456  yoke  of  working  oxen,  18,000  bushels  of  wheat 
and  barley,  $35,000  in  merchandise,  and  $25,000  in  specie  : — 
Santa  Clara,  in  1823,  branded,  as  the  increase  of  one  year, 
22,400  calves.  It  owned  74,280  head  of  full-grown  cattle,  407 
yoke  of  working  oxen,  82,540  sheep,  1,890  trained  horses,  4,235 
mares,  725  mules,  1,000  hogs,  and  $120,000  in  goods  : — San 
Jose,  in  1825,  had  3,000  Indians,  62,000  head  of  cattle,  840 
tame  horses,  1,500  mares,  420  mules,  310  yoke  of  oxen,  and 
62,000  sheep  : — San  Juan  Bautista,  in  1820,  owned  43,870  head 
of  cattle,  1,360  tame  horses,  4,870  mares,  colts,  and  fillies.  It 
had  also  seven  sheep  farms,  containing  69,530  sheep  ;  while  the 
Indians  attached  to  the  mission  drove  321  yoke  of  working  oxen. 
Its  storehouse  contained  $75,000  in  goods,  and  $20,000  in 
specie  : — San  Carlos,  in  1825,  branded  2,300  calves,  and  had 
87,600  head  of  cattle,  1,800  horses  and  mares,  365  yoke  of  oxen, 
nine  sheep  farms,  with  an  average  of  about  600  sheep  on  each,  a 
large  assortment  of  merchandise,  and  $40,000  in  specie  : — Santa 
Cruz,  so  lately  as  1830,  had  42,800  head  of  cattle,  3,200  horses 
and  mares,  72,500  sheep,  200  mules,  large  herds  of  swine,  and 
$25,000  worth  of  silver  plate  : — Soledad,  in  1826,  owned  about 
36,000  head  of  cattle,  and  a  greater  number  of  horses  and  mares 
than  any  other  mission  in  the  country.    The  increase  of  these 


WEALTH  OF  THE  MISSIONS. 


65 


animals  was  said  to  be  so  great,  that  they  were  given  away  to 
preserve  the  pasturage  for  cattle  and  sheep.  This  mission  had 
about  70,000  sheep  and  300  yoke  of  tame  oxen  : — San  Antonio, 
in  1822,  owned  52,800  head  of  cattle,  1,800  tame  horses,  3,000 
mares,  500  yoke  of  working  oxen,  600  mules,  48,000  sheep,  and 
1,000  swine  : — San  Miguel,  in  1821,  owned  91,000  head  of  cat- 
tle, 1,100  tame  horses,  3,000  mares,  2,000  mules,  170  yoke  of 


Mission  of  Santa  Barbara. 

working  oxen,  and  47,000  sheep  : — San  Luis  Obispo  was  reputed 
to  have  been  one  of  the  richest  of  the  missions.  At  one  time,  it 
owned  87,000  head  of  grown  cattle,  2,000  tame  horses,  3,500 
mares,  3,700  mules,  and  eight  sheep  farms,  averaging  9,000  sheep 
to  each  farm.  "When  its  presiding  priest,  Luis  Martinez,  returned 
to  Spain,  he  took  with  him  $100,000  of  mission  property  : — 
La  Purissima,  so  lately  as  1830,  had  over  40,000  head  of  cattle. 
300  yoke  of  working  oxen,  2,600  tame  horses,  4,000  mares. 
30,000  sheep,  and  5.000  swine  : — Santa  Inez,  in  1820,  possessed 
property  valued  at  $800,000  : — Santa  Barbara,  in  1828,  had 
40,000  head  of  cattle,  1,000  horses,  2,000  mares,  80  yoke  of 
oxen,  600  mules,  and  20,000  sheep  : — San  Buenaventura,  in 
1825,  owned  37,000  head  of  cattle,  600  riding  horses,  1,300 
5 


66 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


mares,  200  yoke  of  working  oxen,  500  mules,  30,000  sheep,  200 
goats,  2,000  swine,  a  thrifty  orchard,  two  rich  vineyards,  $35,000 
in  foreign  goods,  $27,000  in  specie,  with  church  ornaments  and 
clothing  valued  at  $61,000  : — San  Fernando,  in  1826,  owned 
56,000  head  of  cattle,  1,500  horses  and  mares,  200  mules,  400 
yoke  of  working  oxen,  64,000  sheep,  and  2,000  swine.  It  had 
also  in  its  stores  about  $50,000  in  merchandise,  and  $90,000  in 
specie.  Its  vineyards  yielded  annually  about  2,000  gallons  of 
brandy,  and  as  many  of  wine  : — San  Gabriel,  in  1829,  had 
70,000  head  of  cattle,  1,200  horses,  3,000  mares,  400  mules,  120 
yoke  of  working  oxen,  and  54,000  sheep.  It  made  annually  from 
four  to  six  hundred  barrels  of  wine,  the  sale  of  which  produced 
an  income  of  upwards  of  $12,000  : — San  Luis  Bey,  in  1826,  had 
70,000  head  of  cattle,  2,000  horses,  140  yoke  of  tame  oxen,  300 
mules,  and  68,000  sheep  : — San  Juan  Capistrano  and  San  Diego 
were  reputed  to  be  among  the  most  opulent  of  the  missions,  and 
their  possessions  were  not  inferior  to  those  of  the  others  named. 

Let  the  reader  contrast  these  statements  with  those  of  Mr. 
Forbes,  and  consider  what  havoc  must  have  been  produced  among 
the  missions  in  the  short  space  of  six  or  seven  years.  It  was  the 
impending  secularization,  or,  in  other  words,  the  confiscation  of 
their  property,  which  seems  to  have  produced  this  lamentable 
state  of  affairs,  and  made  the  Fathers  quite  careless  in  the  man- 
agement of  their  property.  The  large  occasional  grants,  also,  out 
of  which  the  laity  either  wheedled  or  bullied  the  Fathers,  mightily 
helped  the  disastrous  result.  The  ravens  had  been  long  gather- 
ing round  the  carcass  of  the  still  breathing  creature.  In  its  last 
spasms,  it  recklessly  threw  aside  all  decorum,  and  thinking 
nothing  of  the  future  only  endeavored  to  share  in  and  for  the 
moment  enjoy  its  own  spoils,  along  with  the  grasping  and  sacri- 
legious Mexican  officials  and  their  Californian  favorites.  Soon 
lands  and  stocks  were  all  swept  from  the  reach  of  the  Fathers,  the 
very  Indian  converts  disappeared,  and  nothing  was  left  but  their 
huge  empty  churches,  stripped  of  most  of  their  valuable  and 
gaudy  ornaments,  and  fast  crumbling  into  ruins.  With  the 
general  disappearance  of  the  stock  of  domestic  cattle,  those  lay- 
men who  had  acquired  grants  to  the  different  parts  of  the  mission 
possessions  now  turned  their  attention  more  to  tillage. 


CHAPTER  V. 


Pious  Fund  of  California— General  description  of  the  Missions— Patriarchal  kind  of  life  of  the 
Fathers— Reflections  on  the  subject— General  description  of  the  Presidios,  Castillos,  and  their  gar- 
risons, and  of  the  free  Pueblos  and  Eanchos. 

The  missions  of  Upper  California  were  indebted  for  their  begin- 
ning and  chief  success  to  the  subscriptions  which,  as  in  the 
case  of  the  missionary  settlements  of  the  lower  province,  were 
largely  bestowed  by  the  pious  to  promote  so  grand  a  work  as 
turning  a  great  country  to  the  worship  of  the  true  God.  Such 
subscriptions  continued  for  a  long  period,  both  in  Old  and  New 
Spain,  and  were  regularly  remitted  to  the  City  of  Mexico,  where 
they  were  formed  into  what  was  called  "  The  Pious  Fund  of  Cali- 
fornia." This  fund  was  managed  by  the  convent  of  San  Fer- 
nando and  other  trustees  in  Mexico,  and  the  proceeds,  together 
with  the  annual  salaries  allowed  by  the  Crown  to  the  missionaries 
were  transmitted  to  California.  Meanwhile,  the  Spanish  Court 
scarcely  interfered  with  the  temporal  government  of  the  country. 
It  was  true  that  some  of  the  ordinary  civil  offices  and  establish- 
ments were  kept  up  ;  but  this  was  only  in  name,  and  on  too 
small  a  scale  to  be  of  any  practical  importance.  A  commandante- 
general  was  appointed  by  the  Crown  to  command  the  garrisons 
of  the  presidios,  but  as  these  were  originally  established  solely  to 
protect  the  missions  from  the  dreaded  violence  of  hostile  Indians, 
and  to  lend  them,  when  necessary,  the  carnal  arm  of  offence,  he 
was  not  allowed  to  interfere  in  the  temporal  rule  of  the  Fathers. 
He  resided  at  Monterey,  and  his  annual  salary  was  four  thousand 
dollars. 

In  every  sense  of  the  word,  then,  these  monks  were  practically 
the  sovereign  rulers  of  California — passing  laws  affecting  not  only 
property,  but  even  life  and  death — declaring  peace  and  war 


68 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


against  their  Indian  neighbors — regulating,  receiving,  and  spend- 
ing the  finances  at  discretion — and,  in  addition,  drawing;  large 
annual  subsidies  not  only  from  the  pious  among  the  faithful  over 
all  Christendom,  but  even  from  the  Spanish  monarchy  itself, 
almost  as  a  tribute  to  their  being  a  superior  state.  This  surely 
was  the  golden  age  of  the  missions — a  contented,  peaceful,  be- 
lieving people,  abundant  wealth  for  all  their  wants,  despotic  will, 
and  no  responsibility  but  to  their  own  consciences  and  heaven  ! 
Their  horn  was  filled  to  overflowing  ;  but  soon  an  invisible  and 
merciless  hand  seized  it,  and  slowly  and  lingeringly,  as  if  in  ma- 
licious sport,  turned  it  over,  and  spilled  the  nectar  of  their  life 
upon  the  wastes  of  mankind,  from  whence  it  can  never  again  be 
collected.  The  golden  age  of  another  race  has  now  dawned,  and 
with  it  the  real  prosperity  of  the  country. 

The  missions  were  originally  formed  on  the  same  general  plan, 
and  they  were  planted  at  such  distances  from  each  other  as  to 
allow  ahundant  room  for  subsequent  development.  They  were 
either  established  on  the  sea-coast,  or  a  few  miles  inland.  Twenty 
or  thirty  miles  indeed  seems  all  the  distance  the  missionaries  had 
proceeded  into  the  interior  ;  beyond  which  narrow  belt  the  coun- 
try was  unexplored  and  unknown.  Each  mission  had  a  consider- 
able piece  of  the  best  land  in  the  neighborhood  set  aside  for  its 
agricultural  and  pastoral  purposes,  which  was  commonly  about 
fifteen  miles  square.  But  besides  this  selected  territory,  there 
was  generally  much  more  vacant  land  lying  between  the  bounda- 
ries of  the  missions,  and  which,  as  the  increase  of  their  stocks 
required  more  space  for  grazing,  was  gradually  occupied  by  the 
flocks  and  herds  of  the  Fathers,  nearest  to  whose  mission  lay  the 
previously  unoccupied  district.  Over  these  bounds  the  Fathers 
conducted  all  the  operations  of  a  gigantic  farm.  Their  cattle 
generally  numbered  from  ten  thousand  to  twenty  thousand,  and 
their  sheep  were  nearly  as  numerous — though  some  missions  had 
upwards  of  thrice  these  numbers — which  fed  over  perhaps  a  hun- 
dred thousand  acres  of  fertile  land. 

Near  the  centre  of  such  farms  were  placed  the  mission  build- 
ings. These  consisted  of  the  church — which  was  either  built  of 
stone,  if  that  material  could  be  procured  in  the  vicinity,  or  of 
adobes,  which  are  bricks  dried  in  the  sun,  and  was  as  substantial, 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  MISSIONS. 


69 


large,  and  richly  decorated  an  erection  as  the  means  of  the  mission 
would  permit,  or  the  skill  and  strength  of  their  servants  could 
construct.    In  the  interior,  pictures  and  hangings  decorated  the 


Mis-inn  of  San  Curios. 


walls  ;  while  the  altars  wore  ornamented  with  marble  pillars  of 
various  colors,  and  upon  and  near  them  stood  various  articles  of 
massy  gold  and  silver  plate.  A  profusion  of  gilding  and  tawdry 
sparkling  objects  caught  and  pleased  the  eye  of  the  simple  con- 
gregations. Around,  or  beside  the  church,  and  often  in  the  form 
of  a  square,  were  grouped  the  habitations  of  the  Fathers  and  their 
household  servants,  and  the  various  granaries  and  workshops  of 
the  people  ;  while,  at  the  distance  of  one  or  two  hundred  yards, 
stood  the  huts  of  the  Indians.  The  firmer  buildings  were  con- 
structed  of  adobes,  and  covered  with  brick  tiles,  frail  and  misera- 
ble materials  at  the  best.  The  huts  of  the  Indians  were  occa- 
sionally made  of  the  same  materials,  but  more  commonly  were 
formed  only  of  a  few  rough  poles,  stuck  in  the  ground  with  the 
points  bending  towards  the  centre  like  a  cone,  and  were  covered 
with  reeds  and  grass.  An  adobe  wall  of  considerable  height 
sometimes  inclosed  the  whole  village.  The  direction  of  the 
affairs  of  the  settlement  was  in  the  hands  of  one  of  the  Fathers, 


70 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


originally  called  a  president,  but  afterwards  a  prefect  ;  and  each 
prefect  was  independent  in  his  own  mission,  and  practically- 
supreme  in  all  its  temporal,  and  nearly  in  all  its  spiritual  mat- 
ters, to  any  human  authority. 

Thus  the  Fathers  might  be  considered  to  have  lived  something 
in  the  style  of  the  patriarchs  of  the  days  of  Job  and  Abraham. 
They  indeed  were  generally  ignorant  and  unlettered  men,  know- 
ing little  more  than  the  mechanical  rites  of  their  church,  and 
what  else  their  manuals  of  devotion  and  the  treasuries  of  the  lives 
of  the  saints  taught  them  ;  but  they  seem  to  have  been  person- 
ally devout,  self-denying,  and  beneficent  in  their  own  simple  way. 
They  thought  they  did  God  service,  and  perhaps  much  more  the 
Indians  themselves,  in  catching,  taming,  and  converting  them  to 
Christianity.  That  was  their  vocation  in  the  world,  and  they 
faithfully  obeyed  its  calls  of  duty.  If  ever  stern  necessity,  or 
sometimes  a  forgetfulness  of  the  value  of  life  to  the  wild  Indians 
prompted  them,  or  their  military  guards  and  executioners,  to  the 
slaughter  of  a  tribe,  now  and  then,  of  the  more  fierce,  thievish, 
and  untractable  natives,  they  were  scrupulously  careful  first  of 
all  to  baptize  the  doomed  ;  and,  therefore,  though  the  hapless 
aborigines  lost  earthly  life  and  the  freedom  of  a  savage  state,  their 
souls  were  saved,  and  they  entered  into  and  enjoyed  paradise  for 
ever.  Towards  the  converts  and  actually  domesticated  servants, 
they  always  showed  such  an  affectionate  kindness  as  a  father 
pays  to  the  youngest  and  most  helpless  of  his  family.  The  herds 
and  flocks  of  the  Fathers  roamed  undisturbed  over  numberless 
hills  and  valleys.  Their  servants  or  slaves  were  true  born  chil- 
dren of  the  house,  who  labored  lightly  and  pleasantly,  and  had  no 
sense  of  freedom  nor  desire  for  change.  A  rude  but  bounteous 
hospitality  marked  the  master's  reception  of  the  solitary  way- 
farer, as  he  travelled  from  mission  to  mission,  perhaps  bearing 
some  scanty  news  from  the  outer  world,  all  the  more  welcome 
that  the  Fathers  knew  little  of  the  subject  and  could  not  be 
affected  by  the  events  and  dangers  of  distant  societies.  All 
these  things  have  now  passed  away.  The  churches  have  fallen 
into  decay,  deserted  by  the  old  worshippers,  and  poverty-stricken — 
the  adobe  houses  of  the  Fathers  are  in  ruins — and  there  is  scarcely 
any  trace  left  of  the  slightly  erected  huts  of  the  Indians,  who 


PATRIARCHAL  LIFE  OF  THE  FATHERS.  71 

themselves  have  deserted  their  old  hearths  and  altars,  and  are 
silently  though  rapidly  disappearing  from  the  land.  But  the 
memory  of  the  patriarchal  times,  for  they  were  only  as  of  yester- 
day, still  remains  fresh  in  the  minds  of  the  early  white  settlers. 

The  quiet  beauty  and  peacefulness  of  such  a  life  make  a  de- 
lightful subject  of  contemplation  to  the  wearied  spirits  who  labor 
through  the  turmoils,  anxieties,  and  vexations  of  the  great  world. 
But  the  Indian  neophytes  had  no  such  contrasts  to  show  them 
the  inherent  charm  of  their  contented  life.  They  grew  and  flour- 
ished as  the  cabbage  on  the  rich  soil  of  their  own  land  ;  but  they 
also  were  as  dull  and  earthly  as  the  same  cabbage.  It  may  be 
very  true,  the  more  knowledge,  the  more  sorrow  ;  yet  we  cannot 
avoid  thinking  that  the  more  sources  of  intellectual  eujoyment  a 
man  has,  the  keener  and  more  numerous  also  his  moments  of 
pleasure.  Even  in  many  of  the  natural  anxieties  of  civilized 
society,  there  is  a  sense  of  power  and  heroic  endurance  which 
softens  the  blow.  The  mere  memory  of  past  pains  has  almost 
always  something  cheerful  in  it  ;  while  the  remembrance  of  intel- 
lectual and  refined  enjoyments  gilds  the  last  and  setting  hour  of 
our  existence.  On  the  other  hand,  the  hopes  of  the  intelligent 
being  are  infinitely  more  agreeable  and  ennobling  than  those  of 
the  untutored,  brutal  savage.  Therefore  it  may  be  concluded 
that,  apart  from  sickly  sentimentalism  and  Rousseau-like  theories, 
the  sooner  the  aborigines  of  California  are  altogether  quietly 
weeded  away,  the  better  for  humanity.  Yet  the  Fathers  would 
retain  them  :  then  sweep  away  the  Fathers  too. 

Like  the  missions,  the  presidios  were  established  on  one  general 
plan.  They  were  originally  formed,  as  we  have  seen,  to  give 
military  protection  and  the  aid  of  the  carnal  arm  to  the  Fathers 
in  their  conquest  and  civilization  of  the  country,  and  in  cap- 
turing and  taming  the  wild  Indians.  These  presidios  were  four 
in  number,  viz.  :  those  of  San  Diego,  Santa  Barbara,  Monterey, 
and  San  Francisco.  They  were  built  in  the  form  of  a  square  of 
about  three  hundred  feet  on  each  side,  surrounded  by  a  wall 
twelve  feet  high,  made  of  adobes,  and  most  of  them  are  now  lit- 
tle better  than  a  confused  heap  of  dried  mud,  rapidly  crumbling 
into  dust.  Within  these  bounds  were  included  the  commandante's 
house,  barracks  for  the  troops,  a  church,  store-houses,  and  various 


72 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


other  buildings.  At  some  distance  from  the  presidio  was  the 
castillo,  or  fort,  which  might  be  sufficient  to  overawe  the  simple 
Indians,  but  was  too  defenceless  a  structure  to  prevent  a  superior 
force  of  white  men  taking  easy  possession  of  it.  A  few  guns  of 
small  calibre  were  mounted  on  the  ramparts,  which,  however, 
seemed  more  for  show  than  use,  since  they  were  never  attended 
to.  Soon,  therefore,  from  the  ravages  of  time  and  the  weather, 
their  carriages  fell  to  pieces,  and  the  guns  themselves  became 
honey-combed  by  rust  and  rot. 

The  soldiers  assigned  to  each  presidio  were  cavalry,  and  seem 
always  to  have  been  of  the  worst  kind  of  troops.  As  soldiers, 
they  were  of  little  account ;  as  men  and  settlers,  absolutely 
worthless.  There  were  supposed  to  be  two  hundred  and  fifty 
attached  to  each  presidio,  but  their  complement  was  never  com- 
plete, and  generally  they  were  ridiculously  short  of  that  number. 
Undisciplined,  wretchedly  clothed,  and  irregularly  paid,  they 
were  indolent,  riotous,  and  good  for  nothing  but  to  hunt,  and 
shoot,  or  capture  for  new  converts  and  servants,  the  wild  Indians, 
and  to  act  as  policemen  over  the  converts  already  made.  Yet 
even  in  these  capacities,  they  generally  gave  more  trouble  to  the 
meek  Fathers  to  manage  and  keep  in  decent  order,  than  the  wild 
or  disobedient  natives  themselves.  These  were  the  soldiers  of 
California  in  the  days  of  the  Spanish  monarchy,  and  they  were 
no  better  under  the  Mexican  republic.  They  are  represented  to 
have  been  commonly  the  refuse  of  the  Mexican  army,  and  were 
generally  either  deserters,  mutineers,  or  men  guilty  of  military 
offences,  who  were  sent  to  California  as  to  a  place  of  penal  ban- 
ishment. To  these  presidios  also  the  convicted  felons  of  Mexico 
were  often  transported.  Such  was  a  considerable  portion  of  the 
white  population  of  California.  We  have  already  seen  of  what 
nature  the  Indian  inhabitants  were. 

Occasionally,  the  old  soldiers  of  the  presidios,  upon  their  re- 
tirement, after  a  certain  number  of  years,  from  active  service, 
received  grants  of  land  from  the  Fathers,  upon  which  they  set- 
tled, married,  and  left  descendants.  These  formed  the  nuclei  of 
a  few  free  towns  {pueblos),  which  were  not  under  the  control  of 
the  missions,  but  under  the  immediate  government,  first  of  the 
Spanish  and  afterwards  of  the  Mexican  authorities.    As  they 


PRESIDIOS,  CASTILLOS  AND  RANCHOS. 


73 


were  established  in  the  most  fertile  places  of  the  country,  they 
began  gradually  to  attract  other  white  settlers  to  their  neighbor- 
hood, and  soon  exceeded  in  population  and  importance  most  of 
the  original  mission  villages  themselves.  These  pueblos,  however, 
were  only  three  in  number,  viz.  :  that  of  Nuestra  Senora  de  los 
Angeles  (the  principal  one,  and  indeed  the  chief  town  in  Califor- 
nia), and  those  of  San  Jose,  near  the  mission  of  Santa  Clara,  and 
Branci/orte,  close  to  the  mission  of  Santa  Cruz. 


Mission  Rancho. 


Besides  the  missions,  presidios,  castillos,  and  pueblos,  it  may 
be  remarked  that  there  were  certain  public  farms,  called  ranchos, 
set  apart  for  the  use  of  the  soldiers.  They  were  generally  four 
or  five  leagues  distant  from  the  presidios,  and  were  under  the 
control  of  the  different  commandantes  Little  use,  however,  seems 
to  have  been  made  of  these  farms,  and  they  commonly  were  left 
in  a  state  of  nature,  or  afforded  only  grazing  to  the  few  cattle 
and  horses  belonging  to  the  presidios. 


CHAPTER  VI. 


Independence  of  Mexico  in  1822,  and  gradual  changes  in  the  character  and  constitution  of  the  Missions. 
— Manumission  of  the  Indians  in  1826;  but  plan  found  unworkable,  and  return  to  the  old  state  of 
things. — Gradual  disappearance  of  the  Pious  Fund. — Increasing  riches  of  the  Fathers. — Changes 
of  1833  and  1834  in  the  Missions,  and  attempts  by  the  Mexican  Congress  to  secularize  their  pro- 
perty.— Santa  Anna. — Attempted  Centralization  of  the  Mexican  Government. — Overthrow  of  the 
old  Federal  Constitution  in  1836. — Revolt  and  Declaration  of  Independence  of  the  Californians. 
— Continual  sinking  of  the  Fathers,  and  final  fall  of  the  missions  in  1S45. — Indian  converts  sent 
adrift,  and  Mission  property  sold  or  rented. — Cost  of  the  support  of  the  Missions  to  the  Spanish 
and  Mexican  Governments. 

The  state  of  things  described  under  the  missions  continued 
without  alteration  until  the  overthrow  of  the  Spanish  power  in 
Mexico  in  1822,  and  the  establishment  of  a  republican  constitu- 
tion in  1824.  At  that  time,  as  population  formed  the  basis  of 
the  Federal  States,  New  California  was  only  admitted  into  the 
Union  as  a  territory,  it  not  having  the  necessary  population  to 
constitute  a  State.  Under  this  character,  it  had  a  representa- 
tive in  the  Mexican  Congress,  who  sat  in  the  assembly  and  shared 
in  debates,  but  who  was  not  entitled  to  vote  on  any  question. 
The  republic  was  represented  in  the  territory,  as  the  Spanish 
monarchy  had  previously  been,  by  a  commandante-general,  who 
was  nominal  governor  of  the  country.  However,  the  practical 
legislative  powers  and  virtual  government  remained  in  the  hands 
of  the  missons  as  before.  The  commandante-general  indeed  had 
a  kind  of  advising  or  privy  council  given  him  by  law,  called  a 
deputation,  and  which  was  chosen  by  the  people  ;  but  their  func- 
tions, although  appearing  to  take  the  form  of  a  local  and  free 
government,  were  very  limited,  and  their  meetings  accordingly 
seldom  took  place. 

In  1826,  the  federal  government  first  began  to  tamper  with 
the  ancient  state  of  affairs.  In  that  year,  the  Mexican  authori- 
ties proclaimed  the  manumission  of  the  Indians,  and  sent  in- 


MANAGEMENT  OF  THE  FATHERS. 


75 


structions  to  California  that  all  those  should  be  liberated  "  who 
had  good  characters,  and  were  supposed  able  to  maintain  them- 
selves from  having  been  taught  the  art  of  agriculture  or  some 
trade."  Certain  portions  of  land  were  allotted  to  them,  and  the 
whole  country  was  divided  into  parishes,  under  the  superintend- 
ence of  curates.  The  old  salary  of  the  missionaries  (four  hundred 
dollars  per  annum)  out  of  the  national  exchequer  was  also  sus- 
pended, as  the  country  was  expected  to  maintain  its  own  local 
establishments. 

This  plan,  however,  was  quickly  found  to  be  unworkable. 
The  simple  Indians  were  quite  incapable  of  standing  alone,  and 
rapidly  gambled  away,  or  otherwise  squandered  the  little  pro- 
perty assigned  to  them.  Beggary  or  plunder  was  only  left  them 
to  subsist  upon.  Such  a  state  of  things  soon  restored  the 
Fathers  to  their  former  position.  The  most  respectable  white 
settlers  entreated  them  to  receive  the  beastly  Indians  back  into 
the  old  fold  ;  and  this,  in  the  following  year,  the  Fathers  did. 
But  they  first  took  occasion  to  make  the  circumstances  the 
ground  of  petition  and  complaint  to  Congress,  who  subsequently, 
and  in  consequence  of  their  remonstrances,  ordered  not  only  the 
old  salaries  to  be  continued,  but  the  arrears  then  due  to  be  paid 
in  full.  Thus  the  reign  of  the  Fathers  was  prolonged  for  a 
few  years. 

Meanwhile,  the  old  Pious  Fund  of  California  was  become 
only  a  name.  After  the  separation  of  the  Mexican  provinces 
from  Spain,  the  ancient  subscribers  got  lukewarm  in  their  pay- 
ments, and  new  ones  were  not  easily  to  be  had.  In  the  dis- 
turbed state  of  the  country,  and  in  the  change  of  ideas  arising 
from  political  circumstances,  there  were  more  tempting  channels 
for  the  application  of  loose  money  than  in  riveting  the  chains 
of  Christianity  on  poor  heathens,  or  securing  the  Fathers  in  their 
comfortable  domicils.  But,  to  compensate  for  the  loss  of  these 
subscriptions,  the  real  and  personal  estate  of  the  missions  was 
rapidly  rising  in  value.  Traders  had  come  on  the  coast,  who 
purchased  the  hides  and  tallow  of  their  cattle,  and  the  produce 
of  their  fields.  The  Fathers  were  becoming  excellent  men  of 
business,  and  began  to  drive  a  thriving  trade.  They  were  now 
independent,  in  the  fullest  sense  of  the  word  ;  so  much  so,  that, 


76 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


whereag  formerly  they  were  indebted  to  foreign  contributions  and 
royal  or  republican  assistance  to  support  their  missions,  they  now 
not  only  could  manage  to  subsist  without  these  aids,  but  were 
enabled,  and  in  truth  obliged,  to  support  the  Mexican  forces  and 
civil  establishments  in  their  territory  at  a  vast  annual  expense. 


Portrait  cf  one  of  the  Fathers— Antonio  Peyri  (aaeil  GT  years),  Missionary  at  San  Luis  Key,  from 

1799  to  1S32. 

Up  to  this  time,  and  so  late  as  1833,  the  Mexican  govern- 
ment had  not  sought,  or  rather  was  unable,  to  interfere  materi- 
ally with  the  management  of  the  Fathers.  In  that  year  indeed 
a  body  of  eleven  Franciscan  friars  was  ordered  by  Congress  to  be 
sent  to  the  missions  to  strengthen  their  establishments.  At  this 
time,  General  Don  Jose  Figueroa  was  appointed  military  gover- 
nor, or  commandante-general.  Some  time  later,  in  the  same  year, 
the  democratic  party  being  then  in  power,  the  Mexican  Congress 
passed  a  law  for  entirely  removing  the  missionaries,  and  dividing 
the  lands  among  the  Indians  and  settlers,  and  appropriating  the 


REVOLT  OF  THE  C ALIFOBNIANS. 


77 


funds  of  the  Fathers  in  Mexico  to  state  purposes.  Commissioners 
were  appointed  to  see  this  act  carried  into  effect,  and  free  emi- 
grants were  engaged  to  proceed  from  Mexico  to  settle  in  the 
country.  Tins  was  the  most  serious  blow  the  missions  had  ever 
received,  and  would  have  been  a  deadly  one,  but  for  one  of  those 
revolutions  or  party  triumphs  which  so  frequently  occur  in 
Mexico.  Santa  Anna,  who  was  opposed  to  the  democratic  party, 
happened  to  come  into  power  before  the  provisions  of  the  act 
could  be  carried  into  execution.  He  immediately  overturned  all 
that  had  been  arranged  on  the  subject,  and  forwarded,  by  ex- 
press, counteracting  instructions  to  California.  When  subse- 
quently the  emigrants  from  Mexico  arrived  in  the  country,  Gene- 
ral Figueroa  received  them  so  coldly,  and  gave  them  so  little 
encouragement,  that  soon  the  greater  number  of  them  returned 
to  Mexico.  The  missions  therefore  continued  as  before  ;  and  so 
et)ded  this  attempt  on  the  part  of  the  Mexican  Government  to 
secularize  the  property  of  the  Fathers,  and  augment  the  popula- 
tion and  resources  of  the  country. 

In  1835,  the  party  at  whose  head  was  Santa  Anna  deter- 
mined to  remodel  the  Mexican  republic,  and  centralize  the  gov- 
ernment, thereby  destroying,  in  a  great  measure,  the  federal  con- 
stitution of  1824.  But  no  time  was  allowed  him  to  make  the 
necessary  changes  and  their  exact  nature  therefore  was  never 
known  ;  for,  in  the  following  year,  1836,  by  one  of  the  usual 
coups  d'etat,  and  while  he  himself  had  been  defeated  and  taken 
prisoner  by  the  Texans,  another  party  opposed  to  his  general 
views  of  policy  came  into  power.  This  party,  however,  agreed 
with  the  previous  administration  on  the  necessity  or  propriety 
of  remodelling  the  federal  system.  The  old  constitution  was 
therefore  abolished,  and  a  new  one  adopted.  By  this  change, 
the  separate  states  were  deprived  of  many  of  their  furmer  pre- 
rogatives, and  nearly  the  whole  rights  and  duties  of  government 
were  confined  to  the  general  Congress  and  executive.  This 
sweeping  alteration  of  the  federal  constitution  was  opposed  in 
many  parts  of  the  republic,  and  in  no  quarter  more  vigorously 
than  in  California.  The  people  of  Monterey  rose  en  masse,  and 
at  once  declared  themselves  independent  until  the  federal  con- 
stitution was  re-adopted,  and  passed  formal  resolutions  to  that 


78 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


effect.  Their  example  was  quickly  followed  by  the  inhabitants 
of  the  other  towns  and  villages.  But  while  the  people  of  the 
southern  parts  of  the  country  were  inclined  to  adhere  to  Mexico, 
upon  certain  conditions,  those  of  the  nothern  districts  were 
determined  henceforward,  and  for  ever,  to  sever  the  connection 
with  the  other  States,  and  to  stand  alone,  free  and  independent 
of  Mexican  domination. 

Mexico,  meanwhile,  was  not  exactly  idle,  for  it  answered  the 
Californian  proclamations,  addresses,  and  long  inflammatory 
speeches,  by  epistles  and  speeches  of  a  similar  nature  on  the 
opposite  side.  California  and  Mexico — the  local  and  general 
governments — each  party  appealed  to  the  'patriotism  of  the 
people  in  support  of  their  cause.  Senor  Don  Mariano  Guada- 
lupe Vallejo,  whose  name  will  again  occur  in  our  pages,  was  ap- 
pointed commandfinte-general  on  the  part  of  the  Californians,  and 
forthwith  the  whole  train  of  congressional  officials  was  forcibly 
expelled  from  office  and  the  government  troops  disbanded,  and 
before  long  transported  to  the  Mexican  territories.  The  Mexicans 
threatened  an  expedilion  to  chastise  the  rebels,  and  recall  them 
to  repentance  and  duty  ;  while  the  Californians  defied  their 
menaces,  and  resolved  to  abide  the  consequences  of  their  first 
steps  to  freedom.  However,  General  Urrea,  who  had  been 
charged  by  the  Mexican  Government  with  the  conduct  of  this 
expedition,  soon  afterwards  joined  the  federalist  party,  and  wil- 
fully delayed  the  execution  of  his  orders.  At  the  same  time,  as 
the  rebels  were  so  far  away,  and  the  opposite  factions  in  Mexico 
had  so  many  more  pressing  matters  to  settle  among  themselves 
at  home,  somehow  all  about  California  appeared  to  be  forgotten, 
and  it  was  left,  for  a  time,  to  any  constitution,  or  none  at  all, 
and  anarchy,  just  as  its  people  pleased.  About  the  end  of  July, 
1837,  the  excitement  among  the  Californians  had  subsided  so 
far,  that  they  then  quietly  accepted  the  new  Mexican  constitu- 
tion without  a  murmur,  and  voluntarily  swore  allegiance  to  it. 

It  is  probably  unnecessary  to  dwell  upon  the  successive  and 
rapid  changes  of  administration  in  Mexico,  each  of  them  differ- 
ing widely  from  each  other  in  their  general  views  of  home  and 
foreign  policy.  In  one  thing  indeed  they  pretty  cordially  agreed, 
and  that  was  the  destruction  of  the  missions  as  a  ruling  body  in 


FALL  OF  THE  MISSIONS. 


79 


California,  and  the  secularization  of  their  property  for  state  and 
other  purposes.  Accordingly,  administration  after  administra- 
tion adopted  the  extreme  democratic  views  on  this  matter,  and 
soon  the  Fathers  were  legally,  if  not  equitably,  stripped  of  their 
possessions,  and  of  all  their  former  dignity  and  influence. 

Foreseeing  and  dreading  the  results  of  the  long  threatened 
proceedings,  the  Fathers  lost  courage,  and  neglected  the  missions. 
If  they  themselves  were  not  to  enjoy  their  great  estates  nobody 
else  should.  Their  cattle,  therefore,  were  recklessly  slaughtered, 
their  fields  and  crops  were  neglected,  and  their  property  was 
granted  away  or  sold  for  trifling  sums.  Long  before  their  final 
fall,  most  of  the  missions  had  become  but  a  wreck  of  what  they 
had  been  but  a  few  years  before.  Perhaps  the  period  of  their 
greatest  prosperity  was  immediately  previous  to  1824.  when  the 
Mexican  constitution  was  declared.  After  that  time  they  all 
gradually  fell  into  decay.  In  successive  years  from  the  date 
mentioned,  and  particularly  from  1834  downwards,  specially 
marking  the  disastrous  years  1840  and  1845,  various  acts  were 
passed  in  the  Mexican  Congress,  which  completely  denuded  the 
Fathers  of  both  power  and  property. 

This,  however,  was  a  work  of  considerable  time,  and  occasion- 
ally, as  rival  administrations,  differing  in  this  matter  a  slight  shade 
from  each  other,  came  into  office,  a  gleam  of  their  setting  and 
cloud-shrouded  sun  would  appear  to  cheer  the  hearts  of  the 
Fathers.  But  that  sun  finally  sunk  in  1845,  never  again  to  rise 
in  California.  In  the  year  named,  a  considerable  number  of  the 
missions  were  sold  by  public  auction.  The  Indian  converts  at- 
tached to  certain  others,  and  who  now  were  wandering  idle  and 
wretched  over  the  country,  were  ordered  to  return  to  and  culti- 
vate the  portions  of  land,  which  had  been  assigned  them  by 
government.  If  that  return  and  cultivation  were  delayed  more 
than  a  month,  then  these  portions  of  land  and  the  missions  to 
which  they  were  attached  would  also  be  sold  ;  and  this  was 
subsequently  done.  The  remaining  missions  were  to  be  rented. 
The  price  and  rents  of  all  these  missions  were  then  divided  into 
three  parts  :  one  was  bestowed  upon  the  missionaries  themselves, 
and  another  upon  the  converted  Indians,  for  their  respective 
maintenance,  while  the  last  was  converted  into  a  new  Pious 


80 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


Fund  of  California,  for  the  support  and  extension  of  education 
and  general  charitable  purposes. 

Before  closing  this  account  of  the  former  state  of  the  missions, 
we  may  mention  what  was  the  cost  of  the  country  to  the  Mexi- 
can Government,  independent  of  the  salaries  allowed  to  the 
Fathers,  which,  however,  seldom  seem  to  have  been  paid.  Take 
the  year  1831  : — In  that  year,  the  expense  of  the  presidial  com- 
panies, according  to  the  estimates,  was  $91,000.  To  this  must 
be  added  the  pay  of  the  commandante-general  and  sub-inspector, 
the  expense  of  maintaining  auxiliary  troops  and  convicts,  and 
various  other  charges,  $40,000.  Together,  these  sums  make 
$131,000.  But,  as  the  net  amount  of  the  public  revenue, 
which  was  principally  derived  from  exorbitant  and  often  prohibi- 
tory tariff  duties,  which  necessarily  encouraged  smuggling,  was 
only  $32,000,  a  short-coming  of  $109,000  was  left  to  be  pro- 
vided by  the  general  government.  Other  years  showed  an  equally 
unprofitable  state  of  public  affairs.  However,  as  the  general  govern- 
ment wanted  the  means,  and  perhaps  the  credit,  elsewhere,  they 
borroived  the  deficiency  from  their  nominal  subjects,  the  wealthy 
Fathers  ;  and,  accordingly,  we  find  that  the  Mexican  Congress, 
in  1831,  owed  the  missions  the  large  sum  of  $450,000.  This 
circumstance,  it  might  be  thought,  should  have  held  back  the 
destroying  hand  ;  but  perhaps  it  only  nerved  it  to  greater  and 
more  speedy  destruction.  The  ungrateful  are  always  the  most 
cruel. 


CHAPTER  VII. 


California  distinct  in  physical  character  and  national  feeling  from  the  other  Mexican  provinces.— 
Beginning  and  progress  of  immigration  into  the  country.— The  Russians  at  Bodega  Bay.— Later 
great  increase  of  foreign  white  settlers;  Americans  largely  preponderating. — Outrage  committed 
npon  the  settlers  by  Mexican  authorities. — Commodore  Jones  takes  possession  of  Monterey. — 
Foreign  settlers  scatter  tl»mselves  over  the  whole  country,  and  silently,  but  rapidly,  revolu- 
tionize or  Americanize  it— Origin  of  the  war  of  1846  between  the  Mexican  and  American  States. 

New  California  lias  always  been  a  distinct  country  from  the 
rest  of  the  Mexican  provinces,  having  nothing  in  common  but 
that  its  few  early  white  settlers  were  descended  from  the  same 
race.  Locally  it  was  separated  by  vast  deserts  from  the  peopled 
parts  of  the  same  empire — in  its  constitution  and  government  it 
was  sui  generis — in  its  productions,  climate  and  general  character 
of  country  there  was  no  resemblance  to  any  other  portion  of 
Mexico.  In  the  very  feelings  of  the  inhabitants  there  was  little 
sympathy  with  those  of  the  Mexicans.  Mexico  never  could 
become  a  naval  power  :  its  mineral,  pastoral  and  agricultural 
wealth  were  very  great,  but  it  wanted  the  ports  and  the  facilities 
for  procuring  ship-building  timber  and  other  marine  stores  winch 
California  has  within  a  comparatively  small  space  of  territory. 
California  possesses  an*  equable,  mild  and  healthy  climate — 
excellent  harbors — (one  of  which  is  equal,  in  capacity,  safety, 
and  ease  of  entrance  and  departure  to  any  other  on  the  globe) — 
a  soil  extremely  fertile,  capable  of  producing  every  kind  of  grain 
and  vegetables,  except  a  few  tropical  varieties — and  extensive 
forests  and  other  tracks  of  land  which  yield  most  kinds  of  marine 
stores,  such  as  timber,  resin,  &c.  These  things — if  it  only 
had  population,  would  necessarily,  at  all  times,  have  rendered  it 
independent  of  Mexico,  which  is  deficient  in  many  of  them. 
Accordingly,  the  free  white  settlers  early  began  to  show  that 
they  cared  little  about  the  Mexican  Government,  and  that, 
6 


82 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


sooner  or  later,  they  were  determined  to  be  independent.  This 
consideration  was  always  present  in  the  minds  of  the  Mexican 
people,  and  a  secret  jealousy  of  the  consequences  generally  pre- 
vented them  from  heartily  encouraging  the  immigration  into 
California  of  new  white  settlers. 

We  have  seen  that  so  early  as  1836,  and  when  the  gente  de 
razon  did  not  exceed,  if  they  amounted  to  five  thousand,  the 
people  of  Monterey  declared  themselves  independent  of  Mexico, 
and  that  their  example  was  followed  by  the  other  inhabitants  of 
the  country.  This  desire  for  independence  was  soon  much  in- 
creased by  the  continual  inroad  of  immigrants  which  now  began 
to  come  from  the  United  States  of  America,  and  from  many  of 
the  islands  and  ports  of  the  Pacific. 

In  1812,  the  Russians,  without  asking  leave  of  the  Spanish 
authorities,  had  formed  a  small  settlement  at  Bodega  Bay, 
between  fifty  and  sixty  miles  to  the  north  of  San  Francisco. 
Some  years  afterwards,  they  established  another  small  station, 
called  Ross,  about  thirty  miles  farther  north  than  Bodega. 
These  settlements  were  founded  chiefly  in  order  to  supply  the 
Russian-American  Fur  Company  with  agricultural  supplies,  but 
also  as  fishing  stations  for  procuring  the  skins  of  seals  and  otters, 
which  animals  abounded  on  the  coast  and  on  the  adjacent  rocky 
islands.  The  Russians,  however,  were  very  jealously  eyed  by 
the  Spanish  and  Mexican  authorities,  and  were  compelled  to 
maintain  strong  forts  and  a  large  number  of  military  to  protect 
their  settlers.  In  1841,  therefore,  they  judged  it  expedient  to 
relinquish  their  possessions.  They  accordingly  disposed  of  their 
stations  and  property  to  Captain  John  A.  Sutter,  an  adventurous 
Swiss  gentleman,  whose  name  is  closely  connected  with  the  later 
history  of  California,  and  will  again  occur  in  our  pages.  The 
Russians  then  altogether  retired  from  the  country. 

But  previous  to  1826  there  were  comparatively  few  other 
foreign  settlers  in  California  than  the  Russians.  When,  however, 
in  that  year,  the  Columbia  and  North  American  Fur  Companies 
had  united  their  interests,  several  hundred  trappers  and  fur 
traders  were  always  wandering  about  the  borders  of  the  country, 
and  occasionally  even  penetrated  as  far  as  San  Francisco  Bay 
and  Monterey.    Their  visits  were  in  general  coldly  received  by 


OUTRAGE  UPON  FOREIGN  SETTLERS. 


83 


the  Califomians  ;  and  much  suspicion  of  their  ulterior  views 
being  raised  in  the  Mexican  Government,  laws  were  occasionally 
passed  by  Congress  for  the  removal  of  all  foreigners  from  Cali- 
fornia. Notwithstanding,  the  flow  of  immigration  gradually 
increased,  and  trappers,  fur  traders,  whalers,  and  adventurers  of 
all  nations,  but  particularly  from  the  American  States,  began 
to  throng  the  harbors,  and  to  settle  down  in  the  more  fertile 
parts  of  the  country.  Soon  the  majority  of  merchants  in  the 
ports  were  of  American,  or  else  of  English  or  French  extraction  ; 
while  many  of  the  land  squatters,  and  the  shop  and  tavern- 
keepers  and  artisans  in  towns  were  adventurous  immigrants  from 
every  country  on  earth.  They  had  perhaps  roamed  over  the  wide 
Pacific  for  years,  and  now,  tired  of  their  vagabond  career,  had 
chosen  California  as  a  pleasant  resting  place,  and  a  home  for  the 
remainder  of  life.  Runaway  seamen  and  stragglers  from  Colum- 
bia and  Missouri  swelled  the  number  of  white  settlers.  The 
indolent  Spaniards  stupidly  looked  on,  while  the  prestige  of  their 
name,  their  wealth  and  influence  were  quietly  passing  into  other 
and  stronger  hands. 

Occasionally  indeed  they  seemed  to  make  a  desperate  strug- 
gle against  their  fate  ;  but  it  was  like  the  useless  splash  of  the 
unwieldy  whale  when  the  harpoon  has  struck  his  vital  parts. 
In  1840,  a  violent  outrage  was  committed,  under  the  instructions 
of  Don  Juan  B.  Alvarado,  then  governor  of  the  Califomias,  upon 
many  of  the  most  respectable  settlers  of  foreign  extraction.  In 
April  of  that  year,  nearly  one  hundred  individuals,  American 
and  British  subjects,  of  every  rank  and  profession  in  life,  were 
6eized,  and  carried  to  Monterey,  where  they  were  imprisoned, 
some  of  them  in  irons,  for  a  short  time.  No  charge  was  made 
against  these  people,  yet  they  were  treated  as  vilely  as  if  they 
had  been  condemned  felons.  A  few  were  released,  without 
explanation,  at  Monterey,  and  the  remainder  carried  as  prisoners 
to  Santa  Barbara.  There  a  few  more  were  released,  again  without 
explanation,  while  the  rest  proceeded,  still  prisoners,  to  San  Bias. 
There  several  others  were  discharged,  and  left  to  find  their 
way  back  to  Monterey,  without  money,  passports  or  any  assist- 
ance whatever.  Those  who  were  still  left  were  imprisoned  for 
an  indefinite  time  at  San  Bias,  or  sent  to  other  Mexican  towns. 


84 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


A  considerable  number  died  from  the  severe  treatment  they 
experienced  ;  while  it  was  fifteen  months  before  the  last  of  them 
was  set  at  liberty.  And  still  no  reason  was  alleged  for  this 
worse  than  Turkish  or  Russian  despotism.  Nor  has  it  ever  been 
fairly  known  why  such  outrageous  proceedings  had  been  adopted 
by  the  Mexican  authorities,  although  it  was  suspected  that  they 
considered  the  foreign  settlers  in  California  were  engaged  in  some 
revolutionary  movement.  This,  however,  was  a  most  unlikely 
thing.  The  prisoners  in  conversation  all  denied,  while  the 
Mexicans  ridiculously  failed,  or  perhaps  never  seriously  attempted 
to  establish  it.  Probably  a  better  reason  might  be  found  in  the 
fact  that  the  Mexicans  had  got  so  fretfully  jealous  and  alarmed 
at  the  progress  of  foreign  immigration,  that  they  were  determined 
to  disgust  the  present  settlers  with  the  country,  and  to  frighten 
all  others  from  entering  into  it.  Besides  the  people  mentioned, 
there  were  many  other  foreign  settlers  of  large  property  who 
were  arrested,  though  Governor  Alvarado  thought  it  prudent  not 
to  imprison  them.  No  redress  seems  ever  to  have  been  obtained 
from  the  Mexican  Government  for  this  daring  attack  on  the 
liberty  of  American  subjects,  and  for  all  the  losses,  pecuniary 
and  otherwise,  sustained  by  the  victims  of  these  violent,  arbi- 
trary and  unlawful  proceedings.  At  that  period,  there  was  no 
regular  United  States  ship-of-war  stationed  on  the  coast,  nor 
any  consul  appointed,  to  whom  the  injured  could  appeal,  and 
who,  in  his  official  capacity,  could  have  enforced  some  compensa- 
tion for  such  manifold  wrongs.  As  it  was,  indeed,  Mr.  Thomas 
0.  Larkin,  afterwards  our  respected  consul  at  Monterey,  in  his 
private  character  as  a  merchant  of  the  place  and  an  American 
subject,  exerted  himself  strenuously  to  preserve  the  honor  of  the 
United  States  flag  and  the  fives  and  properties  of  his  fellow 
subjects ;  but  without  effect.  Several  commanding  officers  of 
United  States  ships  in  the  Pacific  likewise  interested  themselves 
in  the  matter,  when  they  happened  to  approach  the  coast  ;  but 
as  they  were  but  transient  visitors,  having  no  proper  commission 
effectually  to  interfere,  the  few  steps  they  took  led  to  no  settle- 
ment of  the  business. 

In  1842,  a  premature  attempt  was  made  by  an  American 
officer  forcibly  to  take  possession  of  the  country.    In  that  year, 


COMMODORE  JONES  AT  MONTEREY. 


85 


Commodore  Jones,  then  in  the  Pacific,  having  fancied  that  the 
Mexican  and  American  States  were  at  war  on  the  Atlantic  side 
of  the  continent,  sailed  with  his  frigate,  the  United  States,  and 
the  sloop-of-war  Cyane,  to  Monterey,  where  he  arrived  on  the 
19th  of  October.  He  immediately  took  possession  of  the  town 
and  hoisted  the  American  flag,  publishing  proclamations  over 


Sutter's  Fort,  —  New  Helvetia. 

the  whole  country,  declaring  it  a  portion  of  the  United  States. 
After  only  twenty-four  hours  possession,  the  commodore  received 
intelligence  which  altered  his  views  of  matters.  He  therefore 
revoked  all  his  recent  orders,  hauled  down  the  "  stripes  and  stars," 
and  restored  the  place  to  its  former  owners,  with  as  handsome 
an  apology  as  he  could  make  for  his  extraordinary  proceedings. 

So  early  as  1837,  several  societies  were  formed  in  the  Ameri- 
can States  to  promote  emigration  to  Oregon  and  California. 
In  the  following  years,  and  particularly  in  1843,  1844,  1845  and 
1846,  many  thousand  emigrants  journeyed  across  the  Rocky  and 


86 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


Snowy  Mountains,  enduring  much  suffering  by  the  way,  to 
settle  in  California  and  the  adjacent  territory  of  Oregon.  Other 
large  numbers  proceeded  thither  through  Mexico,  across  the 
Isthmus,  or  by  way  of  Cape  Horn.  The  Valley  of  the  Sacra- 
mento, where  Captain  Sutter,  already  mentioned,  possessed, 
under  a  grant  from  the  Mexican  government,  an  extensive  tract 
of  country,  called  by  him  New  Helvetia,  was  the  general  resort 
of  the  larger  number  of  those  immigrants  whose  wishes  were 
directed  towards  an  agricultural  life.  Many,  however,  distributed 
themselves  over  other  parts  of  the  country,  and  those  whose 
views  were  turned  more  to  trade  and  commerce  flocked  to  the 
towns  on  the  coast,  where  they  soon  became  the  most  influential 
part  of  the  community,  and  in  some  instances  formed  even  the 
numerical  strength  of  the  white  population. 

Meanwhile  the  Mexican  Congress,  alarmed  at  an  immigra- 
tion so  steadily  increasing  and  so  powerful,  fulminated  proclama- 
tion after  proclamation  against  the  intruders,  and  instructed  the 
governor  of  the  province  to  take  steps  for  their  immediate  expul- 
sion. Such  a  measure,  however,  was  now  too  bold  an  undertak- 
ing for  the  whole  Mexican  power  to  execute.  There  the  stubborn 
settlers  were,  and  would  remain  ;  the  squatter  on  his  land,  the 
merchant  in  his  office,  the  artisan,  shopkeeper  and  trader  at  the 
posts  they  had  severally  selected.  Accordingly,  the  commandante- 
general  of  California  contented  himself  merely  with  publishing, 
in  their  order,  the  impotent  ordinances  of  Congress  as  they 
reached  himself,  without  daring  or  taking  the  least  trouble  to 
enforce  them.  It  was  felt  by  all  parties  that  a  silent  revolution 
was  rapidly  going  on,  the  effect  of  which  was  thoroughly  to 
Americanize  the  whole  province.  It  was  barely  possible  that 
England  might  have  delayed  this  movement  somewhat,  if  she 
had  received,  as  was  at  one  time  seriously  proposed  by  many 
influential  personages,  the  territory  of  California  from  the  Mexi- 
can Congress,  in  lieu  of  the  large  public  debt  which  her  subjects 
held  against  the  insolvent  republic.  But  even  such  a  political 
cession  of  the  country  to  England  would  scarcely  have  stopped 
the  onward  progress  of  American  settlements,  or  removed  the 
profound  feeling  that  California  was  destined,  one  day  very  soon 
iow,  to  pass  under  the  protection  of  the  "  star-spangled  banner." 


WAR  BETWEEN  MEXICO  AND  THE  UNITED  STATES.  87 

The  pear  was  ripening,  and,  if  not  plucked  a  little  earlier  by 
impatient  hands,  would  certainly  soon  fall  at  the  feet  of  the 
watcher.  Matters  were  in  this  condition,  when  the  war  of  1846 
broke  out  between  the  United  States  of  America  and  the  Mexi- 
can States,  which  brought  matters  to  a  crisis,  and  finally  settled 
the  destiny  of  California.  The  origin  of  the  war  was  shortly 
this  : — 

In  1835,  Texas,  like  California  and  many  other  provinces  of 
the  Mexican  republic,  dissatisfied  with  the  overthrow  of  the 
federal  constitution,  revolted  and  declared  itself  independent. 
War  was  accordingly  proclaimed  by  the  general  government,  and 
an  army,  under  the  command  of  Santa  Anna,  was  forthwith  sent 
to  the  rebellious  province  to  compel  obedience.  But  the  Texans, 
who  were  now  chiefly  of  American  descent,  and  who  had  no 
sympathies  with  the  Mexicans,  having  flown  to  arms,  defeated 
and  captured  Santa  Anna  himself,  on  the  21st  April,  1836.  In 
the  power  of  the  enemy,  and  fearing  the  machinations  of  politi- 
cal foes  in  the  capital,  Santa  Anna  was  glad  to  sign  a  treaty 
with  the  Texans,  in  which  he  acknowledged  the  independence  of 
the  province.  Meanwhile,  another  party  had  come  into  power  in 
Mexico  who  refused  to  confirm  the  proceedings  of  Santa  Anna, 
and  still  claimed  Texas  as  an  integral  part  of  the  republic.  The 
disordered  state,  however,  of  the  general  country  prevented 
active  measures  being  taken  to  establish  this  claim  ;  and  Texas 
governed  itself,  and  was  acknowledged  as  an  independent  power, 
by  several  European  and  other  nations. 

In  the  interval,  the  Texans  applied  to  the  American  Congress 
for  permission  to  be  received  into  the  Union.  This,  for  various 
reasons,  was  refused  on  the  part  of  Congress ;  and  similar 
applications  made  during  the  next  eight  or  nine  years  were  like- 
wise declined.  At  last,  in  1845,  the  American  Congress  saw 
reason  to  change  its  opinion,  and  on  the  1st  of  March  of  that 
year,  passed  resolutions  sanctioning  the  annexation  of  Texas,  upon 
certain  preliminary  conditions,  with  which,  as  it  happened,  Texas 
was  ultimately  found  ready  to  comply.  Five  days  after  the  pass- 
ing of  these  resolutions,  the  Mexican  ambassador,  at  Washington, 
protested  against  them,  and  demanded  his  passports.  Generally 
such  a  course  is  only  adopted  where  there  is  good  reason  to  sup- 


88 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


pose  that  war  is  shortly  about  to  follow.  In  the  present  instance, 
war  was  not  immediately  declared,  nor  did  any  hostilities  take 
place.  However,  the  Mexican  people  were  much  embittered 
against  the  American  States  when  they  reflected  on  the  course  of 
these  events,  and  every  where  a  popular  feeling  was  produced 
inimical  to  America,  and  which  insisted  on  immediate  war. 

To  complicate  matters,  the  Mexican  Government  had  acknow- 
ledged itself  indebted  to  American  subjects  in  a  large  sum,  (some 
millions  of  dollars),  which  it  never  could  or  would  pay  ;  and  the 
mere  consideration  and  fixing  the  amount  of  which  had  occupied 
some  tedious  years.  This  sum  was  the  amount  of  damage 
(assessed  under  the  formal  arbitration  of  mutual  commissioners), 
done  to  Americans,  by  reason  of  various  seizures  of  and  outrages 
upon  their  ships  and  goods,  which  the  Mexicans  had  made 
during  many  previous  years,  partly,  perhaps,  through  malicious 
wantonness,  and  partly  to  replenish  their  impoverished  exchequer. 
Successive  weak  and  poor  governments  among  the  Mexicans  pre- 
tended to  acknowledge  the  justice  of  this  debt,  and  faithfully 
promised  payment,  though  always  at  some  future  day  ;  until  the 
injured  Americans  got  tired  of  remonstrating  on  the  subject,  and 
indignantly  clamored  for  warlike  measures  being  adopted  against 
Mexico,  to  compel  redress  of  their  own  and  the  national  griev- 
ances. Thus  the  popular  mind  in  both  countries  was  ripe  for 
war  ;  while  both  governments  secretly  began  preparations  to  carry 
it  to  extremities.  The  Mexicans  made  great  levies  and  collected 
numerous  forces  around  their  capital  and  on  the  Texan  border. 
On  the  other  hand,  the  American  Congress  dispatched  a  consid- 
erable fleet  to  the  gulf  of  Mexico  to  be  at  hand  when  wanted,  and 
likewise  ordered  large  forces  to  be  assembled  and  to  quarter  them- 
selves on  the  Rio  Nueces  in  Texas.  That  river  was  held  by  the 
Mexicans  to  be  the  south-western  boundary  of  the  province, 
while  the  Texans  themselves,  and  the  United  States  taking  up 
their  cause,  claimed  the  Rio  Grande,  some  one  hundred  and 
thirty  miles  farther  to  the  south-west,  as  the  true  and  proper 
limits  of  their  territory.  Thus  the  murderous  train  was  laid 
which  a  spark  was  to  fire. 

It  is  not  our  province  further  to  develope  the  causes  of  the 
war  which  ultimately  broke  out  between  the  contending  powers. 


WAR  BETWEEN  MEXICO  AND  THE  UNITED  STATES.  89 

Suffice  it  to  say,  that,  in  April,  1846,  war  was  formally  declared 
between  the  two  countries  ;  and  that,  after  a  brilliant  series  of 
battles  and  victories  upon  the  Rio  Grande,  under  General  Zachary 
Taylor,  and  a  still  more  triumphant  progress,  bloody  but  decisive, 
from  Vera  Cruz  to  Mexico,  under  General  Winfield  Scott,  the 
modern  Cortez,  the  Americans  were  enabled,  in  the  capital  itself, 
to  dictate  their  own  terms  of  peace  to  the  Mexicans — one  of 
which  was  the  cession  of  Upper  California  by  the  latter.  Previ- 
ous to  this  time,  however,  American  subjects  had  conquered  and 
held  in  possession  the  last  named  country  itself ;  and  to  a  short 
summary  of  their  proceedings  in  that  quarter  we  will  now  direct 
the  reader. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


Col.  John  C.  Fremont — General  Jose  Castro. — Fremont  declares  war  against  California. — Capture  of 
Sonoma. — Proclamation  of  William  B.  Ide. — Letter  of  Pio  Pico,  Governor  of  the  Califomias,  to 
Thomas  O.  Larkin,  Consul  of  the  United  States.— Thomas  0.  Larkin's  reply  to  Pio  Pico. — Cali- 
fornia declared  independent — California  desired  by  the  American  Government — Col.  Stevenson's 
regiment — Movements  of  General  Kearney. — Seizure  of  Monterey. — Proclamation  of  Com.  Sloat— 
Commander  Montgomery  takes  possession  of  Yerba  Buena  and  Fremont  of  San  Juan. 

Colonel  John  C.  Fremont  is  generally  considered  the  conqueror 
of  California  ;  where  his  exploits,  undertaken  with  so  small  a  force 
and  against  such  superior  numbers,  place  him  on  a  par  with  the 
famous  heroes  of  the  days  of  chivalry.  Yet  to  the  bold,  daring 
and  energetic  measures  adopted  and  prosecuted  by  Commodore 
Robert  F.  Stockton,  as  we  shall  hereafter  see,  may  justly  be  ascrib- 
ed the  final  reduction  of  the  country.  Holding  a  commission  in 
the  topographical  corps  of  engineers,  a  great  part  of  Fremont's 
duties  had  hitherto  consisted  in  exploring  the  districts  of  country 
around  the  base  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  and  the  best  lines  of 
communication  from  the  Missouri  to  Oregon  and  California.  In 
1845,  Fremont  was  instructed  by  the  War  Department  to  ascer- 
tain a  shorter  and  more  southerly  and  convenient  route  to  the 
Columbia  River.  In  the  execution  of  this  duty,  he  reached  Mon- 
terey in  California,  in  the  month  of  January,  1846.  Allusion 
has  already  been  made  to  the  jealousy  with  which  the  successive 
immigration  of  American  settlers  was  viewed  by  the  Californians, 
or  rather  the  Mexican  authorities.  Accordingly,  when  Fremont 
appeared  with  his  small  force  near  Monterey,  General  Jose  Castro, 
the  commandant  at  that  town,  had  his  suspicions  aroused  as  to 
their  ulterior  intentions,  and  prepared  to  dispute  their  farther  pro- 
gress. To  allay  these  suspicions,  Fremont,  leaving  his  little  army, 
hastened  to  Monterey  and  made  such  personal  explanations  to 
Castro  as  seemed  to  satisfy  the  latter  that  he  had  no  reason  to 
be  alarmed  at  the  appearance  of  the  Americans.    Castro  having 


COL.   FREMONT  AND  GEN.  CASTRO. 


91 


Culu&el  J  (J.  Fremont 


confessed  himself  satisfied  oil  the  subject,  Fremont  returned  to  his 
people  ;  but,  shortly  afterwards  being  informed  by  the  American 
consul  at  Monterey  that  the  Mexican  general  secretly  intended  to 
attack  him,  he  at  once  occupied  a  strong  position  in  the  neighbor- 
hood, and  displayed  the  American  flag.  Castro  meanwhile  having 
thought  better  on  the  subject,  especially  after  reconnoitering  the 
American  position,  determined  to  leave  those  foolish,  obstinate 
people  alone. 

Fremont,  thus  freed  from  molestation,  proceeded  on  his  pro- 
posed route  to  Oregon.  He  had  gone  but  a  little  way  wben  he 
found  that  hostile  Indians  (supposed  to  have  been  urged  on  by 


92 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


the  Mexican  authorities),  barred  his  farther  progress  ;  and  learned 
with  extreme  surprise  and  indignation,  that  Castro  intended  to 
attack  the  American  settlers,  and  expel  them  from  the  country. 
Upon  ascertaining  this  fact,  Fremont  took  the  bold  resolution  of 
declaring  war  against  California,  and  of  carrying  it  too  into  the 
very  camp  of  the  enemy.  His  force,  at  this  time  consisted  of 
only  sixty-two  men.  On  the  15th  of  June,  in  pursuance  of  this 
determination,  he,  or  others  acting  under  his  advice,  surprised 
and  took  possession  of  the  military  post  of  Sonoma,  part  of  the 
spoils  of  which  place  were  nine  cannon  and  two  hundred  and  fifty 
stand  of  arms.  Four  days  previously  they  had  also  cut  off  an 
important  convoy  from  Castro's  camp.  It  is  true  that  various 
contradictory  accounts  have  been  given  of  Fremont's  personal 
connection  with  these  events  ;  and  it  is  difficult  to  ascertain  the 
real  state  of  the  facts.  If  he  had  no  active  share  in  them,  which 
is  probably  the  true  state  of  the  case,  it  is  certain  that  he  formed 
the  resolution  mentioned  above,  just  when  the  noted  "  bear-flag" 
party  had  actually  surprised  Sonoma,  and  that  he  immediately 
cordially  joined  them. 

After  the  capture  of  Sonoma,  Mr.  William  B.  Ide,  a  native 
of  one  of  the  New  England  States,  who  had  immigrated  to  Cali- 
fornia the  previous  year,  and  a  man  of  courage  and  intelligence, 
was  intrusted  with  the  command  of  the  small  garrison.  At  the 
same  time  he  issued  a  proclamation  explaining  the  views  of  the 
American  party,  the  reasons  for  their  present  act,  and  the  prin- 
ciple on  which  they  proposed  to  conduct  their  future  proceedings. 
This  proclamation  is  as  follows  : — 

"  A  proclamation  to  all  persons  and  citizens  of  the  District  of  Sonoma,  re- 
questing them  to  remain  at  peace,  and  follow  their  rightful  occupations 
without  fear  of  molestation. 

"  The  Commander-in-chief  of  the  troops  assembled  at  the  fortress  of  So- 
noma, gives  his  inviolable  pledge  to  all  persons  in  California,  not  found  under 
arms,  that  they  shall  not  be  disturbed  in  their  persons,  their  property,  or  social 
relations,  one  with  another,  by  men  under  his  command. 

"  He  also  solemnly  declares  his  object  to  be :  first,  to  defend  himself  and 
companions  in  arms,  who  were  invited  to  this  country  by  a  promise  of  lands 
on  which  to  settle  themselves  and  families  ;  who  were  also  promised  a  Repub- 
lican Government ;  when  having  arrived  in  California  they  were  denied  the 
privilege  of  buying  or  renting  lands  of  their  friends ;  who,  instead  of  being 


LETTER  OF  PIO  PICO  TO  T.  0.  LARKIN. 


03 


allowed  to  participate  in  or  being  protected  by  a  Republican  Government,  were 
oppressed  by  a  military  despotism ;  who  were  even  threatened  by  proclama- 
tion, by  the  chief  officers  of  the  aforesaid  despotism,  with  extermination,  if 
they  should  not  depart  out  of  the  country,  leaving  all  their  property,  arms, 
and  beasts  of  burden ;  and  thus  deprived  of  their  means  of  flight  or  defence, 
were  to  be  driven  through  deserts  inhabited  by  hostile  Indians  to  certain 
destruction. 

"  To  overthrow  a  government  which  has  seized  upon  the  property  of  the 
missions  for  its  individual  aggrandizement ;  which  has  ruined  and  shamefully 
oppressed  the  laboring  people  of  California,  by  enormous  exactions  on 
goods  imported  into  the  country,  is  the  determined  purpose  of  the  brave  men 
who  are  associated  under  my  command. 

"I  also  solemnly  declare  my  object,  in  the  second  place,  to  be  to  invite  all 
peaceable  and  good  citizens  of  California,  who  are  friendly  to  the  maintenance 
of  good  order  and  equal  rights,  and  I  do  hereby  invite  them  to  repair  to  my 
camp  at  Sonoma,  without  delay,  to  assist  us  in  establishing  and  perpetuating 
a  Republican  Government,  which  shall  secure  to  all  civil  and  religious  liberty  ; 
which  shall  encourage  virtue  and  literature ;  which  shall  leave  unshackled  by 
fetters,  agriculture,  commerce,  and  manufactures. 

"  I  further  declare,  that  I  rely  upon  the  rectitude  of  our  intentions,  the 
favor  of  heaven,  and  the  bravery  of  those  who  are  bound  and  associated  with 
me,  by  the  principles  of  self-preservation,  by  the  love  of  truth,  and  the  hatred 
of  tyranny,  for  my  hopes  of  success. 

"  I  furthermore  declare,  that  I  believe  that  a  government  to  be  prosperous 
and  happy,  must  originate  with  the  people,  who  are  friendly  to  its  existence ; 
that  the  citizens  are  its  guardians,  the  officers  its  servants,  its  glory  its  reward. 

"William  B.  Ide. 

"Head  Quarters,  Sonoma,  June  18iA,  184G." 

These  sudden,  bold,  and  unexpected  proceedings  produced 
much  alarm  and  excitement  among  the  Mexican  authorities,  as 
we  may  learn  from  the  following  copy  of  the  translation  of  a  long 
epistle — too  interesting  to  be  omitted,  and  now  published  for  the 
first  time — addressed  by  his  Excellency,  Don  Pio  Pico,  the  gov- 
ernor of  California,  to  Thomas  0.  Larkin,  Esq.,  the  United  States 
consul  at  Monterey  : — 

"  The  undersigned,  Constitutional  Governor  of  the  Department  of  the  Cal- 
ifornias,  has  the  deep  mortification  to  make  known  to  Mr.  Thomas  0.  Larkin, 
Consul  of  the  United  States  of  North  America,  that  he  has  been  greatly  sur- 
prised in  being  notified  by  official  communications  of  the  General  Com- 
mandancia  of  this  Department  and  the  Prefecture  of  the  Second  District,  that 
a  multitude  of  foreigners  of  the  United  States  of  America  have  invaded  that 
frontier,  taken  possession  of  the  fortified  town  of  Sonoma,  treacherously 
making  prisoners  of  the  military  Commandante,  Don  Mariano  G.  Vallejo. 


94  ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 

Lieut.  Colonel  Victor  Pruden,  Captain  Salvador  Vallejo,  and  Mr.  Jacob  P. 
Leese,  and  likewise  have  stolen  the  property  of  these  individuals. 

"  The  undersigned  can  do  no  less  than  make  known  to  the  Consul  of  the 
United  States,  that  acts  so  extraordinary  and  alarming  have  caused  very  great 
grief. 

"  Until  the  present  the  Departmental  Governor  is  wanting  the  least  positive 
information  that  would  give  him  to  understand  of  a  declaration  of  war 
between  Mexico  and  the  United  States,  and  without  such  information  he 
judges  the  course  pursued  at  Sonoma  the  most  atrocious  and  infamous  that 
can  be  imagined,  so  much  so  that  the  like  is  not  seen  among  barbarians. 

"  They  have  attacked  the  rights  of  the  people,  breaking  the  established 
social  compacts ;  profaning  the  sacred  soil  of  another  nation ;  indeed  scan- 
dalously usurping  an  integral  part  of  the  Mexican  Republic,  and  what  is  more 
provoking  still,  as  an  ignominious  libel,  is  the  folly  of  the  principal  of  this 
multitude  of  foreigners,  William  B.  Ide,  the  separation  of  the  Mexican  Union. 
This  act  tends  to  excite  the  mind  of  the  undersigned,  and  causes  him  to  sus- 
pect that  the  Government  of  the  United  States  are  concerned  in  this  matter, 
which  certainly  should  increase  his  regrets. 

Mr.  Thomas  0.  Larkin  will  permit  the  undersigned  to  say  to  him  frankly, 
that  he  has  witnessed  with  extraordinary  coolness  the  invasion  of  the  Depart- 
ment, and  that  he  has  failed  to  note  the  general  movement  of  all  the  inhabi- 
tants, in  defence  of  their  country  and  liberty ;  he  has  not  been  known  to 
make  any  arrangement  that  might  make  the  invaders  recede  from  their 
abominable  designs,  and  prevent  the  misfortunes  which  they  can  cause  by 
means  of  hostile  provocation :  misfortunes  that  the  Departmental  Govern- 
ment will  place  to  the  responsibility  of  the  chief  authors  before  God  and  the 
entire  world.  So  base  management  as  observed  on  this  occasion  highly  com- 
promises the  honor  of  the  United  States,  and  if  it  shall  have  such  a  stain 
upon  itself,  there  is  no  doubt  that  it  will  be  graven  eternally  in  the  remem- 
brance of  all  nations,  and  will  cause  it  to  be  despised. 

"  The  undersigned  believes  that  the  Consul  of  the  United  States  will  agree 
with  him,  that  the  acts  committed  by  the  party  of  foreigners,  Americans, 
have  the  appearance  of  actual  and  downright  robbery;  also  that  the  Consul 
will  agree  with  him,  that  his  indifference  to  prevent  such  fatal  results,  seeing 
that  they  were  subjects  of  his  own  nation  who  were  violating  this  part  of 
the  Mexican  Republic,  compromises  more  and  more  both  nations. 

"  The  undersigned  in  fulfilment  of  his  duties  sees  himself  obliged  to  recom- 
mend to  the  Consul,  Thomas  0.  Larkin,  that  he  make  declarations  of  the 
occurrence  which  has  happened  at  Sonoma,  to  exact  full  satisfaction  from  him, 
hoping  that  he  will  use  all  the  means  in  his  power  to  escape  in  time  such 
terrible  consequences,  and  finally  to  protest  solemnly,  in  the  name  of  the 
Departmental  and  Supreme  Government  of  the  Nation,  that  it  is  decidedly 
opposed  to  all  aggressions,  defending  to  extremity  its  independence,  liberty, 
inalienable  rights  ;  repeating  that  the  principal  authors  are  responsible  to  the 
Representative  of  the  United  States  near  this  Department  for  those  abuses 
and  results  of  corrupt  designs  from  which  they  are  not  deterred. 


lakkin's  reply  TO  PIO  PICO. 


95 


"  The  undersigned  hopes,  from  the  prudence  and  judgment  of  the  Consul 
of  the  United  States  at  Monterey,  that,  admitting  the  justice  that  assists  him, 
the  answer  to  this  letter  (and  imploring  that  it  may  soon  come),  may  be  in 
accordance  with  (veneboles)  desire. 

"  God  and  Liberty  ! 

"Pio  Piro. 

Santa  Barbara,  29th  June.  1846." 


Thomas  0.  Lurkin.  Esq. 


To  this  indignant  and  piteous  missive,  Mr.  Larkin  returned 
the  following  answer  : — 

"  Consulate  of  the  United  States  of  America. 
Monterey,  Cal.  July,  5th,  1846. 

"  To  His  Excellency,  Don  Pio  Pico, 
Governor  of  California. 

"  Sir  : — The  undersigned,  Consul  of  the  United  States  of  America  for 
California,  has  the  honor  to  acknowledge  the  reception  of  His  Excellency's 
letter  of  the  29th  of  last  month,  which  was  received  yesterday  afternoon. 


96 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


His  Excellency  may  be  well  assured  that  the  undersigned  is  duly  sensible 
of  the  great  importance  of  the  subject  brought  before  him,  and  is  compelled 
to  say  that  he  cannot  alone  enter  into  any  mode  for  the  expulsion  of  the 
foreigners  who  have  taken  possession  of  Sonoma.  He  is  bound  not  only  to 
protect  his  countrymen  in  California  from  any  unjust  oppression,  and  settle 
in  an  amicable  manner  any  disputes  in  which  they  may  be  concerned ;  but 
firmly  to  refuse  them  support  when  they  have  been  wilfully  guilty  of  any 
infractions  of  the  laws  of  this  Department,  giving  aid  to  the  Authorities  in 
such  cases,  which  aid  has  been  refused  by  the  Governor  and  Prefect. 

The  undersigned  must  assure  His  Excellency  was  wrongly  informed  when 
told  he  made  no  exertions  to  aid  the  proper  Authorities,  and  His  Excellency 
can  learn  that  the  undersigned  has  used  the  only  means  in  his  power  as  a 
Consul,  and  that  the  Consular  service  had  not  been  accepted. 

His  Excellency  is  pleased  to  say  that  the  Americans  engaged  in  this  affair 
are  responsible  to  this  Consulate.  The  undersigned  must  observe  that  he 
knows  not  where  this  responsibility  exists,  and  will  not  underrate  the  good 
sense  of  his  being  in  the  idea  that  he  believes  Consular  letters  would  have 
effect  on  the  persons  in  question,  or  that  the  Authorities  would  have  given 
him  soldiers  to  bring  into  Monterey  an  equal  number  of  Americans,  when 
General  Castro,  with  three  times  their  force,  did  not  see  proper  to  expel  those 
who  took  Sonoma. 

The  reasons  brought  forward  by  His  Excellency  as  proofs  that  the  Govern- 
ment of  the  United  States  is  concerned  in  this  matter,  not  being  sustained, 
will,  being  by  the  undersigned  proved  to  be  erroneous,  require  no  farther 
assertion  on  his  part  to  convince  His  Excellency  on  the  subject. 

The  undersigned  has  the  honor  to  renew  to  His  Excellency  the  Governor 
of  California,  assurance  of  his  deepest  respect  and  consideration. 

Thomas  0.  Larkin." 

While  these  epistles  were  being  interchanged,  Fremont  was 
proceeding  to  the  valley  of  the  Sacramento,  where  the  chief 
settlements  of  the  American  population  were,  with  the  intention 
of  enlisting  recruits  for  the  farther  prosecution  of  the  war.  A 
garrison  of  only  fourteen  men  had  been  left  at  Sonoma,  which 
was  shortly  afterwards  increased  to  about  forty.  Scarcely  had 
Fremont  departed,  when  General  Castro  prepared  to  attack  the 
feebly  manned  post.  News  of  that  general's  movements  speedily 
followed  Fremont,  who  instantly,  with  only  a  troop  of  ninety 
riflemen,  hurried,  night  and  day,  to  the  relief  of  the  garrison. 
He  arrived  just  in  time  to  frustrate  the  designs  of  Castro.  To 
follow  up  his  original  scheme,  Fremont  next  called  a  meeting  of 
the  Americans  at  Sonoma,  on  July  4th,1846  ;  when,  acting  on  his 
advice,  the  assembly  proclaimed  the  independence  of  the  country, 
appointed  Fremont  governor,  and  declared  war  against  Mexico. 


colonel  Stevenson's  regiment. 


97 


Meantime,  nothing  was  known  of  the  condition  of  affairs  in 
the  United  States,  nor  that  actual  hostilities  had  taken  place 
between  them  and  Mexico.  While  this  ignorance  existed  in 
California,  there  was  equal  want  of  knowledge  in  the  United 
States  respecting  the  proceedings  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
continent.  Very  comprehensive  measures  to  conduct  the  war 
on  all  sides  had  been  formed  by  the  American  government. 
Not  only  were  American  generals  advancing  on  the  Rio  Grande 
and  on  Mexico  itself,  by  way  of  Vera  Cruz  and  Jalapa,  but  an 
expedition  under  General  Stephen  W.  Kearny,  was  formed  to 
proceed  across  the  whole  continent,  from  the  Missouri,  first  to 
Santa  Fe,  and  after  the  expected  reduction  of  New  Mexico,  far- 
ther west  to  California.  This  latter  province  had  long  been  de- 
sired by  the  Americans,  and  the  government  was  now  determined, 
since  circumstances  rightfully  permitted  the  attempt,  to  secure 
the  country.  To  further  this  undertaking,  Congress  ordered  a 
corps  of  mounted  riflemen  to  be  raised,  the  command  of  which 
was  given  to  Captain,  then  first  created  Lieutenant-Colonel, 
Fremont,  and  who,  from  his  knowledge  of  the  country,  and  his 
being  there  at  the  very  time,  seemed  the  most  proper  person  on 
whom  the  honor  of  the  command  could  be  bestowed. 

A  regiment  of  volunteers,  a  thousand  strong,  to  serve  during 
the  war  in  California,  was  likewise  raised  in  New  York,  and 
placed  under  the  command  of  Colonel  Jonathan  D.  Stevenson,  to 
whose  energy  and  ability  the  formation  and  organization  of  the 
corps  was  chiefly  owing.  This  regiment,  though  it  arrived  in 
California  too  late  to  take  any  part  in  the  actual  hostilities  of 
the  war,  was  subsequently  of  great  service  in  preserving  the 
peace  of  the  subjugated  country.  Col.  Stevenson  reached  San 
Francisco  March  7th,  1847,  and  immediately  afterwards  his 
regiment  was  divided  into  companies,  which  were  severally  sta- 
tioned at  Sonoma,  San  Francisco,  Santa  Barbara,  and  Monterey, 
which  last  place,  first  was  head-quarters,  afterwards  removed  to 
Los  Angeles.  So  desirous  was  the  United  States  Government  to 
preserve  California  at  all  hazards,  that  particular  care  had  been 
taken,  in  the  raising  of  this  regiment,  that  the  men  composing  it 
should  be  of  good  habits,  and  as  far  as  practicable,  of  various 


7 


98 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


pursuits,  and  such  as  would  be  likely  to  desire  to  remain  in  the 
country  at  the  end  of  the  war. 

While  these  measures  were  being  carried  out  by  Congress, 
General  Kearny,  having  left  Fort  Leavenworth,  on  the  Missouri, 
in  June,  1846,  was  marching,  at  the  head  of  sixteen  hundred 
men,  across  the  deserts  which  lie  between  that  place  and  Santa 
Fe.  After  the  capture  of  Santa  Fe,  and  the  proclamation  of 
New  Mexico  being  now  a  portion  of  the  American  republic,  and 
after  making  the  necessary  arrangements  for  strengthening  his 
power  there,  Kearny,  at  the  close  of  September,  1846,  proceeded 
farther  west  to  California,  to  carry  out  the  instructions  given 
him  by  Congress.  He  had  gone  but  eleven  days'  march  from 
Santa  Fe,  when  he  met  an  express  from  Commodore  Stockton 
and  Colonel  Fremont,  bearing  despatches  to  Congress  announcing 
the  conquest  of  California.  Kearny,  then  dismissing  two  hun- 
dred of  his  dragoons,  to  assist  in  the  reduction  of  New  Mexico, 
continued  his  progress  westward,  accompanied  by  a  troop  of  only 
one  hundred  men,  and  two  howitzers.  His  course  lay  across  the 
wild  and  untrodden  country  east  of  the  Gila,  down  which  river 
he  next  proceeded,  until  he  approached  the  frontier  of  California. 
Meanwhile,  Americans  there  were  completing  what  we  have  seen 
they  had  begun,  the  reduction  of  that  country. 

At  the  time  when  Fremont  was  forcing  the  Mexicans  out  of 
California  north  of  the  Bay  of  San  Francisco,  Commodore  Sloat, 
who  was  then  in  command  of  the  American  squadron  in  the 
Pacific,  being  apprised  of  the  actual  commencement  of  hostilities 
between  the  American  and  Mexican  states,  had  seized  upon 
Monterey.  This  was  done  on  the  7th  of  July,  when  the  Ameri- 
can flag  was  hoisted,  and  the  following  proclamation  read.  It  is 
not  our  intention  to  give  a  detailed  history  of  the  war  in  Cali- 
fornia ;  but  since  this  proclamation  was  the  first  formal  announce- 
ment of  the  intentions  of  the  American  Government,  while  the  doc- 
uments previously  quoted  were  very  important  in  themselves,  we 
have  been  induced  to  give  them  all  at  length,  though  they  perhaps 
swell  this  branch  of  our  subject  more  than  was  at  first  contem- 
plated. 

"TO  THE  INHABITANTS  OF  CALIFORNIA. 
"  The  central  government  of  Mexico  having  commenced  hostilities  against 
the  United  States  of  America,  by  invading  its  territory,  and  attacking  the 


PROCLAMATION  OF  COMMODORE  SLOAT. 


troops  of  the  United  States  stationed  on  the  north  side  of  the  Rio  Grande, 
and  with  a  force  of  seven  thousand  men  under  the  command  of  General 
Arista,  which  army  was  totally  destroyed,  and  all  their  artillery,  baggage,  &c, 
captured  on  the  8th  and  9th  of  May  last,  by  a  force  of  two  thousand  and 
three  hundred  men,  under  the  command  of  General  Taylor,  and  the  City  of 
Matamoras  taken  and  occupied  by  the  forces  of  the  United  States,  and  the 
two  nations  being  actually  at  war  by  this  transaction,  I  shall  hoist  the 
standard  of  the  United  States  at  Monterey  immediately,  and  shall  carry  it 
throughout  California. 

"  I  declare  to  the  inhabitants  of  California,  that,  although  I  come  in  arms 
with  a  powerful  force,  I  do  not  come  among  them  as  an  enemy  to  California: 
on  the  contrary,  I  come  as  their  best  friend,  as  henceforth  California  will  be 
a  portion  of  the  United  States,  and  its  peaceable  inhabitants  will  enjoy  the 
same  rights  and  principles  they  now  enjoy,  together  with  the  privilege  of 
choosing  their  own  magistrates,  and  other  officers  for  the  administration  of 
justice  among  themselves,  and  the  same  protection  will  be  extended  to  them 
as  to  any  other  State  in  the  Union.  They  will  also  enjoy  a  permanent  govern- 
ment, under  which  life,  property  and  the  constitutional  right  and  lawful 
security  to  worship  the  Creator  in  the  way  the  most  congenial  to  each  other's 
sense  of  duty,  will  be  secured,  which,  unfortunately,  the  central  government 
of  Mexico  cannot  afford  them,  destroyed  as  her  resources  are  by  internal  fac- 
tions and  corrupt  officers,  who  create  constant  revolutions  to  promote  their 
own  interests  and  oppress  the  people.  Under  the  flag  of  the  United  States, 
California  will  be  free  from  all  such  troubles  and  expenses  ;  consequently, 
the  country  will  rapidly  advance  and  improve  both  in  agriculture  and  com- 
merce, as,  of  course,  the  revenue  laws  will  be  the  same  in  California  as  in  all 
parts  of  the  United  States,  affording  them  all  manufactures  and  produce  of 
the  United  States,  free  of  any  duty,  and  all  foreign  goods  at  one  quarter  of 
the  duty  they  now  pay.  A  great  increase  in  the  value  of  real  estate  and  the 
products  of  California  may  also  be  anticipated. 

"With  the  great  interest  and  kind  feeling  I  know  the  government  and 
people  of  the  United  States  possess  towards  the  citizens  of  California,  the 
country  cannot  but  improve  more  rapidly  than  any  other  on  the  continent  of 
America. 

"  Such  of  the  inhabitants  of  Calif  >rnia,  whether  native  or  foreigners,  as  may 
not  be  disposed  to  accept  the  high  privileges  of  citizenship,  and  to  live 
peaceably  under  the  Government  of  the  United  States,  will  be  allowed  time  to 
dispose  of  their  property  and  to  remove  out  of  the  country,  if  they  choose, 
without  any  restriction  ;  or  remain  in  it,  observing  strict  neutrality. 

"  With  full  confidence  in  the  honor  and  integrity  of  the  inhabitants  of  the 
country,  I  invite  the  judges,  alcaldes,  and  other  civil  officers  to  execute  their 
functions  as  heretofore,  that  the  public  tranquillity  may  not  be  disturbed ; 
at  least  until  the  government  of  the  territory  can  be  more  definitely  arranged. 

"All  persons  holding  titles  to  real  estate,  or  in  quiet  possession  of  land 
under  color  of  right,  shall  have  those  titles  guaranteed  to  them. 

"All  churches  and  the  property  they  contain  in  possession  of  the  clergy 


100 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FKANCISCO. 


of  California,  shall  continue  in  the  same  rights  and  possessions  they  now 
enjoy. 

"  All  provisions  and  supplies  of  every  kind  furnished  by  the  inhabitants 
for  the  use  of  the  United  States  ships  and  soldiers,  will  be  paid  for  at  fair 
rates  ;  and  no  private  property  will  be  taken  for  public  use  without  just  com- 
pensation at  the  moment. 

"John  D.  Sloat, 
"  Commander-in-chief  of  the  U.  S.  force  in  the  Pacific  Ocean." 

A  despatch  was  immediately  forwarded  by  land  to  Com- 
mander Montgomery,  who  landed  at  Yerba  Buena  without  oppo- 
sition, took  possession  of  the  place,  hoisted  the  American  stand- 
ard on  the  public  square,  and  posted  the  proclamation  of  his 
commanding  officer.  Fremont,  hearing  of  these  proceedings, 
took  possession  of  the  mission  of  San  Juan. 


CHAPTER  IX. 


Commodore  Stockton  takes  charge  of  the  American  forces  in  California.— Hostility  of  the  Californians.— 
Proclamation  of  Com.  Stockton.— Landing  at  San  Pedro,  and  manoeuvres  of  the  sailor  army.— 
Castro's  commissioners.— March  on  Los  Angeles,  and  flight  of  General  Ca.-tro.— Triumphant 
entry  into  Los  Angeles.— Provisional  government  formed.— The  difliculties  of  Stockton's  march, 
and  the  complete  success  of  his  plans.— Reported  hostility  of  tho  Walla-Walla  Indians.— Enthu- 
siastic reception  of  6tockton  at  San  Francisco  and  other  places.— Satisfaction  of  the  people  of 
California  with  the  new  government— Stockton  designs  to  cross  Mexico  and  unite  with  tho 
forces  of  General  Taylor. 

Commodore  Robert  F.  Stockton  arrived  at  Monterey  in  the  Fri- 
gate Congress,  on  the  15th  of  July,  1846,  and  on  the  23d  of  that 
month  assumed  command  of  the  squadron,  Com.  Sloat  having 
left  on  that  clay  to  return  to  the  United  States.  The  bold  and 
comprehensive  mind  of  Stockton  perceived  at  once  the  circum- 
stances by  which  he  was  surrounded.  He  was  deeply  impressed 
with  the  grave  and  important  trust  that  devolved  upon  him. 
But  he  was  neither  dismayed  nor  perplexed  with  the  importance 
of  his  position  nor  the  difficulties  he  was  compelled  to  confront. 
With  a  decision  of  character,  promptitude  and  sagacity  worthy 
of  commendation,  he  adopted  the  plan  of  a  campaign,  which  the 
most  complete  success  vindicated,  and  which,  if  judged  by  its 
results,  is  unsurpassed  in  the  most  brilliant  records  of  military 
achievement. 

Fot  a  correct  appreciation  of  the  motives  which  governed 
Com.  Stockton,  as  well  as  of  the  ability  with  which  his  plans 
were  conceived  and  executed,  we  must  briefly  advert  to  the  con- 
dition of  California  at  that  time,  and  the  circumstances  that 
influenced  his  course.  The  country  was  sparsely  inhabited  ;  its 
population  chiefly  clustering  around  isolated  settlements  at  great 
distances  apart,  or  in  the  neighborhood  of  ranches,  scattered  with 
wide  intervals,  over  its  vast  surface.  Large  bodies  of  Indians 
occupied  much  of  the  territory.    To  defend  themselves  from  these 


102 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


and  the  predatory  incursions  of  more  warlike  tribes  in  the  interior 
of  the  continent,  the  Californians  were  necessarily  familiar  with 
arms.  They  were  hardy  and  expert  horsemen,  and  excelled  in 
all  equestrian  performances.  Possessed  of  a  fleet  and  admirable 
race  of  horses,  they  had  all  the  elements  of  the  best  cavalry 
force,  in  which  indeed  consisted  their  chief  military  strength. 
At  this  period  the  Californians  were  greatly  incensed  against  the 
United  States.  They  were  ignorant  of  the  declaration  of  war 
with  Mexico,  and  considered  the  demonstration  of  Fremont  and 
the  immigrating  parties  reported  to  be  approaching,  as  unpro- 
voked aggressions.  They  were  disposed  to  treat  all  Americans  as 
lawless  adventurers  or  freebooters,  whose  designs  were  hostile  to 
the  peace  and  authority  of  Mexico.  The  colonization  of  Califor- 
nia by  citizens  of  the  United  States  for  the  purpose  of  ultimate 
annexation  (as  in  the  case  of  Texas),  they  determined  to  defeat 
by  the  most  decisive  measures.  Accordingly,  Andreas  Pico  issued 
a  proclamation  intended  to  stimulate  tbe  most  sanguinary  treat- 
ment of  all  Americans.  The  occupation  of  Monterey  and  some 
other  ports  on  the  coast  by  Com.  Sloat,  was  viewed  by  the  Cali- 
fornians as  parts  of  the  same  aggressive  scheme,  indicated  by  the 
elevation  of  the  "  Bear  Flag  "  by  Fremont,  and  the  approaching 
immigration.  Com.  Stockton,  aware  of  these  hostile  feelings, 
was  painfully  solicitous  for  the  safety  of  the  enterprising  com- 
panies of  immigrants  which  he  knew  were  crossing  the  Kocky 
and  Snowy  Mountains.  He  concluded  that  unless  a  diversion 
was  produced  of  the  Californian  forces — unless  they  were  kept 
fully  employed  in  their  own  defence,  or  absolutely  dispersed,  that 
the  fate  of  the  immigrants  would  be  inevitable.  They  would  be 
slaughtered  in  detail  as  they  arrived,  jaded,  exhausted  and  en- 
feebled by  their  long  and  arduous  journey.  Besides,  it  was  quite 
evident,  that  if  left  at  liberty  to  concentrate  their  troops,  the 
Californians  would  overwhelm  and  repossess  themselves  of  Mon- 
terey and  other  ports,  at  which  the  flag  of  the  United  States  had 
already  been  elevated  by  Com.  Sloat  on  the  eve  of  his  departure. 

The  Provincial  Congress  of  California  wrere  in  session  at  this 
time,  and  under  the  influence  of  British  agents,  the  most  lavish 
grants  to  them  of  vast  tracts  of  territory  wrere  in  progress  of 
consummation.    There  was  reason  to  believe,  that  in  contempla- 


PROCLAMATION1,  OF  COMMODORE  STOCKTON. 


103 


tion  of  the  ultimate  cession  of  California  to  the  United  States, 
the  Provincial  Congress  intended  to  render  the  acquisition  of  the 
territory  as  valueless  as  possible.  Com.  Stockton,  aware  of  these 
proceedings  and  designs,  was  determined  to  frustrate  them.  He 
was  well  informed  of  the  strength  of  the  enemy,  while,  he  was 
aware,  they  were  totally  unacquainted  with  his  available  force. 
He  had  really  but  three  hundred  and  fifty  men  who  could  be 
spared  for  active  service  on  land,  with  which  to  oppose  the  Cali- 
fornians,  about  fifteen  hundred  strong,  and  composed,  for  the 
most  part,  of  the  finest  cavalry  in  the  world.  But  the  commodore 
knew  that  these  people  were  not  familiar  with  the  enemy  they 
were  to  meet,  and  that  to  magnify  the  efficiency  of  his  own 
strength,  it  was  only  necessary  to  excite  the  fears  of  his  adver- 
sary. The  boldest,  most  decided  and  adventurous  measures,  only, 
could  therefore  be  relied  on  for  success.  To  disperse  the  military 
organization  of  the  enemy,  crush  all  resistance,  occupy  the  pro- 
minent positions  in  the  interior  around  which  the  population  was 
collected,  and  thus  to  acquire  and  hold  possession  of  the  country, 
he  foresaw  would  afford  security  to  the  approaching  immigration, 
and  baffle  the  cupidity  of  British  agents  and  the  crafty  malevo- 
lence of  Mexican  animosity  ;  while  it  would  effectually  facilitate, 
at  the  close  of  the  war,  any  negotiations  for  the  cession  of  Cali- 
fornia which  our  Government  might  institute.  The  quiet  posses- 
sion of  the  country,  after  its  subjugation,  would  be  likely  to 
render  Mexico  better  disposed  to  relinquish  the  sovereignty  which 
her  people  were  so  incapable  of  defending.  Thus  informed,  and 
with  these  views,  Com.  Stockton,  on  the  28th  July,  issued  the 
following  proclamation  : — 

"  On  assuming  the  command  of  the  forces  of  the  United  States,  on  the 
coast  of  California,  both  by  sea  and  land,  I  find  myself  in  possession  of  the 
ports  of  Monterey  and  San  Francisco,  with  daily  reports  from  the  interior  of 
scenes  of  rapine,  blood  and  murder.  Three  inoffensive  American  residents  of 
the  country,  have  within  a  few  days  been  murdered  in  the  most  brutal  man- 
ner; and  there  are  no  Californian  officers  who  will  arrest  and  bring  the  mur- 
derers to  justice,  although  it  is  well  known  who  they  are  and  where  they  are. 
I  must  therefore,  and  will,  as  soon  as  I  can,  adopt  such  measures  as  may  seem 
best  calculated  to  bring  these  criminals  to  justice,  and  to  bestow  peace  and 
good  order  on  the  country. 

In  the  first  place,  however,  I  am  constrained  by  every  principle  of  national 


104 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


honor,  as  well  as  a  due  regard  for  the  safety  and  best  interests  of  the  people 
of  California,  to  put  an  end,  at  once  and  by  force,  to  the  lawless  depredations 
daily  committed  by  General  Castro's  men  upon  the  persons  and  property  of 
peaceful  and  unoffending  inhabitants. 

"  I  cannot,  therefore,  confine  my  operations  to  the  quiet  and  undisturbed 
possession  of  the  defenceless  ports  of  Monterey  and  San  Francisco,  whilst  the 
people  elsewhere  are  suffering  from  lawless  violence ;  but  will  immediately 
march  against  these  boasting  and  abusive  chiefs,  who  have  not  only  violated 
every  principle  of  national  hospitality  and  good  faith  towards  Captain  Fremont 
and  his  surveying  party,  (but  who,  unless  driven  out,  will,  with  the  aid  of 
the  hostile  Indians,  keep  this  beautiful  country  in  a  constant  state  of  revolution 
and  bloodshed,)  as  well  as  against  all  others  who  may  be  found  in  arms  aiding 
and  abetting  General  Castro. 

"  The  present  general  of  the  forces  of  California  is  an  ursurper — has  been 
guilty  of  great  offences — has  impoverished  and  drained  the  country  of  almost 
its  last  dollar,  and  has  deserted  his  post  now  when  most  needed.  lie  has 
deluded  and  deceived  the  inhabitants  of  California,  and  they  wish  his  expul- 
sion from  the  country.  He  came  into  power  by  rebellion  and  force,  and  by 
force  he  must  be  expelled.  Mexico  appears  to  have  been  compelled,  from  time 
to  time,  to  abandon  California  to  the  mercies  of  any  wicked  man  who  could 
muster  one  hundred  men  in  arms.  The  distances  from  the  Capital  are  so 
great,  that  she  cannot,  even  in  times  of  great  distress,  send  timely  aid  to 
the  inhabitants :  and  the  lawless  depredations  upon  their  persons  and  property 
go  invariably  unpunished.  She  cannot  or  will  not  punish  or  control  the 
chieftains  who,  one  after  the  other,  have  defied  her  power  and  kept  California 
in  a  constant  state  of  revolt  and  misery. 

The  inhabitants  are  tired  and  disgusted  with  this  constant  succession  of 
military  usurpers  and  this  insecurity  of  life  and  property.  They  invoke  my 
protection.  Therefore  upon  them  I  will  not  make  war.  I  require,  however, 
all  officers,  civil  and  military,  and  all  other  persons  to  remain  quiet  at  their 
respective  homes  and  stations,  and  to  obey  the  orders  they  may  receive  from 
me  or  by  my  authority,  and  if  they  do  no  injury  or  violence  to  my  authority, 
none  will  be  done  to  them." 

In  twenty-four  hours  after  assuming  the  command,  Commodore 
Stockton  organized  a  battalion  of  mounted  riflemen,  which  had 
previously  been  raised  by  Capt.  Fremont,  and  Lieut.  Gillespie  of 
the  marine  corps,  and  which  consisted  of  about  one  hundred  and 
sixty  men.  These  officers  and  their  men  volunteered  to  serve 
under  Stockton  so  long  as  he  should  require  their  services  in  Cali- 
fornia. Fremont  was  appointed  major,  and  Gillespie  captain  of 
the  battalion.  On  the  evening  of  the  23d,  it  was  embarked  on 
the  sloop-of-vvar  Cyane  and  despatched  to  San  Diego,  with  orders 
to  co-operate  with  the  commodore  in  his  proposed  movement  on 


STOCKTON  AND  THE  COMMISSIONERS  OF  CASTRO.  105 

Ciudad  de  los  Angeles.  On  the  1st  of  August,  Stockton  sailed 
in  the  Congress,  and  on  the  way  to  San  Pedro,  landed  at  Santa 
Barbara,  of  which  he  took  possession,  and  leaving  a  small  detach- 
ment for  its  defence,  proceeded  to  his  destination,  where  he  arrived 
on  the  6th  of  August.  Here  he  immediately  learned,  that  the 
enemy,  headed  by  Generals  Castro  and  Andreas  Pico  were  strongly 
posted  near  Los  Angeles  with  a  force  estimated  at  fifteen  hundred 
strong.  He  was  also  informed  that  Major  Fremont  had  safely 
landed  at  San  Diego,  but  found  great  difficulty  in  obtaining  the 
needful  supply  of  horses.  In  the  absence  of  Fremont's  battalion, 
Stockton  was  destitute  of  cavalry.  Yet  impressed  with  the  im- 
portance of  celerity  of  movement,  he  determined  not  to  delay  on 
that  account  striking  a  decisive  blow  as  soon  as  possible.  His 
wbole  disposable  force  of  sailors  and  marines  was  immediately 
disembarked,  a  camp  formed,  and  efforts  made  to  discipline  for 
shore  service  his  aquatic  troops,  to  which  novel  duty  they  sub- 
mitted with  cheerfulness  and  alacrity.  The  anchorage  at  San 
Pedro  is  insecure  and  unprotected,  and  it  was  apparent  to  all  that 
when  they  left  the  coast  there  was  no  certainty  of  finding  their 
ships  on  their  return.  Rough  weather  would  compel  them  to 
put  to  sea,  or  seek  a  better  harbor.  Victory  or  death  must,  there- 
fore, be  the  result  of  their  enterprise.  But  confident  in  the 
resources  and  gallantry  of  their  leader,  the  hopelessness  of  retreat 
only  inspired  the  men  with  the  prophetic  certainty  of  success. 
Six  small  guns,  obtained  from  merchant  vessels,  constituted  their 
artillery.  These  were  rudely  mounted  and  dragged  by  hand. 
The  sailors  were,  of  course,  ignorant  of  the  drill  of  soldiers,  and 
it  was  impracticable  to  subject  them  to  the  army  discipline.  Each 
man  was  simply  instructed  to  observe  the  movements  of  his  right 
hand  comrade,  and  always  to  keep  to  his  left.  With  this  single 
order  they  soon  became  expert  in  forming  in  line,  square  or  column 
as  required.  Though  in  forming  they  would  appear  in  inextri- 
cable confusion,  yet  in  a  few  moments  all  was  in  order,  and  every 
man  in  his  proper  place. 

A  few  days  after  landing,  a  flag  of  truce  was  discovered  ap- 
proaching at  a  distance  over  the  hills,  borne  by  commissioners 
from  Castro.  Acting  upon  his  preconceived  views  of  the  enemy's 
ignorance  of  his  strength,  Stockton  at  once  determined  to  impress 


10G 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


Castro's  messengers  with  most  exaggerated  ideas  of  the  number 
of  his  forces  and  their  formidable  equipment.  His  little  army 
was  accordingly  ordered  to  march  directly  on  the  line  of  vision  of 
the  approaching  commissioners,  at  intervals  of  twenty  or  thirty 
paces  apart,  to  a  position  where  they  were  sheltered  from  obser- 
vation. Thus  seen  at  a  distance,  their  numbers,  judging  from 
the  time  occupied  in  defiling,  would  appear  very  considerable. 
The  commissioners,  coming  more  as  spies  than  negotiators,  as  was 
subsequently  ascertained,  were  completely  deceived.  On  their 
arrival,  they  were  led  up  by  order  of  the  commodore,  to  the 
mouth  of  a  tremendous  mortar,  which,  excepting  its  huge  aperture, 
was  entirely  enveloped  in  skins.  Such  an  engine  of  war  Stockton 
knew  had  never  before  met  their  gaze,  and  could  not  fail  to  inspire 
apprehensions  of  its  unknown  and  terrific  qualities.  Thus  posted 
he  received  the  emissaries  in  a  stern  and  reptilsive  manner,  and 
in  an  imperious  tone  demanded  the  object  of  their  visit.  This 
they  delivered  with  so  much  confusion  as  to  disclose  the  serious 
impressions  they  felt.  They  were  bearers  of  a  letter  from  Castro, 
proposing  a  truce,  upon  condition  that  all  active  operations  should 
cease,  and  each  party  hold  its  own  possessions  until  a  general 
pacification.  The  commodore  had  fully  considered  the  whole 
matter,  and  believed  that  action,  not  negotiation,  was  his  true 
policy — that  no  terms  would  be  kept  by  the  enemy  longer  than 
fear  dictated — and  that  if  time  were  allowed  him  to  ascertain 
the  comparative  strength  of  the  opposing  forces,  the  worst  conse- 
quences might  be  anticipated.  He  therefore  contemptuously 
rejected  the  proposition  of  Castro  as  insolent  and  insulting  ;  and 
dismissed  the  commissioners  with  instructions  to  assure  their 
master,  that,  unless  he  immediately  broke  up  his  command  and 
disbanded  his  troops,  he  would  be  most  severely  punished,  and 
that  no  other  terms  than  an  unconditional  submission,  should 
shield  him  from  the  just  vengeance  of  an  incensed  foe.  The  mes- 
sengers hastened  to  place  the  mountains  between  them  and  the 
commodore,  and  no  doubt  returned  to  Castro  with  an  appalling 
account  of  the  numbers,  strength  and  sanguinary  spirit  of  the 
great  invading  army,  preparing  for  his  utter  destruction.  The 
subsequent  conduct  of  Castro  and  his  superior  forces,  shows  well 


FLIGHT  OF  GENERAL  CASTEO. 


107 


the  sagacity  and  wisdom  with  which  Stockton  had  operated  on 
his  imagination  and  fears. 

Two  days  afterwards  other  messengers  arrived  from  Castro, 
bringing  a  bombastic  letter,  rejecting  the  terms  of  Stockton,  and 
concluding  with  the  declaration, — "  I  will  not  withhold  any 
sacrifice  to  oppose  your  intentions :  and  if  through  misfortune 
the  flag  of  the  United  States  waves  in  California,  it  will  not  be 
by  my  acquiescence,  nor  by  that  of  the  last  of  my  compatriots  ! " 
These  commissioners  were  treated  much  the  same  as  were  their 
predecessors — impressed  with  the  formidable  character  of  the 
American  force,  and  intimidated  with  the  ferocity  and  implacable 
purpose  of  conquest  which  seemed  to  animate  the  invaders. 

Having  now  completed  his  arrangements,  Stockton  resolved 
on  pushing  forward  with  expedition  before  the  paucity  of  his 
troops  could  be  ascertained,  and  striking  a  blow  while  the  appre- 
hensions he  had  excited  were  still  fresh  and  undiminished.  He 
dispatched  a  courier  to  Fremont  with  orders  to  join  him  on  the 
Plains  of  the  Mesa,  and  on  the  11th  of  August  commenced  his 
march  to  meet  Castro.  The  most  constant  vigilance  was  now 
necessary  to  prevent  surprise.  The  enemy's  skirmishers  were 
almost  daily  in  sight,  and  it  was  impossible  to  estimate  their 
numbers.  The  only  provisions  with  which  the  commodore  was 
supplied  were  those  afforded  by  the  cattle,  which  were  driven 
along  in  hollow  squares.  The  artillery  was  dragged  over  hill  and 
plain,  and  through  rugged  valleys,  slowly  and  painfully,  yet  with 
the  utmost  alacrity.  A  cheerful  and  courageous  spirit  animated 
the  little  host,  inspired  by  a  leader  in  whom  they  felt  the  most 
unbounded  confidence.  The  distance  between  San  Pedro  and 
Los  Angeles  was  thirty  miles,  and  was  traversed  in  a  single  day 
by  Stockton  and  his  little  army.  But  before  they  could  come 
up,  Castro,  advised  by  his  spies  of  their  march,  despite  his  pre- 
vious gasconade  and  boastful  threats,  and  no  doubt  mindful  of 
the  terrible  engine  of  destruction  seen  by  his  commissioners, 
broke  up  his  camp,  disbanded  his  forces,  and  fled  with  all  possi- 
ble expedition  to  Sonora.  Between  seven  hundred  and  a  thou- 
sand mounted  troops  strongly  posted,  with  seven  pieces  of  artil- 
lery, dissolved  and  disappeared  before  the  daring  demonstration 
of  the  American  commander,  at  the  head  of  only  about  three 


108 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


hundred  seamen  and  marines,  as  poorly  equipped,  and  as  motley 
and  as  curious  a  specimen  of  military  organization  as  ever  before 
took  the  field,  to  meet  in  an  unknown  country  any  civilized  foe. 
Colton,  in  his  "  Three  years  in  California"  says  :  "  Gen.  Castro 
had  taken  up  his  position  just  outside  the  pueblo,  on  an  elevation 
which  commands  the  town  and  adjacent  country.  He  was  well 
supplied  with  field  pieces,  and  had  a  force  of  seven  hundred  men. 
Com.  Stockton  landed  at  San  Pedro  with  three  hundred  seamen 
and  marines  from  the  Congress,  and  marched  against  him.  His 
route,  which  extended  some  thirty  miles,  lay  through  several 
narrow  passes,  which  Gen.  Castro  might  easily  have  defended 
against  a  much  superior  force.  But  the  general  kept  in  his 
entrenched  camp  ;  and  informed  the  commodore  by  a  courier, 
'  that  if  he  marched  upon  the  town  he  would  find  it  the  grave  of 
his  men.'  '  Then/  said  the  commodore,  '  tell  the  general  to  have 
the  bells  ready  to  toll  in  the  morning  at  eight  o'clock,  as  I  shall 
be  there  at  that  time.'  He  was  there  ;  but  Castro  in  the  mean 
time  had  broken  up  his  camp,  mounted  with  an  armed  band  and 
fled." 

Stockton,  who  was  subsequently  joined  by  Fremont,  took 
possession  of  Los  Angeles  on  the  13th  of  August.  A  number 
of  Mexicans  of  high  rank  surrendered  themselves  prisoners  of 
war,  among  whom  were  Don  Jose  Maria  Flores  and  Don  Andreas 
Pico,  who  were  permitted  to  go  at  large  on  their  parole  of  honor 
not  to  bear  arms  against  the  United  States  ;  a  clemency  which 
they  abused  afterwards  by  violating  their  parole.  Commodore 
Stockton  now  by  proclamation  declared  California  a  Territory  of 
the  United  States  ;  and  as  all  resistance  had  ceased,  proceeded 
to  organize  a  civil  and  military  government,  appointing  various 
civil  functionaries  and  establishing  provisional  rules  of  adminis- 
tration, himself  retaining  for  the  present  the  positions  of  com- 
mander-in-chief and  governor.  The  people  were  invited  to 
assemble  on  the  15th  September  to  choose  officers  under  the  ex- 
isting form  of  government.  A  tariff  of  duties  on  imports  was 
prescribed,  and  the  inhabitants  were  encouraged  to  resume  their 
usual  occupations.  Thus,  in  less  than  one  month  from  the  time 
when  Stockton  commenced  his  operations,  California  was  con- 
quered, in  the  face  of  a  superior  hostile  army  ;  that  army  van- 


THE  MARCH  FROM  SAN  PEDRO  TO  LOS  ANGELES.  109 

quishedand  dispersed,  and  the  government  of  the  conquerors  quietly 
imposed  on  the  country.  In  establishing  a  local  government  for 
California,  Com.  Stockton  displayed  the  discretion,  abilities,  dis- 
crimination, and  judgment  of  the  skilful  statesman,  as  conspicu- 
ously as  he  had  exhibited  on  the  field  the  prudence,  enterprise, 
and  valor  of  the  soldier. 

This  march  of  Stockton  upon  the  capital  of  California, 
though  it  was  accomplished  without  a  battle,  or  the  loss  of  a 
single  man,  was  nevertheless  performed  under  circumstances  of 
great  difficulty  as  well  as  danger.  A  less  enterprising  officei 
would  have  contented  himself  with  protecting  those  places  on 
the  coast  already  occupied  ;  and  a  less  penetrating  and  compre- 
hensive mind  would  not  have  appreciated  the  importance  of  sup- 
pressing all  demonstrations  of  hostility  in  every  part  of  this  ex- 
tensive territory.  The  moral  effect  of  Stockton's  march  on 
Ciudad  de  los  Angeles  upon  the  minds  of  the  Californians  was 
equivalent  to  a  triumphant  victory,  and  the  effusion  of  streams 
of  blood.  It  broke  down  the  spirit  of  resistance,  destroyed  all 
confidence  in  the  courage  or  capacity  of  the  Californian  generals, 
and  inspired  the  inhabitants  with  terror  of  an  enemy  who  moved 
with  such  celerity  and  boldness,  while  his  humane  conduct  recon- 
ciled the  people  to  the  change  of  government.  The  conception 
of  such  an  expedition,  into  the  heart  of  an  enemy's  unknown 
country,  with  a  force  composed  principally  of  sailors,  unaccus- 
tomed to  the  fatigues  and  obstacles  of  a  long  march  ;  to  en- 
counter an  opposing  army  of  vastly  superior  numbers,  upon  their 
own  soil,  in  defence  of  their  own  country,  well  armed,  the  best 
horsemen,  and  mounted  on  the  finest  horses  in  the  world,  re- 
quired the  most  intrepid  courage,  indomitable  energy,  fertility  of 
resource,  and  self-reliance,  such  as  we  find  only  combined  in 
minds  of  the  highest  order,  and  characters  cast  in  a  heroic  mould. 
Yet  despite  all  the  difficulties  with  which  he  had  to  contend,  in 
the  modest  language  of  his  despatch  to  the  government,  in  less 
than  one  month  from  the  time  he  assumed  command,  he  had 
"chased  the  Mexican  army  more  than  three  hundred  miles 
along  the  coast,  pursued  them  into  the  interior  of  their  own 
country. — routed  and  dispersed  them,  and  secured  the  territory 
to  the  United  States, — ended  the  war,  restored  peace  and 


110  ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 

harmony  among  the  people,  and  put  a  civil  government  into 
successful  operation." 

While  these  events  were  occurring,  official  intelligence  was 
received  hy  Stockton  of  war  between  Mexico  and  the  United 
States.  On  hearing  which,  he  left  fifty  men  to  garrison  Los 
Angeles,  and  a  still  smaller  force  at  Santa  Barbara  and  San 
Diego,  and  proceeded  north  to  look  after  the  condition  of  affairs 
in  that  quarter.  At  Monterey  he  was  informed  that  Sutter's 
settlement  was  threatened  by  one  thousand  Walla- Walla 
Indians.  He  at  once  sailed  for  San  Francisco  with  the  inten- 
tion of  making  a  demonstration  against  this  new  enemy.  But 
on  his  arrival  there,  he  found  that  the  reports  of  Indian  aggres- 
sions were  unfounded  ;  and  after  an  interview  with  some  of  the 
Indian  chiefs  he  ascertained  their  friendly  disposition,  and  con- 
firmed their  amicable  opinions  by  such  assurance  as  secured  their 
subsequent  neutrality. 

Everywhere  on  his  progress  through  the  country,  the  com- 
modore was  greeted  with  an  enthusiastic  welcome,  and  hailed  as 
the  conqueror  and  deliverer  of  the  territory.  At  San  Francisco, 
the  entire  population  of  that  place  and  the  adjacent  country 
gave  him  a  formal  reception — men,  women  and  children  march- 
ing in  procession  to  low-water  mark  to  meet  him — and  address- 
ing him  in  terms  of  the  most  exalted  praise  and  ardent  devotion. 
His  triumphant  advent  was  celebrated  with  a  banquet  and  ball, 
and  the  wildest  demonstrations  of  joy  and  satisfaction.  The  indus- 
trious, sober,  and  peacefully  disposed  part  of  the  inhabitants 
were  glad  to  be  relieved  from  the  domination  of  the  cruel  and 
plundering  chiefs  and  governors,  who  alternately  ravaged  the 
country,  contended  with  each  other,  and  oppressed  the  people. 
They  soon  perceived  the  advantages  of  security  to  life  and  pro- 
perty, which  they  never  had  enjoyed  until  the  flag  of  the  United 
States  was  floating  on  their  soil. 

The  disposition  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  northern  j^art  of 
California  in  favor  of  the  new  government  was  particularly 
manifested  at  this  time,  on  the  occasion  of  a  rumor  that  a  large 
force  was  being  collected  in  Sonora  for  the  purpose  of  re-conquer- 
ing the  country.  They  exhibited  the  utmost  repugnance  to  any 
such  event,  offering  the  commodore  all  needed  assistance  in 


Stockton's  design  to  join  general  taylor.  Ill 


their  power  to  contribute,  and  displaying  their  fears  with  the 
earnestness  of  perfect  sincerity.  Having  called  on  Stockton  to 
express  their  apprehensions,  he  assured  them,  in  a  characteristic 
harangue,  of  his  protection,  and  confirmed  their  confidence  in 
his  determination  to  preserve  his  conquest  :  "You  tell  me,"  he 
said,  "  that  a  thousand  Sonorians  are  on  their  way  to  encounter 
my  men.  Be  not  alarmed.  Ten  thousand  Sonorians  could  not 
excite  our  fears  or  arrest  our  progress.  The  sons  of  liberty  are 
on  their  way,  and  God  alone  can  stay  their  inarch."  They 
returned  with  this  assurance,  satisfied  that  under  such  a  leader 
no  reverse  could  happen  which  would  endanger  their  present 
security.  In  this  state  of  flattering  tranquillity  and  general 
acquiescence  with  the  new  order  of  things,  prevailing  over  the 
greater  part  of  California,  but  more  particularly  at  the  north, 
Stockton  was  justified  in  believing,  so  far  as  appearances  went, 
that  the  conquest  of  California  was  complete.  The  civil  govern- 
ment was  in  successful  operation,  and  seemed  fully  adequate  to 
the  exigencies  of  the  country. 

Such  being  the  condition  and  aspect  of  affairs,  the  active 
mind  and  patriotic  impulses  of  Stockton  induced  him  to  seek 
another  field  of  useful  service.  He  conceived  the  vast,  ma<rnifi- 
cent  and  bold  design  of  recruiting  a  force  of  volunteers  in  Cali- 
fornia from  among  the  American  population  then  about  settling 
in  the  territory,  sailing  with  them  to  Acapulco,  and  then  striking 
across  the  continent  to  unite  with  the  forces  of  General  Taylor, 
then,  as  he  supposed,  approaching  the  City  of  Mexico. 

The  following  is  a  copy  of  one  of  his  confidential  despatches 
revealing  his  purpose  : — 

["  CONFIDENTIAL.] 

"  U.  S.  Frigate  Congress,  Bay  of  Monterey, 
September  ldth,  1846. 
"  Dear  Sir  : — I  have  sent  Major  Fremont  to  the  North  to  see  how  many 
men  he  could  recruit  with  a  view  to  embark  them  for  Mazatlan  or  Acapulco, 
where,  if  possible,  I  intend  to  land  and  fight  our  way  as  far  on  to  the  City  of 
Mexico  as  I  can. 

11  With  this  object  in  view,  your  orders  of  this  date  in  relation  to  having 
the  squadron  in  such  places  as  may  enable  me  to  get  them  together  as  soon  as 
possible,  are  given. 


112 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


"  You  will  on  your  arrival  on  the  coast  get  all  the  information  you  can  in 
reference  to  this  matter. 

''  I  would  that  we  might  shake  hands  with  General  Taylor  at  the  gates  of 
Mexico. 

"  Faithfully, 

"  Your  obedient  servant, 

"  R.  F.  Stockton,  Commodore.  &c. 
"  To  Capt.  ¥m.  Meevine,  TJ.  S.  Frigate  Savannah." 

Certainly  a  more  daring,  brilliant,  and  master-stroke  of 
military  sagacity,  has  seldom  ever  been  conceived.  It  reminds 
us  of  the  famous  exploits  of  the  most  renowned  heroes  of 
ancient  and  modern  times.  Instructions  were  given  Col.  Fre- 
mont, who  had  previously  been  appointed  military  commandant 
of  California,  to  raise  the  necessary  force  to  execute  this  bold 
design.  But  while  he  was  engaged  in  the  performance  of  these 
orders,  intelligence  from  the  south  arrived  which  compelled  the 
abandonment  of  the  proposed  expedition,  and  concentrated  all 
the  attention  of  Stockton  upon  the  theatre  of  his  recent  success. 


CHAPTER  X. 


Insurrection  of  the  Californians.— Proclamation  of  General  Flores.—  Defeat  and  surrender  of  Talbot 
and  Gillespie.— Captain  Mervine  defeated,  with  the  crew  of  the  Savannah. — Com.  Stockton  defeats 
the  Californians  at  San  Diego.— Defeat  of  General  Kearny  at  San  Pasqual. — The  official  relations 
of  Com.  Stockton  and  Gen.  Kearny. — Movement  against  Los  Angeles. — Battles  of  the  Iiio  San 
Gabriel,  and  the  Plains  of  the  Mesa. — Fremont  negotiates  with  General  Flores  and  Andreas  Pico. 
—Fremont  appointed  Governor,  and  subsequently  tried  by  Court  Martial.— Arrival  of  Commodore 
Shubrick,  and  the  confirmation  of  General  Kearny  as  Governor.— Mexican  Governors  of  Califor- 
nia.— Foreign  Consuls  in  the  Territory. 

No  sooner  had  Stockton  left  Los  Angeles  for  the  north,  than  the 
Mexican  chiefs,  indignant  and  chafed  with  the  knowledge  of  the 
smallness  of  the  force  before  which  they  had  fled  so  ingloriously, 
sought  to  retrieve  their  tarnished  honor.  Gen.  Flores  secretly 
rallied  the  fragments  of  his  scattered  troops,  and  suddenly,  on  the 
23d  of  September,  invested  Los  Angeles  with  a  force  overwhelm- 
ingly superior  to  that  of  the  garrison.  Capt.  Gillespie,  who  was 
in  command,  was  obliged  to  capitulate  on  the  30th,  and  was  al- 
lowed to  retire  to  Monterey.  Lieut.  Talbot,  who  had  charge  of 
Santa  Barbara,  was  also  compelled  to  evacuate  that  place,  but 
without  surrendering  his  arms.  Intelligence  of  these  successes, 
greatly  exaggerated,  was  soon  spread  over  the  whole  country,  and 
almost  the  entire  Mexican  population  of  the  southern  portion  of 
California  rose  in  arms,  to  drive  the  invaders  from  their  soil. 
Flores,  who  was  chiefly  instrumental  in  fomenting  the  insurrec- 
rection,  issued  the  following  proclamation  : — 

"Mexican  Army,  Section  of  Operations, 
Angeles,  October  1st,  1846. 

"  Fellow-Citizens  : — It  is  a  month  and  a  half  that,  by  lamentable  fatal- 
ity, fruit  of  the  cowardice  and  inability  of  the  first  authorities  of  the  depart- 
ment, we  behold  ourselves  subjugated  and  oppressed  by  an  insignificant  force 
of  adventurers  of  the  United  States  of  America,  and  placing  us  in  a  worse  con- 
dition than  that  of  slaves. 

"  They  are  dictating  to  us  despotic  and  arbitrary  laws,  and  loading  us  with 


114  ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 

contributions  and  onerous  burdens,  which  have  for  an  object  the  ruin  of  our 
industry  and  agriculture,  and  to  force  us  to  abandon  our  property,  to  be  pos- 
sessed and  divided  among  themselves. 

"  And  shall  we  be  capable  to  allow  ourselves  to  be  subjugated,  and  to 
accept,  by  our  silence,  the  weighty  chains  of  slavery  ?  Shall  we  permit  to  be 
lost  the  soil  inherited  from  our  fathers,  which  cost  them  so  much  blood  and 
so  many  sacrifices  ?  Shall  we  make  our  families  victims  of  the  most  barbarous 
slavery  ?  Shall  we  wait  to  see  our  wives  violated — our  innocent  children 
punished  by  the  American  whips — our  property  sacked — our  temples  profaned 
— and,  lastly,  to  drag  through  an  existence  full  of  insult  and  shame  ?  No  !  a 
thousand  times  no  !    Countrymen,  first  death ! 

"  Who  of  you  does  not  feel  his  heart  beat  with  violence ;  who  does  not 
feel  his  blood  boil,  to  contemplate  our  situation ;  and  who  will  be  the  Mexican 
who  will  not  feel  indignant,  and  who  will  not  rise  to  take  up  arms  to  destroy 
our  oppressors  ?  We  believe  there  is  not  one  so  vile  and  cowardly.  With 
such  a  motive  the  majority  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  districts,  justly  indignant 
against  our  tyrants,  raise  the  cry  of  war,  with  arms  in  their  hands,  and  of  one 
accord  swear  to  sustain  the  following  articles  : — 

"  1st.  We,  the  inhabitants  of  the  department  of  California,  as  members  of 
the  great  Mexican  nation,  declare  that  it  is,  and  has  been,  our  wish  to  belong 
to  her  alone,  free  and  independent. 

"  2d.  Consequently  the  authorities  intended  and  named  by  the  invading 
forces  of  the  United  States  are  held  null  and  void. 

"  3d.  All  the  North  Americans,  being  enemies  of  Mexico,  we  swear  not  to 
lay  down  our  arms  till  they  are  expelled  from  the  Mexican  territory. 

"  4th.  All  Mexican  citizens,  from  the  age  of  fifteen  to  sixty,  who  do  not 
take  up  arms  to  forward  the  present  plan,  are  declared  traitors,  and  under  pain 
of  death. 

"  5th.  Every  Mexican  or  foreigner  who  may  directly  or  indirectly  aid  the 
enemies  of  Mexico  will  be  punished  in  the  same  manner. 

"  6th.  The  property  of  the  North  Americans  in  the  department,  who  may 
directly  or  indirectly  have  taken  part  with,  or  aided  the  enemies,  shall  be  con- 
fiscated and  used  for  the  expenses  of  the  war ;  and  their  persons  shall  be  taken 
to  the  interior  of  the  republic. 

"  7th.  All  those  who  may  oppose  the  present  plan  will  be  punished  with 
arms. 

"  8th.  All  the  inhabitants  of  Santa  Barbara,  and  the  district  of  the  north, 
will  be  invited  immediately  to  adhere  to  the  present  plan. 

"Jose  Ma.  Flores. 

"  Camp  in  Angeles,  September  24£A,  1846." 
[Signed  by  more  than  300  persons.] 

This  proclamation,  thus  numerously  signed,  indicated  a  spirit 
of  the  most  decisive  hostility,  and  a  consciousness  of  strength, 
which,  considering  the  small  force  of  the  American  commander- 


REVOLT  OF  THE  CALIFORNIANS. 


115 


m-chief,  was  calculated  to  alarm  him,  with  the  insufficiency  of 
his  means  to  cope  with  an  enemy  so  superior  in  numbers.  It 
was  now  apparent  that  the  work  of  conquest  would  have  to  be 
repeated,  and  the  most  prompt  and  energetic  measures  were 
adopted  for  that  purpose.  Stockton  proceeded  at  once  to  San 
Francisco,  and  despatched  the  frigate  Savannah  for  San  Pedro,  to 
reinforce  the  American  garrison  at  that  place.  Fremont,  then 
at  Sacramento,  was  ordered  to  San  Francisco,  with  what  force 
could  be  collected,  and  about  the  12th  of  October  sailed,  with 
one  hundred  and  sixty  volunteers,  for  Santa  Barbara,  where  he 
was  directed  to  procure  horses,  and  subsequently  to  move  simul- 
taneously with  Stockton  upon  the  enemy  at  Los  Angeles.  The 
Savannah  did  not  arrive  at  San  Pedro  till  after  the  defeat  and 
surrender  of  Talbot  and  Gillespie.  Her  crew,  however,  about 
three  hundred  and  twenty,  though  poorly  armed,  were  landed, 
and  under  Captain  Mervine,  attacked  a  large  body  of  mounted 
Californians  about  twelve  miles  from  San  Pedro.  After  a  severe 
engagement,  they  were  repulsed,  and  retreated  with  the  loss  of 
five  killed  and  six  wounded.  Several  subsequent  skirmishes  took 
place,  but  with  no  material  results. 

As  soon  as  Com.  Stockton  had  completed  his  arrangements 
for  the  security  of  the  north,  he  proceeded  in  the  frigate  Congress 
to  the  seat  of  war.  Upon  his  arrival  at  San  Pedro,  about  the 
23d  of  October,  he  landed  his  crew  in  the  face  of  the  enemy,  who 
were  in  force  to  the  number  of  eight  hundred  men.  They 
seemed,  however,  indisposed  for  an  encounter,  and  retired  into 
the  interior.  And  in  order  to  give  time  to  Fremont  to  mount 
his  men  and  co-operate  in  the  contemplated  campaign,  as  well  as 
on  account  of  the  greater  security  of  the  anchorage  and  protec- 
tion from  the  storms  which  prevailed  at  this  season  on  the  coast, 
and  from  the  impossibility  of  procuring  animals  either  for  food  or 
transportation,  (the  enemy  having  driven  them  all  into  the  inte- 
rior,) Stockton  re-embarked  his  men  and  sailed  for  San  Diego. 
In  attempting  to  enter  that  harbor,  the  Congress  grounded  after 
crossing  the  bar,  and  in  such  a  way  that  it  was  necessary  to  sup- 
port her  with  spars.  While  thus  engaged,  the  Californians  at- 
tacked the  town  ;  but  in  despite  of  the  necessity  of  employing  a 
part  of  his  force  about  the  frigate,  the  commodore  landed  with 


116  ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 

the  remainder,  and  after  a  short  encounter,  defeated  the  enemy. 
The  condition  of  San  Diego  was  miserable  in  the  extreme,  and 
neither  horses  nor  cattle  could  be  obtained  in  the  neighborhood. 
The  enemy  were  in  great  force  at  San  Bernardo,  thirty  miles  dis- 
tant, from  whence  detachments  repeatedly  visited  San  Diego,  keep- 
ing up  for  many  days  their  desultory  attacks.  A  party  of  Americans 
were  despatched  down  the  coast  in  pursuit  of  cattle,  a  supply  of 
which  they  fortunately  met  and  drove  into  camp. 

Immediately  after  landing  at  San  Diego,  Stockton  commenced 
energetic  preparations  for  a  march  on  Los  Angeles.  His  men 
were  daily  disciplined  according  to  the  tactics  adopted,  and  what- 
ever time  could  be  spared  was  employed  in  building  a  fort,  and 
making  saddles,  shoes,  and  other  equipments.  Information  was 
received  from  Fremont  that  he  could  not  procure  horses  at  Santa 
Barbara,  and  that  he  had  gone  to  Monterey  for  that  purpose. 
Capt.  Gibson  had  obtained  a  few  horses,  but  they  were  poor  and 
worn  down  with  severe  marches,  requiring  rest  before  they  could 
be  fit  for  service.  Capt.  Hensley,  however,  who  had  been  sent 
on  an  expedition  to  the  south,  after  much  arduous  service,  re- 
turned with  five  hundred  head  of  cattle  and  one  hundred  and 
forty  horses.  While  preparations  were  progressing  for  the  march 
on  Los  Angeles,  a  messenger  arrived  about  the  3d  of  December, 
with  a  letter  from  General  Kearny,  apprising  Com.  Stockton  of 
his  approach,  and  expressing  a  desire  to  open  a  communication, 
but  without  disclosing  his  actual  situation.  On  the  same  even- 
ing, Captain  Gillespie  was  despatched  with  a  force  of  thirty-five 
men  to  meet  Kearny.  On  the  6th  of  December,  another  messen- 
ger arrived,  bringing  information  of  the  defeat  and  perilous  sit- 
uation of  General  Kearny  at  San  Pasqual.  On  his  way  from 
New  Mexico,  with  a  considerable  force,  while  a  few  days  from 
Santa  Fe,  Kearny  met  Carson,  the  courier  sent  by  Com.  Stock- 
ton, with  despatches  to  the  Government,  giving  information  of 
the  conquest  of  California,  and  the  establishment  there  of  a  civil 
government.  Considering,  therefore,  the  work  of  subjugation  of 
that  territory  completed,  Kearny  turned  back  the  greater  part  of 
his  troops,  and  proceeded  on  his  way  toward  California,  taking 
Carson  as  his  guide.  At,  or  near  San  Pasqual,  he  was  intercept- 
ed by  the  Californians,  and  defeated,  with  the  loss  of  eighteen 


OFFICIAL  RELATIONS  OF  STOCKTON  AND  KEARNY.  117 

men  killed  and  as  many  wounded,  and  one  of  his  two  howitzers. 
He  took  refuge  on  a  rocky  eminence,  closely  invested  by  the  enemy. 
All  his  ammunition  and  nearly  all  his  provisions  were  exhausted. 
Under  cover  of  night  he  despatched  couriers,  who  with  much  diffi- 
culty eluded  the  vigilance  of  the  foe  and  reached  San  Diego.  On 
learning  these  facts,  Stockton  was  about  to  proceed  in  person  with 
all  his  force  to  the  relief  of  Kearny  ;  but  subsequent  messengers 
brought  intelligence  that  the  strength  of  the  enemy  was  much  less 
than  had  been  represented.  He  therefore  despatched  Lieut.  Gray, 
with  two  hundred  and  fifty  men,  upon  whose  approach  toward 
San  Pasqual,  the  besiegers  abandoned  the  field,  and  left  the  re- 
lief party  to  return  unmolested  with  Kearny  and  his  dragoons. 

As  the  official  relations  of  Com.  Stockton  and  Gen.  Kearny 
have  been  the  subject  of  much  discussion,  it  is  proper  we  should 
say  in  what  light  we  consider  them.  Gen.  Kearny  was  directed 
by  instructions  from  the  Secretary  of  War  to  invade  California 
with  a  prescribed  force,  and  "  should  he  conquer  it,"  to  establish 
a  civil  government  there.  On  his  way,  learning  that  the  objects 
of  the  expedition  had  been  accomplished  by  Com.  Stockton,  as 
above  related,  he  turned  back  his  troops,  proceeded  with  a  small 
party,  was  attacked  and  defeated  by  the  enemy,  and  relieved 
from  imminent  danger  by  the  detachment  sent  by  Stockton. 
Arrived  at  San  Diego,  he  consented,  according  to  the  testimony 
of  all  then  present,  to  act  under  Stockton,  then  on  the  eve  of  a 
movement  against  Los  Angeles.  The  following  lucid  statement 
of  the  reception  of  Kearny  by  Stockton,  and  of  their  relative  po- 
sitions in  that  movement,  we  extract  from  the  official  letter  of 
the  commodore  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  made  subsequent 
to  the  court  martial  which  tried  Col.  Fremont^  and  dated  Febru- 
ary 18th,  1848  :— 

"  On  their  arrival,  General  Kearny,  his  officers,  and  men,  were  received  by 
all  the  garrison  in  the  kindest  and  most  respectful  manner.  So  far  as  my  ob- 
servation extended,  no  civility  or  attention  was  omitted.  Having  sent  with 
Captain  Gillespie  every  horse  that  was  fit  for  use  to  General  Kearny,  I  was 
without  one  for  my  own  accommodation.  I  was  therefore  compelled  on  foot 
to  advance  and  receive  the  general,  whom  I  conducted  to  my  own  quarters 
until  others  more  agreeable  to  him  could  be  prepared.  The  arrival  of  General 
Kearny  was  to  me  a  source  of  gratification :  although  it  was  my  decided 
opinion,  which  as  yet  I  have  seen  no  reason  to  change,  that  under  the  circum- 


118 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


stances  that  existed  I  was  entitled  to  retain  the  position  in  which  I  was 
placed,  of  commander-in-chief:  yet  in  consideration  of  his  high  standing  in  the 
army,  his  long  experience  as  a  soldier,  the  importance  of  military  science  and 
skill  in  the  movements  that  were  to  be  made  in  the  interior  of  the  country,  I 
immediately  determined  to  yield  all  personal  feelings  of  ambition,  and  tc 
place  in  his  hands  the  supreme  authority.  In  accordance  with  this  determi- 
nation I  tendered  to  General  Kearny  the  position  of  commander-in-chief,  and 
offered  to  accompany  him  as  his  aid. 

"  This  proposition  was  on  more  than  one  occasion  renewed,  and  with  all 
sincerity  and  singleness  of  purpose.  The  responsibility  of  moving  from  San 
Diego,  and  leaving  the  safety  of  the  ships  deprived  of  so  large  and  efficient  a 
portion  of  their  crews,  was  of  itself  a  momentous  one.  This,  however,  in  the 
discharge  of  duty  I  felt  no  inclination  to  shrink  from.  But  the  fate  of  the 
territory  itself  might  depend  upon  the  issue  of  a  battle  to  be  fought  on  shore 
against  an  army  organized  to  encounter  us.  The  nature  of  the  service,  and 
the  importance  of  the  stake,  it  seemed  to  me  appertained  rather  to  a  general  in 
the  army  than  a  captain  in  the  navy.  Whatever  ambition  I  might  feel  for 
distinction,  either  on  my  own  account,  or  on  that  of  the  gallant  officers  and  men 
under  my  command,  was  voluntarily  and  deliberately  offered  as  a  sacrifice  to 
a  paramount  sense  of  duty.  The  offers  thus  made  were,  however,  on  every 
occasion  positively  and  distinctly  declined  by  General  Kearny,  who  on  his  side 
offered  to  accompany  me  in  the  capacity  of  my  aid,  and  tendered  to  afford  me 
the  aid  of  his  head  and  hand.  A  few  days  before  I  expected  to  take  up  the 
line  of  march,  I  addressed  a  note  to  the  general,  expressing  a  wish  that  he 
would  accompany  me.  In  his  reply,  he  repeated  the  language  which  he  had 
before  employed — that  he  would  so  accompany  me,  and  afford  me  the  aid  of 
his  head  and  hand.  Accordingly,  on  the  morning  of  our  departure  he  appeared 
upon  the  ground.  After  the  troops  had  been  paraded,  and  were  nearly 
ready  to  commence  the  march,  as  I  was  about  to  mount  my  horse,  General 
Kearny  approached  me,  and  inquired,  who  was  to  command  the  troops.  I 
replied,  Lieutenant  Rowan  was  to  have  command.  On  his  expressing  a  wish 
that  he  should  himself  command  them,  I  replied  that  he  should  have  the  com- 
mand. The  different  officers  were  at  once  convened,  and  informed  that  Gen- 
eral Kearny  had  volunteered  to  command  the  troops,  and  that  I  had  given 
him  the  appointment,  reserving  my  own  position  as  commander-in-chief. 
This  arrangement  having  been  made,  we  proceeded  on  the  march." 

Gen.  Kearny  himself,  on  examination  before  the  court  mar- 
tial, testified  on  the  fourteenth  day  of  the  trial,  in  relation  to  the 
expedition  to  Los  Angeles, — "  Under  Commodore  Stockton's  di- 
rections every  arrangement  for  the  expedition  was  made.  I  had 
nothing  whatever  to  do  with  it."  Col.  Fremont,  in  his  defence, 
says, — "  Both  Gen.  Kearny  and  the  officers  under  him  received 
and  obeyed  the  orders  of  Com.  Stockton,  in  some  instances  in 
opposition  to  those  first  given  by  Gen.  Kearny,  both  on  the 


THE  MOVEMENT  ON  LOS  ANGELES. 


119 


march  and  in  the  battles."  Lieutenants  Gray,  Minor  and  Emo- 
ry testified  to  the  same  effect.  From  this,  and  much  other  cor- 
roborating evidence,  it  is  historically  true  that  whatever  of  re- 
sponsibility or  credit  belongs  to  the  movement  upon  Los  Angeles, 
at  this  time,  must  be  attributed  to  Com.  Stockton.  He  origi- 
nated the  expedition,  provided  the  means  for  its  prosecution,  con- 
ducted it  as  commander-in-chief,  and  is  fairly  entitled  to  the 
praise  due  for  its  success. 

On  the  23d  of  December,  general  orders  were  issued,  as 
follows : — 

"  General  Orders. — The  forces  composed  of  Capt.  Tilghman's  Company 
of  Artillery,  a  detachment  of  the  1st  Regiment  of  Dragoons,  Companies  A 
and  B  of  California  Battalion  of  Mounted  Riflemen,  and  a  detachment  of  sail- 
ors and  marines  from  the  frigates  Congress  and  Savannah,  and  the  ship  Ports- 
mouth, will  take  up  the  line  of  march  for  the  Ciudad  de  los  Angeles  on 
Monday  morning,  the  28th  inst.,  at  10  a.  m. 

"By  order  of  the  Commander-in-Chief, 

"J.  Zeilan, 
"  Brevet  Captain  and  Adjutant. 

"  San  Diego,  2Zd  December,  184G." 

On  the  29th  the  march  commenced.  The  distance  to  be 
travelled  between  San  Diego  and  Los  Angeles  was  one  hundred 
and  forty-five  miles,  the  track  lying  through  deep  sands  and  over 
steep  and  rugged  ascents.  The  entire  force  consisted  of  five  hun- 
dred and  forty  sailors  and  marines,  and  sixty  of  Kearny's  dra- 
goons, and  six  pieces  of  artillery.  The  men,  for  the  most  part, 
were  poorly  clothed,  their  shoes  generally  being  made  by  them- 
selves of  canvas.  Stockton,  in  his  despatch  of  February  5th, 
1847,  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  says, — "We  came  to  San 
Diego  with  the  Congress  alone — her  resources  being  almost  ex- 
hausted in  a  previous  campaign.  The  town  was  besieged  by  the 
insurgents,  and  there  were  no  stores  or  provisions  of  any  kind  in 
it,  and  we  were  reduced  to  one  fourth  allowance  of  bread.  We 
had  to  build  a  fort — to  mount  our  artillery, — to  make  saddles, 
bridles,  and  harness :  we  had,  in  truth,  to  make  an  army,  with 
all  its  necessary  appendages,  out  of  the  mechanics  and  sailors  of 
this  ship,  and  to  take  our  horses  and  beef  cattle  from  the  enemy." 
Captain  Turner,  of  the  dragoons,  declined  using  the  horses,  in 


120 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


their  feeble  condition,  preferring  to  proceed  without  thern,  and 
those  taken  along  for  purposes  of  draught  were  so  miserable  that 
they  daily  became  disabled,  which  devolved  much  hard  work  on 
the  men,  in  dragging  the  guns  and  the  carts  heavily  laden  with 
provisions  and  ammunition.  "  Their  route,"  says  a  writer  alrea- 
dy quoted,  "  lay  through  a  rugged  country,  drenched  with  the 
winter  rains,  and  bristling  with  the  lances  of  the  enemy. 
Through  this  the  commodore  led  his  seamen  and  marines,  shar- 
ing himself,  with  the  general  at  his  side,  all  the  hardships  of  the 
common  sailors.  The  stern  engagements  with  the  enemy  derive 
their  heroic  features  from  the  contrast  existing  in  the  condition 
of  the  two.  The  Californians  were  well  mounted,  and  whirled 
their  flying  artillery  to  the  most  convenient  positions.  Our 
troops  were  on  foot,  mired  to  the  ankle,  and  with  no  resources 
except  in  their  own  indomitable  resolution  and  courage.  Their 
exploits  may  be  cast  in  the  shadow  by  the  clouds  which  roll  up 
from  the  plains  of  Mexico,  but  they  are  realities  here,  which  im- 
press themselves  with  a  force  which  reaches  the  very  foundations 
of  social  order." 

The  enemy  were  frequently  seen  during  the  march,  and  the 
utmost  vigilance  was  constantly  necessary,  to  prevent  a  surprise. 
The  celebrated  Kit  Carson  had  been  selected  to  command  a 
small  corps  of  scouts,  and  to  act  as  spies  and  skirmishers,  which 
duty  was  performed  in  a  most  efficient  manner.  On  the  3d  of 
January,  at  San  Luis  del  Key,  Stockton  despatched  a  messenger 
to  apprise  Fremont  of  his  advance,  and  to  caution  him  against 
the  hazard  of  an  action  until  a  junction  of  their  forces  had  taken 
place.  This  messenger,  however,  did  not  reach  Fremont  until 
the  9th  January.  Lieut.  Selden,  of  the  navy,  was  also  sent  with 
a  small  vessel  to  the  maritime  defile  of  Rincon,  to  protect  that 
pass  through  which  Fremont  was  expected  to  march.  While  ad- 
vancing, propositions  were  received  from  Flores  to  negotiate, 
which  were  rejected  in  the  most  peremptory  terms.  The  bearers 
were  informed  that  no  communication  would  be  held  with  Flores, 
he  having  forfeited  his  honor  as  a  soldier,  by  breaking  his  parole. 
They  were  likewise  assured  that  Flores  and  every  Mexican  who 
had  broken  his  parole,  if  caught,  would  immediately  be  shot. 

On  the  evening  of  January  7th,  the  whole  force  of  the  enemy 


BATTLE  OF  SAN  GABRIEL. 


121 


being  not  far  distant,  the  commodore  despatched  a  confidential 
emissary  to  ascertain,  under  cover  of  night,  their  exact  position 
and  strength.  They  were  formed  between  the  invading  army 
and  the  Rio  San  Gabriel,  apparently  waiting  to  give  battle,  and 
were  estimated  at  from  one  thousand  to  twelve  hundred  men, 
composed  almost  wholly  of  cavalry.  On  the  morning  of  the  8th, 
Stockton  ordered  all  the  guns  of  his  men  to  be  fired  and  re-loaded, 
and  passing  through  their  ranks,  reminded  them  that  it  was  the 
anniversary  of  the  battle  of  New  Orleans.  They  were  then 
formed  in  a  square,  with  the  baggage  and  cattle  in  the  centre. 
On  approaching  the  river,  the  enemy  were  observed  prepared  for 
their  reception,  and  strongly  posted  on  the  opposite  heights.  The 
banks  commanding  the  ford  (which  was  occupied  by  the  artillery 
of  the  Californians),  were  about  fifty  yards  from  the  river,  quite 
steep,  and  about  fifty  feet  high.  When  within  a  quarter  of  a 
mile  of  the  ford,  the  men  were  formed  in  line,  and  orders  given 
that  not  a  gun  should  be  fired  until  the  crossing  was  effected. 
The  enemy,  however,  kept  up  a  perpetual  and  brisk  fire,  though 
with  little  effect.  In  the  act  of  crossing,  the  water  being  about 
four  feet  deep,  word  was  sent  by  Kearny  to  the  commander-in- 
chief  that  the  bed  of  the  river  consisted  of  quicksand  and  could 
not  be  passed  with  the  guns.  Stockton  instantly  repaired  to  the 
head  of  the  column,  seized  the  ropes,  and  with  his  own  hands  as- 
sisted to  drag  over  the  artillery.  The  passage  effected,  the 
troops  were  again  formed  for  battle.  The  commodore  took 
charge  of  the  artillery,  and  pointed  his  guns  with  such  precision 
that  the  enemy  were  soon  compelled  to  abandon  theirs  ;  when  he 
sent  Lieut.  Gray  with  orders  to  Kearny  to  charge  up  the  bank 
and  seize  them,  while  he  prepared  to  receive  a  charge  which  was 
about  being  made  on  his  flank.  Before  Kearny  could  reach  the 
summit  of  the  ascent,  the  Californians  returning,  withdrew  their 
guns,  making  but  a  feeble  stand  against  the  general.  The  great- 
er part  of  their  force,  after  making  a  circuit  of  some  hundred 
yards,  descending  to  the  level  of  the  river,  attacked  Stockton  on 
his  left  flank  ;  but  they  were  so  warmly  received  that  they  re- 
treated ujwn  the  hill,  the  commodore  following,  charging  up  the 
declivity  with  his  artillery,  in  the  very  face  of  the  enemy.  On 
his  reaching  the  heights,  the  latter  were  seen  at  a  short  distance, 


122 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


drawn  up  in  battle  array,  with  their  artillery  in  front.  The 
Americans  were  now  ordered  to  lie  down,  while  their  leader  ran 
out  his  guns,  and  poured  upon  the  adversary  a  well-directed  fire, 
he  himself  aiming  each  piece  as  fast  as  it  was  loaded,  with  such 
fatal  effect,  that  the  enemy  were  repeatedly  driven  from  their 
guns.  Several  ineffectual  attempts  were  made  by  them  to 
charge  ;  but  the  steady  front,  cool  courage,  and  well  aimed  rifles 
of  the  assailants  repelled  their  attacks.  Dispersed  in  every  di- 
rection on  the  heights,  a  portion  of  their  right  wing  wheeled  upon 
the  rear  of  the  American  forces,  and  attacked  Capt.  Gillespie, 
encumbered  with  his  baggage  and  cattle,  who  received  them  so 
warmly  that  they  fled  across  the  river.  Their  main  body  retreat- 
ed before  the  assailants,  until  reaching  a  ravine,  they  renewed  a 
brisk  fire,  when  Stockton  again  took  charge  of  the  guns,  and  by 
his  well-directed  shots,  drove  them  from  their  position.  They 
then  rapidly  fled,  carrying  off  their  killed  and  wounded,  the 
numbers  of  which  could  not  be  ascertained.  The  Americans  lost 
two  killed  and  nine  wounded. 

On  the  9  th,  Stockton  pursued  the  retiring  foe  in  the  direction 
of  Los  Angeles,  and  after  a  march  of  six  miles  came  up  with 
them  on  the  Plains  of  the  Mesa.  They  were  well  posted,  with  a 
ravine  to  the  left  of  their  line,  which  masked  their  artillery. 
When  about  six  hundred  yards  distant  they  opened  a  fire  on  the 
advancing  column.  Preparations  for  a  charge  were  visible  in 
their  ranks,  and  they  were  observed  to  be  joined  by  a  strong  rein- 
forcement. Stockton  formed  his  whole  force  in  square,  with  the 
baggage,  horses  and  oxen  in  the  centre,  and  gave  imperative  com- 
mands to  his  men  not  to  fire  a  shot  until  he  gave  the  signal, 
which  he  said  would  not  be  until  he  could  see  the  eyes  of  the 
enemy.  The  Californians  made  a  gallant  charge.  It  is  said  by 
those  who  witnessed  it,  to  have  been  a  brilliant  spectacle.  Gayly 
caparisoned,  with  banners  flying,  mounted  on  fleet  and  splendid 
horses,  they  bounded  on,  spurring  to  the  top  of  their  speed,  on 
the  small  but  compact  square  into  which  the  American  force  was 
compressed.  The  very  earth  appeared  to  tremble  beneath  their 
thundering  hoofs — and  nothing  seemed  capable  of  resisting  such 
cavalry.  But  inspired  with  the  cool  courage  and  dauntless  hero- 
ism of  their  leader,  his  men  patiently  awaited  the  result.  The 


FREMONT  NEGOTIATES  WITH  FLORES  AND  PICO.  123 


signal  was  at  length  given,  and  a  deadly  fire,  directed  according 
to  orders  at  the  horses,  was  poured  into  the  ranks  of  the  advanc- 
ing foe,  which  emptied  many  saddles  and  threw  them  into  com- 
plete confusion.  Retreating  a  few  hundred  yards,  they  again 
formed,  and  despatching  a  part  of  their  force  to  the  rear,  they 
attacked  simultaneously  three  sides  of  the  square.  Orders  were 
renewed  to  reserve  fire  until  the  enemy's  near  approach,  and  with 
the  same  decisive  results, — their  ranks  breaking  up  and  retreat- 
ing in  disorder.  A  third  time,  having  rallied,  they  returned  to 
the  charge,  but  once  more  their  ranks  were  thinned  by  the  dead- 
ly aim  of  the  assailed  ;  and  despairing  of  their  ability  to  cope 
with  men  so  cool,  unflinching  and  resolute,  confused  and  discom- 
fited, they  scattered  and  fled  in  every  direction. 

On  the  10th  of  January,  at  the  head  of  his  advanced  guard, 
on  the  broadest  and  principal  road  leading  into  Los  Angeles,  the 
Commodore,  with  banners  waving,  marched  into  the  city.  He 
directed  Captain  Gillespie  to  raise  the  same  flag  which  he  was 
compelled  to  strike  on  the  previous  September. 

A  few  days  after  these  events,  Fremont,  without  knowledge 
of  Stockton's  movements  and  success,  encountered  Gen.  Flores  and 
Andreas  Pico  and  their  disheartened  remnant  of  followers,  who  in 
humble  terms  sued  for  peace.  Not  knowing  that  the  commander- 
in-chief  had  refused  to  treat  with  them,  Fremont  entered  into 
negotiations,  and  finally  agreed  upon  articles  by  which  they  stip- 
ulated to  surrender  their  arms,  including  the  gun  captured  at  San 
Pasqual  from  Gen.  Kearny,  and  cease  from  all  further  resistance. 
These  articles  it  was  thought  desirable  to  approve,  as  they  were 
considered  a  final  pacification  in  the  territory  between  the  con- 
tending parties,  and  as  clemency  on  the  part  of  the  conqueror  was 
more  likely  to  insure  that  result  than  the  sanguinary  exercise  of 
inexorable  justice. 

The  following  general  order  must  close  our  narrative  of  the 
military  operations  of  Com.  Stockton  in  California.  We  have  ex- 
tended it  far  beyond  the  limits  originally  contemplated;  but  as 
the  history  of  these  events  is  closely  connected  with  the  subse- 
quent prosperity  of  the  country,  and  the  present  condition  of  San 
Francisco,  we  have  thought  best  to  give  it  in  all  its  interesting 
details. 


124 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


■'  Head-quarters,  Ciudad  de  los  Angeles. 
January  Wlh,  1847. 
"  The  Commander-in-Chief  congratulates  the  officers  and  men  of  the 
southern  division  of  the  United  States  forces  in  California  on  the  hrilliant 
victories  obtained  by  them  over  the  enemy  on  the  8th  and  9th  instants,  and 
on  once  more  taking  possession  of  Ciudad  de  los  Angeles. 

"  He  takes  the  earliest  moment  to  commend  their  gallantry  and  good  con- 
duct, both  in  the  battle  fought  on  the  8th,  on  the  banks  of  the  Rio  San  Ga- 
briel, and  on  the  9th  inst.,  on  the  Plains  of  the  Mesa. 

"  The  steady  courage  of  the  troops  in  forcing  their  passage  across  the  Rio 
San  Gabriel,  where  officers  and  men  were  alike  employed  in  dragging  the 
guns  through  the  water,  against  the  galling  fire  of  the  enemy,  without  ex- 
changing a  shot,  and  their  gallant  charge  up  the  banks  against  the  enemy's 
cavalry,  has  perhaps  never  been  surpassed  ;  and  the  cool  determination  with 
which  in  the  battle  of  the  9th  they  repulsed  the  charge  of  cavalry  made  by 
the  enemy  at  the  same  time  on  their  front  and  rear,  has  extorted  the  admiration 
of  the  enemy,  and  deserves  the  best  thanks  of  their  countrymen. 

"  R.  F.  Stockton, 
"  Governor  and  Commander-in-Chief  of  the 
Territory  of  California." 

Commodore  Stockton,  in  pursuance  of  instructions  which  he 
had  communicated  to  the  Government  in  September,  now  appoint- 
ed Col.  Fromont  governor  of  the  territory,  and  Wm.  H.  Russell, 
secretary.  It  is  painful  to  relate  that  unfortunate  disputes  arose 
as  to  the  right  of  Fremont  to  the  high  dignity  of  governor.  Gen- 
eral Kearny  produced  a  commission  appointing  himself  to  the 
office.  His  pretensions,  however,  were  opposed  both  by  Stockton 
and  Fremont,  who  contended  that  a  new  train  of  circumstances 
had  arisen  since  the  produced  commission  had  been  granted.  The 
instructions  to  General  Kearny  from  the  war  department,  ("should 
he  conquer  the  country,")  Com.  Stockton  considered  as  anticipated 
by  himself ;  and  of  course  the  resulting  action  prescribed  by  those 
instructions  contingently,  ("to  form  a  civil  government,")  as  de- 
volving on  himself,  the  real  conqueror  of  the  territory.  In  these 
views  of  Stockton,  the  Government  entirely  acquiesced, — so  far  as 
respected  the  approval  in  mass  of  his  whole  conduct, — the  secre- 
tary of  the  navy  specially  thanking  him  for  anticipating  the  wishes 
of  the  Government.  It  is  not  a  little  singular,  that  although  the 
validity  of  Stockton's  acts  was  thus  sanctioned,  yet  Col.  Fremont, 
for  obedience  to  his  orders,  was  tried  by  court  martial,  and  con- 
victed of  disobedience  to  the  orders  of  Gen.  Kearny.    His  sentence 


KEARNY  BECOMES  GOVERNOR  OF  CALIFORNIA. 


125 


was  suspension  from  the  service;  but  the  President,  in  considera- 
tion of  his  many  services  and  mitigating  circumstances,  was  pleas- 
ed to  remit  the  punishment,  and  ordered  him  to  be  restored  to 
his  former  rank.  But  Fremont,  being  of  opinion  that  he  had  done 
no  wrong,  refused  to  accept  this  clemency,  and  accordingly  resign- 
ed his  commission,  and  retired  from  the  American  military  service. 
Whatever  may  have  been  the  merits  of  this  case,  it  is  certain  that 
Fremont  showed  himself  a  true  hero,  in  his  efforts  to  overthrow 
the  Mexican  power  in  California,  and  is  deserving  of  the  gratitude 
of  American  settlers  in  that  territory.  As  an  adventurous,  per- 
severing and  talented  explorer,  who  has  laid  open  practicable  and 
easy  paths  to  a  great  country  that  had  long  been  closed  against 
the  boldest  pioneers,  he  deserves  the  approbation  of  the  civilized 
world. 

In  the  mean  time,  General  Kearny  applied  to  Commodore 
Shubrick  (who  arrived  in  California  on  the22d  of  January,  1847, 
and  as  senior  in  commission,  superseded  Commodore  Stockton  in 
command  of  the  squadron,)  to  place  him  in  the  chief  command. 
But  under  the  instructions  to  Com.  Sloat  of  12th  July,  1846. 
which  devolved  on  the  naval  commander  the  conquest  and  civil 
government  of  California,  Shubrick  did  not  consider  himself  au- 
thorized to  accede  to  his  wishes.  Soon  after,  however,  other  in- 
structions, dated  9th  November,  184G,  having  been  received  by 
Com.  Shubrick,  Kearny  was  recognized  as  governor,  and  acted  as 
such  until  he  relinquished  the  command  to  Colonel  Mason,  upon 
his  departure  for  Washington.  These  instructions  Kearny  did 
not  communicate  to  Fremont.  Thus  there  were  two  acting  gov- 
ernors at  the  same  time  in  California,  and  Fremont,  without  any 
knowledge  of  his  authority  being  annulled  by  the  instructions  of 
the  9th  November,  subjected  himself,  in  the  performance  of  what 
he  considered  his  duties,  to  charges  of  disobedience  to  his  superior 
officer.  He  was  ordered  to  surrender  the  howitzer  lost  by  Kearny 
at  San  Pasqual,  at  this  time  in  possession  of  the  California  batta- 
lion, to  the  Mormon  regiment  under  Col.  Cooke.  This  could  not 
have  been  done  without  the  hazard  of  a  revolt,  and  therefore  was 
declined  by  Fremont. 

Before  narrating  the  further  steps  adopted  by  the  Americans, 
when  they  had  thus  taken  military  possession  of  the  country,  we 


126  ANNALS  OF  SAN  FKANCISCO. 

may  give  a  brief  notice  of  the  various  governors  and  other  public 
officers  who  were  connected  with  California,  subsequently  to  the 
Mexican  declaration  of  independence.  The  list  is  somewhat  a 
long  one  for  so  short  a  period ;  and  illustrates  the  feeble  hold  which 
Mexico  had  upon  the  political  affections  of  so  remote  and  neglect- 
ed a  province : — • 

Sola  was  the  last  Californian  governor  under  the  Spanish  flag 
and  the  first  under  the  Mexican.  In  1823  he  was  ordered  to 
Mexico,  and  Don  Luis  Antonio  Arguello  was  named  governor, 
with  all  the  powers  of  his  predecessor,  and  remained  so  until  the 
arrival  of  Echeandia,  in  the  beginning  of  1825.  Echeandia  had 
command  until  the  arrival  of  Victoria,  in  1830.  Victoria  con- 
tinued in  power  until  the  winter  of  1832,  when  the  Californians 
revolted,  and  sent  him  away.  At  that  time  Pio  Pico  was  the 
senior  member  of  the  territorial  department,  and  by  law  became 
governor  pro  tempore.  Echeandia,  meanwhile,  had  remained 
among  his  friends  at  San  Diego,  probably  expecting  some  speedy 
change  in  political  affairs ;  and,  when  Victoria  was  about  to  leave, 
he  took  the  military  command.  Both  he  and  Pico  continued  in 
office  till  the  arrival  of  Figueroa  in  1833.  Figueroa  died  in  1835  ; 
and,  during  his  last  illness,  delivered  over  the  civil  command  to 
Don  Jose  Castro,  and  the  military  to  Don  Nicolas  Gutierrez, 
Castro  being  at  that  time  senior  member  of  the  department.  These 
remained  in  office  until  the  arrival  of  Chico,  in  1836.  The  same 
year  Chico  was  sent  away  by  the  Junta  department.  Previous 
to  his  departure  he  left  the  military  and  civil  command  with  Gu- 
tierrez, he  having  been  formerly  his  second. 

On  the  6th  of  November,  1836,  the  Californians,  assisted  by 
foreigners  under  Captain  Graham,  an  American,  and  Captain 
Coppinger,  an  Englishman,  revolted  against  Gutierrez ;  and  the 
latter  was  forced  to  leave  the  country,  with  all  his  officers,  except 
those  who  took  part  in  favor  of  the  natives,  and  wished  to  remain. 
Don  Mariano  Guadalupe  Vallejo  played  an  important  role  in  this 
revolution,  and  became  commander  of  the  forces;  while  his  nephew, 
Don  Juan  Bautista  Alvarado,  was  made  civil  governor.  These 
positions  they  held  until  the  arrival  of  Micheltorena,  in  1842. 
Early  in  1845,  Micheltorena  was  sent  away  by  the  Californians, 
after  forming  a  sort  of  treaty  with  them  (he  being  desirous  to  pro- 


CONSULS  IN  CALIFORNIA. 


127 


ceed  to  Mexico),  leaving  Jose  Castro  with  the  military  command. 
Pio  Pico,  who  was  again  the  senior  memher  of  the  Junta  depart- 
ment, then  became  governor.  These  two  continued  in  power,  as 
military  and  civil  heads  respectively,  until  the  Americans  took 
possession  of  the  country.  Sola,  Argiiello,  Echeandria,  Victoria, 
Figueroa,  Chico  and  Micheltorena,  all  had  the  united  civil  and 
military  authority. 

In  1843,  Mr.  Thomas  0.  Larlcin  was  appointed  the  first,  as 
he  happened  to  be  the  last  American  consul  in  California.  That 
gentleman  also  held  various  other  official  and  important  appoint- 
ments from  the  United  States  Government  up  to  the  year  1848, 
when  peace  was  declared,  and  the  country  became  American.  In 
1845,  Mr.  Larkin,  who  resided  at  Monterey,  the  nominal  Mexican 
capital  of  the  province,  named  Mr.  William  A.  Leidesdorff  the 
United  States  vice-consul,  at  the  port  of  San  Francisco.  Mr. 
James  A.  Forbes  received  the  appointment  of  the  first  British  con- 
sul in  1844,  or  1845.  The  first  French  consul^  Don  Luis  Gasquet, 
arrived  in  California,  via  Mexico,  about  the  10th  of  May,  1845, 
and  left  some  time  in  1847.  He  remained  a  considerable  time  in 
the  country  after  he  delivered  the  consulate  over  to  M.  Movenhaut. 


CHAPTER  XI. 


Peace  concluded  between  the  Mexican  and  American  States. — Terms  of  the  Treaty. — California  ceded 
to  the  United  States. — The  country  ruled  provisionally  by  American  Governors. — Eapid  increase 
of  population  by  immigration.— Discovery  of  gold  on  the  American  Elver  by  Mr.  James  W.  Mar- 
shall.— Great  excitement  in  conseqnence  of  the  discovery,  and  rush  of  people  to  the  gold  placers. 
— Mixed  character  of  the  population. — Necessity  for  the  establishment  of  a  proper  form  of  Gov- 
ernment.— Independent  sectional  legislation  inadequate  and  unsatisfactory.— Meetings  held  to 
effect  a  general  civil  organization. — General  Riley  issues  a  proclamation  for  a  meeting  to  be  held 
at  Monterey  to  adopt  a  State  Constitution  — Names  of  delegates  appointed. — Meeting  at  Monte- 
rey.— Constitution  of  California  adopted,  and  rejoicings  on  the  occasion. 

The  general  war  continued  for  about  a  year  after  the  reduction 
of  California.  At  last,  in  the  month  of  February,  1848,  an  ar- 
mistice was  entered  into  between  the  hostile  parties,  which  en- 
dured till  a  formal  treaty  of  peace  was  concluded.  This  was  rati- 
fied by  the  Senate  of  the  United  States  in  March,  and  by  the 
Mexican  Congress  in  May  following  of  the  year  just  named.  By 
this  treaty  a  considerable  territory  was  ceded  by  Mexico.  The 
boundary  line  between  it  and  the  United  States  was  declared  to 
be  the  Rio  Grande,  up  mid-channel  of  which  it  ran  till  about  the 
thirty-second  parallel ;  from  whence,  turning  westward,  along  the 
southern  limit  of  New  Mexico  till  it  cut  the  Gila,  down  the  mid- 
dle of  which  river  it  proceeded  till  its  junction  with  the  Rio  Colo- 
rado ;  from  whence  it  ran  westward  till  it  reached  the  Pacific,  at  a 
point  about  one  league  south  of  San  Diego,  nearly  on  latitude 
thirty-two  and  a  half.  Thus  Texas,  to  its  full  extent,  New  Mex- 
ico and  Upper  California  were  altogether  contained  within  the 
boundary  line  on  the  American  side.  The  free  navigation  of  the 
Rio  Colorado,  from  the  mouth  of  the  Gila  to  the  Gidf  of  Califor- 
nia, as  well  as  of  the  gulf  itself,  were  likewise  secured  to  the  Uni- 
ted States.  To  compensate,  in  some  measure,  for  the  cession  of 
such  a  vast  territoiy,  the  American  Government  agreed  to  pay  to 
Mexico  the  sum  of  $15,000,000  ;  and,  moreover,  took  upon  itself 
all  liability  for  the  damages  due  by  Mexico  to  American  subjects, 


RAPID  INCREASE  OF  POPULATION. 


129 


which,  as  before  stated,  was  one  of  the  original  causes  of  the  war. 
Each  nation  was  to  defray  its  own  expenses  in  conducting  hostil- 
ities. There  were  several  minor  stipulations  in  the  treaty ;  but 
with  these  we  have  nothing  here  to  do.  It  is  sufficient  merely  to 
say,  that  California  was  now,  wholly  and  legally,  a  portion  of  the 
American  Union  ;  and  her  people  of  Spanish  or  of  other  origin, 
were  henceforward  American  citizens. 

Meanwhile  the  country  was  ruled,  provisionally,  by  successive 
American  governors,  until  a  constitution  could  be  granted  by 
Congress,  when  it  would  be  formally  assumed  as  a  Territory  of  the 
Union.  Events,  however,  were  about  to  happen  which  superse- 
ded the  necessity  of  such  a  constitution,  and  hastened  the  devel- 
opment of  California  into  a  State,  without  passing  through  the 
intermediate  stage  of  a  territory.  Like  the  Minerva  on  its  public 
seal,  it  started  into  life  a  full  grown  being,  ripe  in  all  its  faculties 
and  powers,  and  at  once  fitted  to  contend  with  whoever  and  what- 
ever should  oppose  its  wonderful  progress.  This  was  owing  to 
the  discovery  of  gold  in  the  country  and  consequent  rush  of  immi- 
gration thither,  with  all  its  attendant  effects. 

But  before  this  discovery  took  place,  a  vast  immigration 
from  all  sides  had  begun  to  flow  towards  California.  The  pre- 
vious advantages  which  the  country  had  offered  to  the  intending 
immigrant,  were  on  a  sudden  immensely  increased  by  the  cir- 
cumstance of  its  being  now  a  portion  of  the  American  Union. 
Accordingly,  large  bodies  of  people  were  beginning  to  flock  to 
the  land  ;  and  agriculture,  trade  and  commerce  were  greatly 
benefited  by  the  accession  of  such  numbers  of  active,  intelligent 
and  industrious  settlers.  In  1845,  it  was  estimated  that  the 
white  population  had  increased  to  about  8,000  ;  while  the  do- 
mesticated Indians,  who  but  a  dozen  years  before  had  numbered 
nearly  30,000,  now  scarcely  amounted  to  one-third  of  that 
number.  As  for  the  wild  or  "gentile"  Indians,  it  was  impossi- 
ble to  form  any  reasonable  conjecture  as  to  their  numbers.  Thev 
were,  however,  generally  supposed,  by  different  parties,  to  num- 
ber from  one  to  three  hundred  thousand.  As  they  inhabited 
districts  hitherto  scarcely  visited  by  the  white  man,  their  pres- 
ence and  numbers  were  considered  as  of  no  account  in  the  pro- 
gress of  the  country.  The  years  1846  and  1847  brought  a  very 
9 


130 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


large  accession  to  the  white  population.  Colonel  Stevenson's 
regiment  of  New  York  volunteers  alone  gave  a  body  of  a  thou- 
sand hardy  settlers,  as  nearly  the  whole  number,  officers  as  well 
as  men,  remained  in  the  country  upon  being  disbanded,  which 
indeed  had  been  anticipated.  But  beside  these,  great  numbers 
of  Americans  had  journeyed  from  the  Atlantic  States  across  the 
Rocky  and  Snowy  Mountains,  and  settled  in  California.  Nume- 
rous companies  of  Mormons  likewise  either  came  direct  from  the 
Eastern  States,  or  from  their  settlements  beside  the  Great  Salt 
Lake.  A  portion  of  these  had  formed  the  noted  "  Mormon  Battal- 
ion "  of  the  war.  At  the  same  time,  far  more  than  the  usual 
proportion  of  stragglers,  runaway  seamen,  and  adventurers  from 
all  nations  continued  to  pour  into  the  country,  so  soon  as  the 
war  and  its  first  results  were  known.  At  the  close  of  hostilities, 
it  was  estimated  that  the  white  population,  of  all  nations,  num- 
bered between  12,000  and  15,000,  which  was  not  merely  annually 
but  daily  increasing.  Such  was  the  beneficent  influence  and 
magic  power  of  the  American  flag  !  People  knew  that  they 
were  safe  under  its  folds,  and  free  to  run  the  race  of  a  prosperous 
career. 

But  immeasurably  exceeding  all  other  causes  in  raising  the 
swelling  tide  of  immigration  was  the  discovery  of  gold.  This 
happened  at  Coloma,  a  valley  and  town  situated  between  fifty 
and  sixty  miles  east  of  Sacramento  City,  in  the  month  of  Janu- 
ary, 1848  ;  curiously  enough,  just  when  the  land  was  ceasing  to 
be  Mexican.  Many  strange  and  improbable  stories  have  been 
told  as  to  the  alleged  earliest  discoveries  ;  but  we  believe  that 
the  only  reliable  account  is  that  given  by  Captain  Sutter,  upon 
whose  ground  the  precious  metal  was  first  found,  and  which  we 
shall  therefore  adopt,  without  noticing  the  various  fabulous  state- 
ments alluded  to. 

It  appears  that  Captain  Sutter,  during  the  winter  of  1847-48, 
was  erecting  a  saw-mill  for  producing  lumber,  on  the  south  fork 
of  the  American  River,  a  feeder  of  the  Sacramento.  Mr.  James 
W.  Marshall  contracted  with  Sutter  for  the  building  of  this  mill; 
and,  in  the  course  of  his  operations,  had  occasion  to  admit  the 
river  water  into  the  tail-race,  for  the  purpose  of  widening  and 
deepening  it  by  the  strength  of  the  current.    In  doing  this,  a 


DISCOVERY  OF  GOLD. 


131 


considerable  quantity  of  mud,  sand  and  gravel  was  carried  along 
with  the  stream,  and  deposited  in  a  heap  at  the  foot  of  the  tail- 
race.  Marshall,  when  one  day  examining  the  state  of  his  works, 
noticed  a  few  glittering  particles  lying  near  the  edge  of  the  heap. 
His  curiosity  being  aroused,  he  gathered  some  of  the  sparkling 
objects  ;  and  at  once  became  satisfied  of  their  nature  and  the 


Suiter's  Mill. 


value  of  his  discovery.  All  trembling  with  excitement,  he  hur- 
ried to  his  employer,  and  told  his  story.  Captain  Sutter  at  first 
thought  it  was  a  fiction,  and  the  teller  only  a  mad  fooL  Indeed, 
he  confesses,  that  he  kept  a  sharp  eye  upon  his  loaded  rifle,  when 
he,  whom  he  was  tempted  to  consider  a  maniac,  was  eagerly  dis- 
closing the  miraculous  tale.  However,  his  doubts  were  all  at 
once  dispelled  when  Marshall  tossed  on  the  table  before  him  an 
ounce  or  so  of  the  shining  dust.  The  two  agreed  to  keep  the 
matter  secret,  and  quietly  share  the  golden  harvest  between  them. 
But,  as  they  afterwards  searched  more  narrowly  together,  and 


132 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


gloated  upon  the  rich  deposits,  their  eager  gestures  and  looks, 
and  muttered,  broken  words,  happened  to  be  closely  watched  by 
a  Mormon  laborer  employed  about  the  neighborhood.  He  followed 
their  movements,  and  speedily  became  as  wise  as  themselves. 
As  secrecy  was  of  little  importance  to  him,  he  forthwith  divulged 
the  extraordinary  intelligence,  and  in  confirmation  of  the  story, 
exhibited  some  scales  of  gold  which  he  had  himself  gathered. 
Immediately,  every  body  in  the  neighborhood  left  his  regular 
employment,  and  began  to  search  for  the  precious  metal.  A 
large  body  of  Mormon  immigrants  about  this  time  was  approach- 
ing California  by  the  south  pass  of  the  Rocky  Mountains  ;  and, 
on  hearing  news  of  the  discovery,  hastened  at  once  to  the  spot. 
Rumors  of  these  circumstances  speedily  flew  across  the  length 
and  breadth  of  the  land,  variously  modified  by  the  warmth  or 
coolness  of  fancy  of  the  successive  narrators,  but  all  agreeing  in 
this,  that  gold  was  to  be  had  in  large  quantities,  for  the  mere 
trouble  of  picking  it  up,  at  Sutter's  Mill,  on  the  south  fork  of  the 
Bio  de  los  Americanos.  To  that  quarter,  then,  all  the  loose 
population  around  instantly  directed  their  steps.  Soon  the  neigh- 
borhood swarmed  with  diggers;  and,  within  a  few  days  after  the 
first  discovery,  upwards  of  twelve  hundred  people  were  busily  at 
work,  with  spades,  shovels,  knives,  sticks,  wooden  bowls,  cradles, 
and  all  manner  of  implements,  many  of  them  of  the  rudest  and 
most  primitive  fashion,  excavating,  riddling  and  washing  earth 
for  the  precious  particles  it  contained.  Over  all  California  the 
excitement  was  prodigious.  Spaniard,  American  and  foreigner 
were  all  alike  affected.  The  husband  left  his  wife ;  the  father, 
his  family  ;  people  tore  themselves  from  the  most  pressing  duties 
at  home ;  men  deserted  their  masters,  and  these  followed  their 
servants — all  hurried  to  Sutter's  Mill.  Some  withstood  the 
temptation  for  a  short  time  ;  but,  very  soon,  nearly  the  whole 
male  population  of  the  country,  unable  to  resist  the  evidence  of 
their  senses  when  specimens  of  the  newly  found  gold  were  exhi- 
bited before  their  dilated  eyes,  became  suddenly  infected  with  the 
maddened  whirl  of  the  "  yellow  fever," — the  auri  sacra  fames, 
and  rushed  off  at  a  tangent,  helter-skelter,  to  gather  riches,  as 
Aladdin  had  plucked  fruits  of  priceless  value  in  his  fairy  garden, 
in  the  bowels  of  the  earth,  among  the  valleys  of  the  Snowy 


MIXED  CHARACTER  OF  THE  POPULATION. 


133 


Mountains.  Towns  were  dispeopled,  ships  in  harbor  deserted,  all 
kinds  of  business  sent  to  the  dogs  ;  the  whole  settled  parts  of 
the  country  were  suddenly  deprived  of  their  inhabitants,  or  wo- 
men and  children  alone  formed  the  population,  though  even  of 
these  many  flocked  to  the  placers  and  the  diggings,  to  see  and 
be  seen,  to  make  money  somehow,  and  as  surely  to  spend  it. 

Meanwhile,  other  streams  and  other  valleys  were  found  to 
contain  the  auriferous  sands.  Not  only  the  whole  strip  of  coun- 
try west  of  the  Sierra  Nevada,  which  was  drained  by  feeders  of 
the  Sacramento,  but  that  other  strip,  locally  in  connection  with 
the  former,  and  lying  to  the  south,  which  was  watered  by  the 
streams  which  fell  into  the  San  Joaquin,  was  ascertained  also  to 
possess  auriferous  deposits  in  large  quantities.  In  fact  it  was 
believed  that  the  gold  regions  could  not  be  exhausted  of  their 
treasures  during  countless  generations.  There  was  enough, 
therefore,  and  to  spare,  for  all  comers,  though  their  name  should 
be  "legion."  Individuals  were  daily  making  considerable  for- 
tunes, while  all  who  chose  to  work  steadily  at  the  business,  were 
sure  to  earn  much  larger  wages  than  they  could  do  at  any  other 
kind  of  labor  in  the  country. 

All  this  while,  the  few  ships  that  were  enabled  to  get  away 
from  the  coast,  and  travellers  and  expresses  by  land,  were  spread- 
ing the  news  far  and  wide  over  remote  seas  and  through  foreign 
climes.  The  circles  of  excitement  grew  wider  and  wider,  and  scarce- 
ly lost  strength  as  they  spread  farther  distant.  First,  the  Mexi- 
cans from  the  nearest,  and  then  those  from  the  remotest  provinces, 
flocked  to  California.  The  indolent,  yet  adventurous,  half-wild 
population  of  Sonora  poured  in  its  many  thousands  from  the 
south  ;  while  Oregon  from  the  north  sent  its  sturdy  settlers  in 
almost  equal  numbers.  The  Sandwich  Islands  followed,  with 
their  strange  medley  of  white  and  colored  races.  Peru  and 
Chili  then  hurried  an  innumerable  crowd,  as  fast  as  ships  coul.I  be 
obtained  to  carry  them  to  the  fields  of  gold.  Before  long,  China 
sent  forward  her  thousands  of  thrifty  wandering  children,  feeble, 
indeed,  both  in  body  and  mind,  but  persevering,  and  from  their 
union  into  laboring  companies,  capable  of  great  feats.  Australia 
likewise  contributed  her  proportion  of  clever  rascals,  and  per- 
haps as  many  clever  adventurers  who  had  not  been  convicted 


134 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


felons.  The  United  States,  which  at  all  times  contain  a  vast 
roving  and  excitable  population,  next  were  affected  to  their  very 
centres  ;  and  armies — to  use  a  moderate  term,  were  on  a  sudden 
organized  instantly  to  proceed  to  California  and  share  in  the 
golden  spoil.  The  year  1848  was  lost  for  the  land  passage  ;  but 
by  the  early  summer  of  1849,  great  and  numerous  caravans  were 
in  full  march,  by  various  routes,  across  the  Rocky  Mountains. 
Many  hardships  were  endured  by  these  immigrants,  and  numbers 
died  on  the  road.  But  their  untamed  bodies  and  bleaching 
skeletons  were  unheeded  by  the  succeeding  throng,  or  only  pointed 
out  to  the  weary  yet  restless  travellers  the  paths  where  others 
had  gone  before,  and  which  perhaps  the  new-comers  should  only 
avoid.  On — on  !  to  the  land  of  gold  !  There,  fortune  smiled  on 
all,  while  her  worshippers  revelled  among  riches.  On — on  ! 
Round  Cape  Horn  fleets  were  bearing  additional  thousands  ; 
while  through  Mexico  to  all  her  eastern  ports,  and  especially 
across  the  Isthmus  of  Panama,  still  other  thousands  were  hurry- 
ing, by  new  ships  on  the  Pacific,  to  the  "  Golden  Gate."  Later 
in  the  year,  and  somewhat  diminished  in  intensity,  the  excite- 
ment produced  in  Europe  similar  results.  Many  of  the  young, 
strong  and  adventurous,  the  idle,  dissipated,  reckless,  sanguine 
youths  of  Great  Britain,  France  and  Germany,  broke  through 
the  ties  of  home,  friends  and  country,  and  perhaps  of  civilization 
itself,  and  embarked  tor  California,  to  seize  fortune  in  a  bound, 
and  with  one  eager  clutch,  or  to  perish  in  the  attempt. 

These  astonishing  circumstances  soon  gathered  into  California 
a  mixed  population  of  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  million  of  the  wildest, 
bravest,  most  intelligent,  yet  most  reckless  and  perhaps  dangerous 
beings  ever  before  collected  into  one  small  district  of  country. 
Gold,  and  the  pleasures  that  gold  could  buy,  had  allured  them 
to  the  scene.  They  were  flushed  with  hope  and  excitement. 
Giiefly  young  men,  they  were  naturally  boisterous  and  riotous. 
When  their  "  blood  was  up  "  they  would  dare  all  things,  heedless 
of  consequences.  Rich  or  poor — fortunate,  or  the  reverse  in  their 
search  for  gold,  they  were  almost  equally  dangerous  members  of 
the  community.  If  unsuccessful,  they  were  moody  and  discon- 
tented, fit  and  ready  for  any  new  and  desperate  enterprise  :  if 
fortunate,  the  excesses  of  warm  youthful  constitutions,  the 


PROPER  FORM  OF  GOVERNMENT  NEEDED. 


135 


gaming  table,  women  and  drink,  were  certain  to  produce  a  pro- 
lific crop  of  vice,  crime  and  all  social  disorders.  Without  family 
ties,  without  the  restraining  and  softening  charms  of  home  and 
modest  female  society,  the  strange  mixed  population  of  California 
at  this  time  was  like  the  dormant  volcano,  which  at  some  unex- 
pected moment  may  break  forth  and  devastate  all  within  its  in- 
fluence. Or  it  may  be  compared  to  the  swelling  flood  of  a  mighty 
river  which  threatens  every  instant  to  overleap  or  burst  its  banks, 
and  overwhelm  the  great  country  through  which  it  rolls,  and 
which,  when  the  stream  is  confined  within  proper  limits,  it  only 
fertilizes  and  enriches.  The  good  sense  of  the  community,  and 
the  speedy  establishment  of  a  legal  constitution  could  alone  save 
California  from  the  threatened  manifold  evils  of  its  heterogeneous 
population,  and  direct  its  immense  and  wavering  energies  into 
the  best  and  most  profitable  channels  for  their  reception. 

The  cooler  and  more  intelligent  settlers  in  California  early 
foresaw  the  urgent  necessity  of  a  regular  constitution  being  adopt- 
ed. The  provisional  government  subsisting  since  the  conquest  of 
1847  was  but  a  make-shift  at  the  best ;  fit  perhaps  to  regulate 
the  concerns  of  such  a  limited  community  as  then  inhabited 
California,  but  by  no  means  able  to  satisfy  the  wants  of  the  great, 
growing  and  dangerous  population  which  now  so  strangely  and 
suddenly  had  arisen.  Probably,  Congress,  at  a  distance,  was  not 
sufficiently  alive  to  the  pressing  need  of  adequate  measures  being 
instantly  taken  to  remedy  the  alarming  state  of  things  described, 
by  means  of  a  formal  territorial  government.  At  any  rate,  the 
most  honest,  intelligent  and  influential  inhabitants  of  California 
believed  that  they  could  wait  no  longer  the  slow  movements  of 
Congress,  and  conceived  that  their  own  social  safety  would  be 
best  consulted  by  at  once  improvising  governments  of  their  own. 
Accordingly,  attempts  were  soon  severally  made,  by  the  people  of 
San  Francisco,  Sonoma  and  Sacramento,  to  form  legislatures  for 
themselves,  which  they  invested  with  supreme  authority.  Other 
portions  of  the  country  prepared  to  follow  the  example  of  the 
places  named.  It  was  quickly  found,  however,  that  these  indepen- 
dent legislatures  threatened  occasionally  to  come  into  collision 
with  each  other,  while  the  existence  in  a  limited  country  of  so 
many  different  supreme  courts,  each  governed  by  its  own  maxims 


136 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


and  principles  of  procedure,  betrayed  an  anomalous  state  of  things 
too  uncertain  and  unsatisfactory  to  be  longer  patiently  borne.  A 
general  feeling  therefore  became  evident  that  the  sooner  such  partial 
legislation  was  put  a  stop  to  the  better  for  the  country  ;  and  that 
nothing  less  than  a  general  constitution  and  complete  civil  gov- 
ernment would  be  held  satisfactory  by  the  people. 

Great  meetings  for  these  purposes  were  held  at  San  Jose,  San 
Francisco,  Monterey,  Sonoma,  and  other  places,  in  the  months  of 
December  and  January,  1848-49.  It  was  there  resolved  that  such 
a  civil  organization  was  expedient,  and  that  delegates  should  be 
chosen  by  popular  election,  from  each  district  of  the  country,  who 
should  afterwards  assemble  at  San  Jose",  though  the  place  of 
meeting  was  subsequently  changed  to  Monterey.  The  period  of 
meeting  was  first  fixed  for  the  8th  of  January,  then  extended  to 
the  5th  of  March,  next  to  the  1st  of  May,  and  finally,  in  order 
to  give  ample  time  to  every  district  to  make  the  necessary  arrange- 
ments, to  the  first  Monday  in  August.  The  delegates  to  meet  at 
this  convention  were  to  frame  the  constitution  desired.  The 
resolutions  adopted  at  these  primary  meetings  were  forwarded 
to  and  exchanged  between  the  principal  districts  and  towns  of 
the  country  for  their  consideration  and  approval  ;  by  which  places 
they  were  unanimously  approved  of.  These  initiatory  movements 
were  not  dictated  by  political  faction  ;  but  were  the  true  and 
honest  result  of  popular  feeling  on  the  subject.  There  were  no 
partisans  in  the  matter,  where  there  was  only  one  great  party,  and 
that  included  the  whole  thinking  population. 

While  the  people  of  California  were  thus  working  out  for  them- 
selves the  great  problem  of  a  State  constitution,  the  military 
governor,  General  Riley,  thought  fit  to  interfere.  On  the  3d  of 
June,  1849,  he  issued  a  proclamation,  in  which  was  fairly  enough 
stated  the  anomalous  and  unsatisfactory  position  of  the  country, 
both  in  its  local  and  general  governments  ;  and  he  thereupon 
ordained  the  inhabitants  in  certain  specified  districts  to  return 
delegates  to  a  convention,  which  would  meet  at  Monterey  on  the 
1st  of  September,  to  frame  a  State  Constitution,  and  which 
should  afterwards  be  submitted  to  the  people  for  their  approval. 
In  the  same  proclamation  he  likewise  made  provision  for  the 
election  of  certain  district  officials  to  complete  the  temporary 


DELEGATES  TO  ADOPT  A  CONSTITUTION. 


137 


local  organization.  The  people  in  many  parts  of  the  country  con- 
sidered the  interference  of  the  military  authority  to  be  unnecessary 
as  it  was  uncalled  for.  As,  however,  matters  could  not  be  im- 
proved, the  different  districts  were  content  to  adopt  the  provisions 
of  General  Riley's  proclamation^  and  chose  their  delegates  accord- 
ingly. 

These  delegates  were  forty-eight  in  number,  and  while  they 
nominally  represented  only  different  parts  of  California,  they 
might  have  been  taken  as  a  fair  representation  of  every  State  in 
the  Union.  They  likewise  included  natives  of  various  European 
countries.  They  were  chiefly  men  of  comparatively  youthful  years, 
many  of  them  not  much  accustomed,  at  least  of  late,  to  the  study 
of  those  abstract  questions  which  might  have  been  anticipated 
in  devising  the  constitution  of  a  State.  But  they  were  all  fully 
impressed  with  the  importance  of  their  trust,  and  determined  to 
do  their  duty  in  the  best  manner  possible.  Among  the  number 
were  individuals  of  high  talents,  whose  wisdom,  despatch  and 
aptitude  for  legislation  were  eminently  displayed.  As  these  del- 
egates cannot  be  too  well  known,  we  give  the  following  list  of 
their  names,  and  the  districts  they  represented  : — 


San  Diego. 

Miguel  de  Pedrorena, 
Henry  Hill. 

Los  Angeles. 

Stephen  C.  Foster, 
Jose  Antonio  Carillo, 
Hugo  Reid, 
Manuel  Dominguez, 
Abel  Stearns. 

Santa  Barbara. 

Pablo  de  la  Guerra, 
Jacinto  Rodriguez. 

San  Luis  Obispo. 

Henry  A  Tefft, 
Jose  M.  Covarrubias. 

Monterey. 

Henry  W.  Halleek, 
Thomas  O.  Larkin, 


Charles  T.  Botts, 
Pacificus  Ord, 
Lewis  T.  Dent. 

San  Jose. 

Joseph  Aram, 
Kimball  II.  Dimmiek, 
J.  D.  Hoppe, 
Antonio  M.  Pico, 
Elam  Brown, 
Julian  Hanks, 
Pedro  Sausevani. 

Sonoma. 

Joel  P.  Walker, 
Robert  Semple, 
Mariano  G.  Vallejo. 

San  Francisco. 

Edward  Gilbert, 
Myron  Norton, 
William  M.  Gwin, 
Joseph  Hobson, 


William  M.  Stewart, 
Francis  J.  Lippitt, 
A.  J.  Ellis, 
Rodman  M.  Price. 


San  Joaquin. 

Thomas  Lloyd  Vermeule, 

O.  M.  Wozencroft, 

B.  F.  Moore, 

J.  M.  EL  Hollingsworth, 

J.  M.  Jones, 

Benjamin  S.  Lippincott. 


Sacramento. 

Jacob  R.  Snyder, 
Winfield  S.  Sherwood, 
L.  W.  Hastings, 
John  McDougal, 
William  E.  Shannon, 
John  A.  Sutter, 
ElUha  O.  Crosby, 
M.  M.  McCarver. 


138  ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


Monterey. 


The  delegates,  at  their  first  regular  meeting  on  the  4th  of 
September,  chose,  by  a  large  majority  of  votes,  Dr.  Robert  Semple 
as  president  of  the  convention  ;  Captain  William  G.  Marcy  was 
then  appointed  secretary,  and  the  other  necessary  offices  were 
properly  filled  up.  The  house  iu  which  the  delegates  met  was  a 
large  handsome  two-story  stone  erection,  called  "  Colton  Hall," 
and  was  perhaps  the  best  fitted  for  their  purposes  of  any  building 
in  the  country. 

Without  narrating  the  particular  incidents  and  debates  that 
occurred  among  the  delegates,  it  may  be  sufficient  to  say,  that, 
after  rather  more  than  a  month's  constant  labor  and  discussion, 
the  existing  constitution  of  California  was  drafted  and  finally 
adopted  by  the  convention.  This  noble  document  was  formed 
after  the  model  of  the  most  approved  State  constitutions  of  the 
Union,  and  was  framed  in  strict  accordance  with  the  most  liberal 
and  independent  opinions  of  the  age.  Some  indeed  of  its  pro- 
visions may  be  open  to  cavil,  as  for  instance,  whether  the  judges 
— supreme  ones  particularly — should  be  chosen  by  direct  election 
of  the  people,  and  for  only  a  limited  period,  and  whether  the 
free  descendants  of  the  black  and  red  races  should  be  excluded 
from  the  rights  of  suffrage  and  election.  But,  taking  it  as  a 
whole,  the  constitution,  which  is  essentially  democratic  in  its 


STATE  CONSTITUTION  ADOPTED. 


139 


nature,  must  certainly  be  pronounced,  in  its  declaration  of  rights 
and  the  various  divisions  regulating  the  election,  powers  and 
duties  of  the  legislative,  executive  and  judicial  departments,  as  well 
as  the  portion  respecting  education,  a  wonderful  advance  .and  im- 
provement in  the  modern  art  of  government.  Among  other  things, 
it  expressly  rejected  slavery  and  "involuntary  servitude,"  and 
declared  the  right  of  women  to  hold  as  their  own  separate  pro- 
perty after  marriage,  the  estates,  both  real  and  personal,  which 
they  possessed  before  it,  or  which  they  might  afterwards  acquire 
by  gift,  devise  or  descent.  But  it  is  unnecessary  in  our  narrow 
limits  to  dwell  on  the  peculiar  features  of  this  celebrated  consti- 
tution. We  refer  our  readers  to  the  document  itself,  which  should 
be  in  the  hands  of  every  Californian.  It  will  bear  keen  criticism, 
and  merits  the  close  study  of  statesmen  of  every  country. 

On  the  13th  of  October,  the  delegates  signed  the  precious 
instrument  ;  and  so  finished  the  labors  they  were  appointed  to 
perform.  While  the  signatures  were  being  affixed,  shot  after  shot 
slowly  boomed  from  the  guns  of  the  fort  in  honor  of  the  Union, 
and  as  the  thirty-first  and  last  was  heard,  which  was  a  little  louder, 
the  listeners  thought,  than  those  that  had  gone  before,  the  sup- 
pressed feelings  of  the  people  broke  forth,  and  all  joyously  ex- 
claimed— "  That's  for  California  I  " — and  so  it  was. 

Thus  was  completed  the  great  duty  of  1849.  From  this 
time  forward,  the  history  of  the  State  demands  a  separate  volume. 
In  this,  we  have  only  aimed  at  giving  a  mere  sketch  of  its  previ- 
ous history,  as  a  proper  introduction  to  the  "  Annals  of  San 
Francisco."  Our  next  chapter  will  contain  a  short  account  of 
the  physical  geography,  and  of  the  commercial,  agricultural,  pas- 
toral and  mineral  capabilities  of  the  country,  which  will  conclude 
Part  First  of  the  present  work. 


CHAPTER  XII. 


Geographical  limits  of  Upper  California. — General  description  of  tlio  country. — Two  great  divisions 
of  the  northern  part  of  the  State. — Fertility  of  the  soil. — Peculiarities  of  the  climate.— Two 
seasons:  wet  and  dry. — Products  of  the  country.— Fogs  and  winds  on  the  coast. — The  harbors. 
— Country  west  of  the  Sierra  Nevada. — The  Sacramento  and  San  Joaquin  rivers,  and  their  val- 
leys.— This  region  of  country  abounds  in  timber. — Excessive  heat  in  the  dry  season. — Localities 
of  the  chief  gold  placers.— Immense  size  of  trees. — Silver,  lead,  copper  and  coal  mines. — Advan- 
tages to  the  immigrant 

In  the  "  Constitution,"  the  boundary  of  the  State  of  California 
is  declared  to  be  as  follows  : — 

"  Commencing  at  the  point  of  intersection  of  the  42d  degree 
of  north  latitude  with  the  120th  degree  of  longitude  west  from 
Greenwich,  and  running  south  on  the  line  of  said  120th  degree 
of  west  longitude,  until  it  intersects  the  39th  degree  of  north 
latitude  ;  thence  running  in  a  straight  line  in  a  south-easterly 
direction  to  the  RiverColorado,  at  a  point  where  it  intersects  the 
35th  degree  of  north  latitude  ;  thence  down  the  middle  of  the 
channel  of  said  river,  to  the  boundary  line  between  the  United 
States  and  Mexico,  as  established  by  the  treaty  of  May  30th, 
1848  ;  thence  running  west,  and  along  said  boundary  line  to  the 
Pacific  Ocean,  and  extending  thereon  three  English  miles ; 
thence  running  in  a  north-westerly  direction,  and  following  the 
direction  of  the  Pacific  coast  to  the  42d  degree  of  north  lati- 
tude ;  thence  on  the  line  of  said  42d  degree  of  north  latitude 
to  the  place  of  beginning.  Also,  all  the  islands,  harbors  and 
bays,  along  and  adjacent  to  the  Pacific  coast." 

Within  the  above  limits,  California  extends,  from  south-east 
to  north-west,  nearly  seven  hundred  and  fifty  English  miles  in 
length,  and,  in  average  breadth,  from  east  to  west,  about  two 
hundred  and  fifty.  Its  superficies,  therefore,  may  be  estimated 
at  about  187,500  square  miles,  or  nearly  twice  the  size  of  Great 
Britain.    The  south-eastern  part  of  the  country,  excepting  a 


GENERAL  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  COUNTRY.  141 

narrow  belt  along  the  coast,  has  not  yet  been  explored,  and  little 
is  known  of  its  character.  A  great  chain  of  mountains,  called 
by  the  Spaniards  the  Sierra  Nevada,  or  Snowy  Range,  runs 
nearly  through  the  centre  of  the  southern  district.  Farther 
north,  this  mountain  range,  which  has  a  probable  average  height 
of  from  eight  to  ten  thousand  feet  above  the  sea  level,  though 
many  of  its  parts  rise  much  higher,  and  are  covered  with  perpe- 
tual snow,  becomes  the  eastern  boundary  of  the  State,  and  at 
the  extreme  northern  limit,  by  various  cross  ranges,  separates  it 
from  the  territory  of  Oregon.  Eastward  of  the  Sierra  Nevada, 
and  between  it  and  the  territory  of  Utah,  lies  the  curious  and 
extensive  district  called  the  Great  Basin,  which  has  no  outlet  to 
the  ocean  for  its  waters.  This  is  a  wild  country  that  has  been 
hitherto  traversed  only  in  one  or  two  great  lines,  but  never 
thoroughly  explored,  and  which  does  not  seem  to  have  been 
intended  by  nature  for  the  abode  of  any  large  human  population. 
To  the  south  of  the  boundary  line  is  situated  the  Mexican 
province  of  Old  or  Lower  California.  The  Pacific  Ocean  forms 
the  western  limit  of  the  State. 

The  northern  portion  of  California,  to  the  extent  of  three 
fourths  of  the  whole  country,  naturally  falls  into  two  great  divi- 
sions. One  lies  on  the  east,  and  stretches  over  the  whole  of  the 
space  mentioned  from  south  to  north,  comprehending  the  valleys 
of  the  San  Joaquin  in  the  south  and  the  Sacramento  in  the  north, 
together  with  all  the  lateral  valleys  and  foothills  from  the  sum- 
mit elevation  of  the  Sierra  Nevada,  and  extending  westward  to 
the  watershed  that  separates  the  streams  which  flow  into  the 
San  Joaquin  and  Sacramento  from  those  which  either  flow  di- 
rectly into  the  Pacific,  or  into  the  Bay  of  San  Francisco.  The 
other  great  division  includes  the  whole  country  drained  by  the 
last  named  streams ;  and  may  also  be  allowed  to  embrace  the 
country  farther  to  the  south,  likewise  drained  by  streams  which 
disembogue  directly  into  the  Pacific.  As  already  stated,  the 
extreme  south-eastern  part  of  the  country  supposed  to  be  watered 
by  streams  which  empty  themselves  into  the  Rio  Colorado,  has 
not  been  fully  explored,  and  no  proper  description  can  therefore 
be  given  of  it. 

The  missions,  of  which  a  particular  account  has  been  given  in 


142 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


preceding  chapters,  were  located  in  the  second  mentioned  division 
of  country,  and  excepting  only  two  lying  on  the  northern  side 
of  the  Bay  of  San  Francisco,  were  all  situated  to  the  south  of 
the  entrance  to  that  inlet.  A  multitude  of  pleasant,  fertile 
valleys  extend  from  the  coast  inland  a  length  of  from  twenty  to 
forty  miles  ;  and  every  main  valley,  of  any  extent,  had  its  mis- 
sion. The  hills  in  this  division  seldom  exceed  two  thousand  feet 
in  height.  The  whole  country  is  exceedingly  diversified  and 
beautiful,  and  has  hitherto  been  almost  wholly  devoted  to  the 
grazing  of  innumerable  herds  of  cattle  and  horses,  and  also  of 
large  flocks  of  sheep.  The  tables  and  statements  already  given 
of  the  possessions  of  the  Fathers  in  domestic  cattle  and  farm 
produce,  may  serve  in  some  measure  to  show  the  astonishing  fer- 
tility of  the  soil,  and  its  capabilities  to  support  a  large  popula- 
tion, as  well  as  the  comparative  value  of  different  districts. 
These  tables  and  statements,  however,  by  no  means  exhibit  the 
extent  of  cultivated  land.  Very  far  from  that.  Much  of  the 
mission  property  was  neglected,  and  most  of  it  never  turned  to 
the  best  use  of  which  it  was  capable.  The  fertility  of  the  soil 
indeed  is  so  great,  and  the  genial  warmth  and  general  climate  so 
propitious  to  agriculture,  that  corn  crops  and  all  kinds  of  grasses, 
fruits  and  vegetables  show  such  an  increase  as  if  they  had  been 
planted  in  a  hot-bed,  and  manured  and  watered  by  rule  to  the 
best  advantage. 

The  climate  of  this  division  of  the  country  varies  consider- 
ably, as  it  might  be  expected  to  do  when  it  is  considered  that  the 
land  extends  over  nearly  ten  degrees  of  latitude  ;  but  still  more 
it  varies  from  the  circumstance  of  the  various  districts  being  more 
or  less  subject  to  particular  fogs  and  winds  which  prevail  along 
the  coast.  Towards  the  extreme  south,  the  fogs  and  winds  al- 
luded to  are  not  felt  ;  but  north  of  Point  Conception,  about 
latitude  34°  30',  all  the  coast,  extending  from  half  a  dozen  to  a 
dozen  miles  inland,  is  peculiarly  exposed  to  cold,  penetrating 
winds,  blowing  from  the  north,  north-west  and  west,  and  thick 
wet  fogs,  which,  especially  in  the  summer  season,  are  remarkably 
disagreeable.  These  fogs,  however,  serve  one  good  purpose,  as 
they  supply  abundant  moisture  to  the  crops  and  herbage,  which 
might  otherwise  fail  for  the  want  of  occasional  rains  in  the  sum- 


PRODUCTS  OF  THE  COUNTRY. 


143 


mer.  Properly  speaking,  there  is  neither  winter  nor  summer ; 
but  the  months  comprehended  under  these  terms  are  here  called 
the  rainy  and  the  dry  seasons.  This  is  the  case  over  the  whole 
country.  The  rains  usually  begin  about  the  middle  of  Novem- 
ber, and  continue  with  short  occasional  dry  intervals,  (the  most 
charming  periods  indeed  of  the  year,  when  the  air  is  balmy,  the 
surface  of  the  earth  green  and  fresh,  and  all  nature,  animate  and 
inanimate,  rejoices  in  a  holiday,)  till  the  month  of  May.  During 
the  remainder  of  the  year,  commonly  no  rain  falls  ;  but  its  place 
is  supplied  along  the  coast  by  copious  dews  and  the  wet  fogs  we 
have  alluded  to. 

The  heat  in  the  division  of  country  now  before  us  is  never 
excessive.  Below  Point  Conception,  it  may  be  said  that  eternal 
summer  reigns ;  and  the  same  high  character  may  be  given  to 
all  north  of  that  point,  which  is  situated  a  few  miles  inland,  and 
not  immediately  exposed  to  the  piercing  winds  and  logs  of  the 
coast.  The  atmosphere  in  these  regions  is  ever  mild  and  agree- 
able. The  temperature  is  never  too  high  to  prevent  active  exerc  ise 
out  of  doors,  nor  too  low  to  need  fires  in  the  houses.  There  is 
not  much  great  timber,  nor  indeed  wood  of  any  kind,  but  the 
undulating  fields  teem  with  rich  natural  grasses  and  an  exube- 
rance of  wild  flowers  and  flowering  shrubs.  Whole  districts  are 
covered  with  natural  oats,  which  supply  provender  to  innumer- 
able tame  and  wild  creatures,  when  the  herbage  is  dry,  or  has 
partially  disappeared  in  the  heat  of  summer.  The  climate  is 
also  remarkably  salubrious  ;  while  as  if  to  heap  upon  this  happy 
land  all  natural  blessings,  the  fecundity  of  its  living  creatures: — 
human,  beings  as  well  as  the  lower  animals, — far  exceeds  what 
generally  occurs  elsewhere.  The  grape,  the  fig,  the  orange  and 
the  olive  grow  luxuriantly  in  these  regions,  and  so  too  do  all 
other  sorts  of  semi-tropical  produce.  All  varieties  of  European 
fruits  thrive  in  great  plenty  :  plums,  cherries,  peaches,  apricots, 
melons,  pomegranates,  pears,  apples,  &c.  In  the  more  southern 
parts,  the  plantain  and  banana  likewise  ripen.  Wheat,  barley 
and  maize,  potatoes,  cabbages,  turnips  and  every  other  kind  of 
vegetable  for  the  table,  grow  to  the  utmost  perfection,  and  yield 
a  return  the  like  of  which  can  scarcely  be  paralleled  in  any  other 
country.    It  is  believed  also  that  the  climate,  in  particular  dis- 


144 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


txicts,  is  admirably  adapted  for  the  profitable  culture  of  tobacco, 
cotton  and  sugar.  In  short,  there  is  no  vegetable  production  of 
any  value  raised  in  the  temperate  zone,  and  very  few  peculiar  to 
the  torrid,  which  may  not  be  cultivated  to  perfection  in  these 
finer  parts  of  California. 

We  have  alluded  to  the  prevailing  winds  and  fogs  of  the 
coast.  These  render  navigation  near  the  shore  dangerous  at 
times,  and  are  themselves  very  unpleasant  to  the  new  comer.  It 
must  be  admitted  that  they  are  some  drawback  to  the  otherwise 
unmingled  beauty  and  agreeableness  of  the  climate.  However, 
in  the  summer  season,  when  these  fogs  generally  prevail,  they 
usually  clear  off  by  noon,  leaving  the  rest  of  the  day  with  a 
bright  and  warm  sky.  The  settler  soon  gets  used  to  them  ; 
while,  knowing  the  important  part  which  the  fogs  play  in  drop- 
ping fatness  on  the  dry  earth,  he  readily  learns  even  to  welcome 
their  presence. 

There  are  several  excellent  harbors  along  the  coast,  the  chief 
of  which  is,  of  course,  the  incomparable  Bay  of  San  Francisco. 
San  Diego,  however,  at  the  extreme  south,  has  likewise  an  ad- 
mirable port ;  while  the  havens,  or  roadsteads  of  Monterey  and 
Santa  Barbara,  sheltered  from  all  but  certain  unusual  winds,  are 
by  no  means  despicable,  but  may  match  with  good  reputed  har- 
bors of  many  another  country.  Besides  these,  there  are  several 
other  fair  anchorage  grounds  and  partially  sheltered  roadsteads 
along  the  coast,  of  less  note  ;  while  north  of  the  Bay  of  San 
Francisco  there  are  some  bays  which  form  excellent  occasional 
harbors  of  refuge,  if  not  first-rate  ports.  The  Bay  of  San  Fran- 
cisco itself  is  so  extensive,  while  the  country  surrounding  it  is  so 
fertile,  and  will  one  day  become  so  populous,  that  many  more 
harbors  than  the  one  at  the  city  of  that  name,  will  hereafter  be 
formed  in  this  moderate  sized  inland  sea.  There  is  ample  depth 
of  water  around  its  shores,  and  sheltered  coves  enough  for  the 
formation  of  several  other  harbors,  which  may  almost  rival  that 
of  the  City  of  San  Francisco  itself. 

The  other  great  division  of  the  country,  that  lying  east  of 
the  one  just  dwelt  upon,  and  west  of  the  Sierra  Nevada,  has 
been  less  thoroughly  examined  than  the  coast  district,  and  not 
so  often  described  ;  yet  enough  of  it  is  known  to  show  that  it  is 


SAN  JOAQUIN  AND  SACRAMENTO  VALLEYS.  145 

capable  of  supporting  a  vast  immigrating  population  in  comfort 
and  plenty.  This  division  comprehends  the  great  valleys  of  the 
Sacramento  and  San  Joaquin,  with  all  the  smaller  side  valleys 
running  into  them.  The  Sacramento  takes  its  rise  near  the 
extreme  northern  limit  of  the  State,  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Mount  Shasta,  which  is  14,400  feet  in  height  above  the  sea  level. 
From  thence  it  flows,  in  a  southerly  direction,  for  nearly  three 
hundred  miles,  carrying  off  the  waters  of  numerous  streams  on 
both  sides  till  it  receives  those  of  the  San  J oaquin,  which  have 
come  to  meet  it  from  the  south-east,  for  nearly  two  hundred 
miles.  The  united  streams  then  run  westward  a  further  distance 
of  sixty  or  seventy  miles,  through  various  arms  of  the  Bay  of 
San  Francisco,  till  they  rush  through  the  "  Golden  Gate,"  to 
bury  themselves  in  the  Pacific.  The  Sacramento  has  already 
been  navigated  by  steamers  for  one  hundred  miles  above  its 
junction  with  the  San  Joaquin,  while  the  latter  has  been  navi- 
gated by  the  same  class  of  vessels,  above  the  point  mentioned  for 
seventy  miles. 

The  great  longitudinal  valley  of  these  rivers  contains  an 
exceedingly  fertile  soil,  fitted  to  grow  any  kind  of  grain,  fruits 
and  edible  roots.  There  is  much  timber  in  various  parts  of  this 
great  region.  Many  varieties  of  the  pine  tribe  are  common,  most 
of  which  grow  to  an  enormous  size.  But  besides  pines,  the  oak 
especially  abounds,  as  also  elm,  ash,  beech,  birch,  plane  and  other 
kinds  of  trees.  The  native  fruit  trees  are  not  numerous.  The 
number  and  variety  of  indigenous  herbs  are  very  great.  As 
besides  the  pines  which  yield  tar  and  resin,  and  every  size  of 
spar  and  good  timber  for  ship-building,  it  is  found  that  hemp 
and  flax  grow  wild,  and  thrive  exceedingly  well  in  the  country, 
it  will  be  seen  that  this  region  contains  most  of  the  material 
elements  to  make  California  a  great  maritime  nation.  It  was  in 
the  valley  of  the  Sacramento  that  a  large  number  of  American 
immigrants  had  settled  previous  to  the  discovery  of  gold.  Por- 
tions of  the  lower  districts  of  both  it  and  the  San  Joaquin  valley 
are  liable  to  be  overflowed  by  floods  which  sometimes  swell  the 
rivers  to  a  great  depth,  when  storms  and  meltings  of  the  snow 
on  the  Sierra  Nevada  suddenly  gorge  all  the  mountain  torrents. 
At  other  times,  after  a  long  track  of  dry  weather,  irrigation 
10 


146  ANNALS  OF  SAX  FRANCISCO. 

would  almost  seem  to  be  indispensable  for  profitable  farming  in 
several  districts  ;  although  this,  as  yet,  is  considered  to  be  by 
no  means  certain.  The  cold  winds  and  moist  fogs  of  the  coast 
are  sometimes  wanted  in  this  division,  as  well  to  water  the 
parched  earth,  as  to  temper  the  excessive  heat  of  the  solar  rays, 
reflected  from  the  sides  of  the  hills  in  the  narrower  valleys,  and 
concentrated  every  where  to  a  high  degree.  In  the  great  longi- 
tudinal valley,  and  still  more  in  the  smaller  cross  valleys  which 
lie  between  the  former  and  the  Sierra  Nevada,  the  heat  in 
summer  is  sometimes  very  dreadful — rising  frequently,  and  that 
too,  day  after  day,  for  months  together,  to  100°  and  110°  of 
Fahrenheit.  Still,  notwithstanding  these  drawbacks,  the  soil  is 
so  rich  and  productive,  and  the  climate  so  extremely  dry  and 
healthy,  that  there  is  every  reason  to  believe  these  districts  will 
soon  be  largely  inhabited  by  an  agricultural  population.  In 
some  parts  of  the  valley  of  the  San  Joaquin  which  are  liable 
to  be  overflowed  by  the  river  floods,  it  is  believed  that  rice  may 
be  profitably  cultivated.  Meanwhile,  there  is  abundance  of  deer 
and  smaller  game  in  the  forests  and  plains  ;  the  streams  and 
lakes  absolutely  swarm  with  the  most  delicious  fish ;  while 
geese,  ducks,  and  other  wild  fowl  are  exceedingly  plentiful. 

It  is  in  the  cross  valleys  running  up  to  the  summit  elevation 
of  the  Sierra  Nevada  that  the  chief  gold  placers  are  situated. 
The  whole  country  in  this  quarter,  for  a  length  of  at  least  five- 
hundred  miles,  and  an  average  breadth  of  perhaps  thirty  or  forty, 
is  highly  auriferous.  The  loose  bed  of  every  stream  particularly, 
but  also  the  dry  sandy  soil  of  most  of  the  intervening  plains, 
uplands  and  hills,  contains  particles  of  gold ;  while  even  the  deep 
seated  rocks  in  many  parts  are  impregnated  with  the  precious 
metal,  and  are  beginning  to  be  wrought  in  a  scientific  manner 
for  its  extraction.  If  some  small  portion  of  the  auriferous 
district  may  already  seem  to  be  almost  exhausted,  yet  its  whole 
extent  is  so  great,  and  so  many  parts  are  yet  untouched,  while 
all,  by  the  aid  of  proper  scientific  appliances,  can  be  made  still 
to  render  a  bountiful  reward  to  the  miner,  that  it  may  be  truly 
said,  generations  must  pass  before  the  Californian  gold  regions 
can  be  emptied  of  their  treasures,  or  cease  to  be  profitably 
wrought.    This  may  be  more  particularly  said  of  the  gold-bear- 


IMMENSE  SIZE  OF  TREES. 


147 


ing  quartz  rocks  and  veins,  which  in  many  places  are  exceed- 
ingly numerous  and  rich. 

Nature,  as  if  content  to  scatter  her  bounties  in  this  quarter 
beneath  the  surface,  has  not  also  gifted  the  soil  with  exceeding 
fertility,  although  there  are  many  beautiful  and  fertile  small 
spots  to  be  found  in  the  district.  In  the  months  of  April  and 
May,  these  places  bloom  and  smell  like  a  well  tended  garden, 
from  the  variety,  beauty  and  perfume  of  their  wild  flowers.  The 
mineral  riches  make  it  less  desirable  that  these  districts  should 
also  possess  a  rich  and  prolific  soil.  Still  it  is  in  this  quarter 
that  those  enormous  trees  chiefly  grow  which  amaze  and  almost 
terrify  by  their  prodigious  height  and  bulk,  those  who  have  been 
only  used  to  the  puny  forests  of  less  favored  climes.  A  common 
enough  height  for  these  trees  is  three  hundred  feet,  while  an 
equally  common  diameter  may  range  from  fifteen  to  twenty  feet. 
Many,  however,  have  been  found  of  much  larger  dimensions. 
The  forests  on  the  western  slopes  of  the  Sierra  Nevada  will  give 
an  inexhaustible  supply  of  timber  for  household  and  most  other 
purposes  to  which  wood  is  applied  in  the  country. 

Besides  the  gold  mines  on  the  west  skirts  of  the  Snowy  Moun- 
tains, there  are  several  others  scattered  over  California  ;  while 
many  other  mineral  treasures  are  to  be  found.  There  is  a  valu- 
able mine  of  quicksilver  near  San  Jose,  and  many  silver,  and 
silver  and  lead  mines,  as  well  as  others  of  copper  and  lead  are 
already  known  in  various  parts  of  the  country.  However,  the 
population  up  to  the  time  of  the  rush  to  the  gold  regions  was 
too  small,  and  the  capital  and  energy  of  the  owners  too  limited, 
to  permit  these  and  similar  mines  to  be  wrought  to  advantage. 
Coal  has  been  discovered  in  some  parts  as  well  as  iron.  There 
is  excellent  stone  for  building  purposes  to  be  had  in  various 
places.  Sulphur,  asphalte  and  many  other  valuable  mineral 
substances  are  also  ascertained  to  exist  in  different  localities. 
The  mineral  wealth  of  the  country  indeed,  though  not  fully 
examined,  is  believed  to  be  far  more  extensive  than  what  has 
hitherto  appeared,  however  great  it  may  seem  in  these  times. 

To  the  immigrant  from  an  old  settled  land,  where  competi- 
tion exists  in  severity,  and  the  means  of  a  bare  subsistence  are 
not  easily  to  be  had,  California  offers  every  inducement  to  draw 


148 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


him  to  her  country.  Here  is  political  and  social  freedom — a 
beautiful,  pleasant,  and  healthy  climate — a  soil  rich,  and  fertile, 
producing  every  necessary,  and  most  of  the  luxuries  of  life — 
rivers  and  bays,  abounding  with  delicious  fish  ;  forests  and  fields, 
with  game  of  every  species — mineral  regions,  where  fortunes 
may  be  made  on  a  sudden,  and,  at  all  events,  where  the  indus- 
trious laborer  is  sure  to  provide  a  moderate  competency  for  him- 
self, in  a  wonderfully  short  space  of  time.  Here  are  towns  start- 
ing yearly,  nay,  almost  weekly,  into  existence,  whose  inhabitants 
are  full  of  life,  energy  and  hope,  determined  and  certain  to 
prosper ;  great  cities  and  ports,  swelling  into  magnificence  before 
one's  eyes,  destined  ere  long  to  bear  sway  over  the  broad  Pacific, 
by  reason  of  their  natural  position,  their  wealth,  energy  and 
power.  Here  labor  is  honorable,  and  meets  an  ample  reward  ; 
and,  here,  while  the  most  unbounded  ambition,  in  mining  and 
agricultural,  commercial  and  political  pursuits,  may  gratify  its 
most  daring  inner  wishes,  and  the  patriotic  enthusiast  foresee 
a  glorious  future  to  this,  his  adopted  country,  the  peaceful,  retir- 
ing and  contented  settler  may  select  a  quiet,  sunny,  cheerful 
spot  for  his  abode,  and  beneath  unclouded  skies  and  through 
perpetual  summer,  among  vines,  and  fig-trees,  and  flowers,  and 
all  bright  and  pleasant  things,  pass  life  happily  away. 


PART  SECOND. 


CHAPTER  I. 

Description  of  tbe  Golden  Gate.— Origin  of  the  name.— The  Bays  of  San  Francisco,  San  Pablo,  anil 
Suisun.— Riven  emptying  into  Suisun  Bay.— Description  of  the  adjacent  country.— Indian  tra- 
dition.—Remarkable  fertility  of  the  soil.— Farm  produce  and  mode  of  farming.— Location  of  the 
City  of  San  Francisco.— The  name  Yerlia  Buena  —  The  first  house  built— Disadvantages  of  the 
locality. — No  provision  made  for  desirable  public  squares  or  parks. 

The  mid-entrance  to  the  Bay  of  San  Francisco  lies  in  latitude 
37°  48'  K,  and  longitude  122°  30'  W.3  from  Greenwich.  This 
is  a  strait,  running  nearly  north-east,  call.-d  Chrysopalce,  or  the 
Golden  Gate,  ahout  five  miles  long,  and  of  an  average  breadth 
of  one  and  a  half  or  two  miles.  The  name  "  Golden  Gate  "  first 
appears  in  the  "  Geographical  Memoir  of  California,"  and  rela- 
tive map,  published  by  Col.  Fremont  in  the  spring  of  1848. 
The  term  was  descriptive,  not  of  the  literal  golden  regions 
within,  then  as  yet  undiscovered,  but  merely  of  the  rich  and  fer- 
tile country  which  surrounded  the  shores  of  the  bay,  and  of  the 
wealth  which  the  commerce  of  the  Pacific,  passing  through  the 
strait,  would  certainly  give  to  the  future  great  city  of  the  place. 
The  name  was  probably  suggested  by  the  Golden  Horn  of  Con- 
stantinople. Since  the  discovery  of  the  auriferous  character  of 
the  country,  the  title  has  become  of  a  still  more  happy  nature  ; 
and  its  bestower  must  surely  have  had  a  prophetic  soul,  though 
he  himself  knew  it  not.  At  the  narrowest  point  of  the  strait, 
where  it  is  little  more  than  a  mile  wide,  the  Spaniards  had 
erected  a  small  fort  for  the  protection  of  the  neighboring  mission. 
This  building  is  now  in  course  of  removal,  to  be  speedily  replaced 


150 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


(let  us  hope)  by  a  larger  and  stronger  fortress  for  the  adequate 
defence  of  the  bay.  The  southern  point  of  land,  on  the  side  of 
the  ocean,  is  called  in  the  Spanish  language,  Punta  de  los  Lobos 
(Wolves'  Point),  and  the  northern,  Punta  Bonita  (Pretty  Point). 
A  few  small  rocks,  at  all  times  quite  visible,  lie  about  the  en- 
trance, and  along  the  coast  of  the  strait  ;  but  the  channel  other- 
wise is  very  deep  and  free  from  obstruction.  About  twenty  or 
thirty  miles  off  the  coast,  and  in  a  westerly  direction  from  the 
Golden  Gate,  lie  certain  small  rocky  islands,  called  the  Farra- 
lones,  once  favorite  places  for  hunting  seals  and  sea-otters  by  the 
Russians,  and  upon  which  that  people  had  a  small  permanent 
settlement.  Upon  these  islands  the  creatures  mentioned  are 
still  to  be  found.  A  bar  lies  nearly  across  the  mouth  of  the 
strait,  upon  which  occasionally  there  is  a  heavy  swell.  Formerly 
tins  bar  ran  right  across  and  within  the  actual  limits  of  the 
strait,  but  during  the  last  thirty  years  it  has  gradually  shifted 
two  miles  farther  to  seaward,  so  that  it  now  forms  a  kind  of 
arch,  altogether  outside  of  the  entrance,  spanning  from  point  to 
point  of  the  strait.  In  the  same  period,  a  bank  has  likewise  ad- 
vanced from  the  south  shore.  By  these  natural  operations  the 
entrance  channel  to  the  bay  has  been  much  improved.  On  this 
subject  it  may  be  stated  that  all  the  shores  in  the  mouth  of  the 
bay  are  liable  to  be  washed  off  every  year,  by  the  combined 
strength  of  the  wind,  tides,  local  currents,  and  floods.  In  the 
great  freshets  of  the  spring  of  1825  more  than  fifty  yards  of  land 
were  swept  away  to  the  westward  of  the  fort. 

The  depth  of  water  on  the  bar  at  low  tide  is  considerable 
enough  to  permit  the  largest  ship  of  war  to  safely  cross  it.  The 
strait  itself  has  a  depth  varying  from  five  or  six  to  sixteen 
fathoms  and  upwards.  The  shores  are  bold  and  rocky,  and  in 
some  parts  precipitous,  swelling  on  the  north  side  into  mountains 
of  upwards  of  two  thousand  feet  in  height.  The  ,hills  on  the 
southern  side  are  more  of  a  sandy  nature,  and  may  be  only  three 
hundred  or  four  hundred  feet  high.  On  both  sides  they  are 
quite  bare  and  barren.  The  strong  winds  and  heavy  fogs  which 
constantly  assail  them,  and  their  own  sandy  or  rocky  nature, 
have  effectually  prevented  trees  or  luxuriant  vegetation  of  any 
kind  from  growing.  On  the  very  summit,  however,  of  the  moun- 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  GOLDEN  GATE. 


151 


tains  on  the  northern  side  of  the  strait,  there  happens  to  he  a 
solitary  group  of  red-wood  trees,  whose  tall  forms  make  a  striking 
landmark  to  the  mariner  at  sea.  As  he  approaches  the  strait 
from  the  south,  the  voyager  has  seldom  perhaps  seen  so  dismal  a 
looking  place.  A  multitude  of  low,  bleak  sand  hills  on  the  sea 
shore,  often  swept  over  by  flying  clouds  of  dense  mist,  first  greet 


Entrance  to  the  Golden  Gate. 


his  eyes.  On  passing  gradually  through  the  Golden  Gate,  how- 
ever, the  interior  coasts  begin  sensibly  to  improve  upon  him. 
The  hills  assume  a  more  even  character,  which,  as  well  as  the 
beautiful  islands  that  stud  the  bay,  are  at  certain  seasons  of  the 
year  covered  with  vegetation,  presenting  a  truly  pleasing  appear- 
ance. 

The  tidal  stream  rushes  through  the  gate  in  mid-channel 
generally  about  six  knots  an  hour.  Along  the  projecting  por- 
tions of  the  strait  there  are  numerous  eddies.  By  taking  advan- 
tage of  this  great  tidal  speed,  and  of  particular  winds,  which  can 


152 


t 

ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


almost  daily  be  depended  upon,  blowing  either  in  or  out  of  the 
channel  at  certain  periods  of  the  day,  ships  may  always  safely 
enter  or  depart  from  the  bay  at  all  time's  of  the  year.  An  occa- 
sional wreck,  where  ships  may  have  been  driven  by  the  strength 
of  the  tide  or  local  currents  upon  the  rocky  shores,  has  indeed 
taken  place  ;  but  this  has  generally  been  traceable  to  the  igno- 
rance or  carelessness  of  the  pilot.  Hitherto  that  class  of  men, 
as  might  have  been  anticipated,  have  not  been  all  picked  indi- 
viduals ;  and  some  of  them  may  not  have  had  sufficient  time  to 
study  the  peculiarities  of  the  channel.  It  may,  however,  be  con- 
fidently asserted,  that  there  are  very  few  harbors  in  the  world 
where  the  entrance  and  departure  are  so  easy  and  safe  as  those 
of  the  one  of  San  Francisco.  To  talk  of  it  in  the  same  breath 
with  such  difficult  and  dangerous  ocean  ports  as  those  of  Liver- 
pool and  New  York,  or  the  river  ones  of  London  and  New  Or- 
leans, is  simply  ridiculous. 

After  passing  the  strait,  the  great  Bay  of  San  Francisco  sud- 
denly opens  up.  This  bay  lies  almost  at  right  angles  to  the  en- 
trance just  described  ;  and  extends  from  north  to  south  nearly 
seventy  miles,  with  an  average  breadth  of  about  ten  or  twelve. 
The  southern  division,  comprehending  about  two-thirds  of  the 
entire  length,  chiefly  lies  south  of  the  entrance,  and  is  more  pro- 
perly styled  the  Bay  of  San  Francisco  ;  although  the  whole 
body  of  inland  waters,  when  spoken  of  in  a  general  sense,  is 
commonly  understood  by  that  phrase.  The  northern  division, 
which  is  in  some  degree  topographically  separated  from  the  other 
by  narrows  and  several  small  islands  about  the  eastern  end  of 
the  strait,  is  known  by  the  name  of  the  Bay  of  San  Pablo.  At 
the  eastern  extremity  of  the  last  named  bay,  the  waters  contract 
into  the  Strait  of  Carquinez.  Still  more  to  the  east,  they  again 
widen  into  Suisun  Bay,  into  which,  through  various  channels, 
called  the  Slough,  a  sort  of  delta  much  overrun  with  large  trees 
and  jungle,  the  mingled  streams  of  the  Sacramento  and  San 
Joaquin,  enter  and  lose  themselves.  From  the  ocean  to  the 
north-east  corner  of  Suisun  Bay,  following  the  line  of  mid-chan- 
nel, there  may  be  a  distance  of  between  fifty  and  sixty  miles. 
The  largest  ships  may  sail  as  far  as  the  city  of  Benicia,  originally 
called  Francisca,  situated  on  the  north  side  of  the  Strait  of  Car- 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  COUNTRY. 


153 


quinez,  where  the  channel  is  little  more  than  a  mile  wide,  and 
at  which  place  are  a  government  dock-yard  and  naval  stores. 
Above  that  point,  the  water  is  at  parts  scarcely  deep  enough  to 
allow  vessels  of  great  burden  to  proceed,  while  the  channels  of 
the  Sacramento,  through  the  delta,  or  slough,  are  intricate,  and 
encumbered  with  shifting  shoals  and  sand-banks. 


The  Golden  Gate. 


Around  the  northern  shores  of  the  Bays  of  San  Pablo  and 
Suisun  lies  a  very  fertile  and  beautiful  country,  watered  by 
streams,  severally  called  the  Suisun  River,  Napa,  Sonoma,  and 
Petaluma  Creeks.  The  valleys  of  these  rivers  will  in  a  few  years 
be  the  residence  of  a  great  number  of  agricultural  settlers,  while 
already  numerous  small  towns  are  beginning  to  be  established 
among  them.  But  the  Sacramento  and  its  greater  tributaries, 
the  Puta  Creek,  and  the  American,  Feather  and  Butte  Rivers, 
and  the  San  Joaquin,  with  its  leading  feeders,  the  Mokelumne, 
Calaveras,  Stanislaus,  and  Tuolumne  Rivers,  are  the  great  high- 
ways of  communication  between  the  interior  country  and  the 
ocean  ;  and  in  the  extensive,  beautiful,  and  most  fertile  districts 
drained  by  them  will  be  located  hereafter  the  abodes  of  many 
millions  of  human  beings.    In  the  valley  of  the  Sacramento  and 


154  ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 

its  offshoots  are  situated  the  great  city  of  that  name,  and  the 
thriving  towns  of  Marysville  and  Nevada.  In  the  valley  of  the 
San  Joaquin,  or  in  the  connecting  valley,  are  the  considerable 
and  growing  towns  of  Stockton  and  Sonora.  Besides  these 
places,  there  are  numerous  other  towns  beginning  to  he  established 
in  this  great  district. 

South  of  San  Pablo  and  Suisun  Bays,  and  east  of  the  Bay 
of  San  Francisco  proper,  lies  the  district  of  country  called  Contra 
Costa.  This  quarter  is  very  mountainous,  some  of  the  summits 
being  upwards  of  three  thousand  feet  high.  One  of  them,  Monte 
Diablo,  is  three  thousand  seven  hundred  and  seventy  feet  in 
height.  On  the  west,  however,  between  the  mountains  and  the 
Bay  of  San  Francisco,  is  a  considerable  tract  of  level  land  which, 
like  nearly  all  of  a  similar  description  in  the  country,  is  exceed- 
ingly rich  and  productive. 

On  the  opposite  side  of  the  bay,  and  between  it  and  the 
ocean,  lies  the  long  peninsula  called  the  District  of  San  Fran- 
cisco. This  strip  of  land  is  upwards  of  thirty  miles  long,  with 
an  average  breadth  of  perhaps  twelve  or  sixteen.  The  side  im- 
mediately next  the  ocean  is  cold  and  barren.  In  the  interior, 
and  towards  the  bay,  it  possesses  a  mild  climate,  and  is  of  great 
fertility.  The  surface  is  irregular  and  hilly  ;  but  the  many  small 
glens  are  green  to  the  top,  covered  with  luxuriant  herbage,  on 
which  feed  many  thousands  of  sheep  and  cattle.  The  northern 
portion  of  this  district  is  generally  bare  of  trees  and  the  larger 
shrubs  ;  but  much  heavy  timber  grows  in  the  middle  and  south- 
ern parts.  At  the  southern  extremity  of  the  bay  lies  an  exten- 
sive tract  of  land,  which  may  be  considered  the  choicest  portion 
of  all  the  country  we  have  been  describing.  Here,  near  the 
mouth  of  the  valley,  watered  by  the  Kiver  Guadalupe,  are  situ- 
ated the  towns  of  San  Jose  and  Santa  Clara.  The  beauty  and 
salubrity  of  this  district,  its  mild  and  agreeable  climate,  and  ex- 
ceeding productiveness,  make  it  especially  the  granary,  orchard 
and  garden  of  the  City  of  San  Francisco  and  surrounding  parts. 

We  may  observe  here,  that  there  is  a  tradition  among  the 
Indians  of  California,  that  San  Francisco  Bay  originally  formed 
a  fresh  water  lake.  An  earthquake,  however,  suddenly  opened 
the  line  of  mountains  along  the  coast,  when  the  sea  rushed  in, 


FERTILITY  OF  THE  SOIL. 


155 


and  changed  the  region  to  what  it  now  is.  The  surplus  fresh 
waters  of  the  old  lake  were  supposed  to  have  been  discharged 
into  the  Bay  of  Monterey,  by  a  great  river  flowing  through  the 
valley  of  San  Jose  and  Santa  Clara.  This  river  was  believed  to 
pass  near  the  Mission  of  San  Juan,  and  to  fall  into  the  present 
stream  of  the  Pajaro. 


City  of  Stockton. 


In  the  fertile  districts  of  country  all  around  the  shores  of  the 
bay  the  average  productiveness  of  the  soil  is  exceedingly  great,  far 
beyond  the  usual  return  from  tillage  lands  in  most  other  countries 
of  the  temperate  zone,  and  rivalling,  in  fact,  those  of  the  torrid 
zone  itself.  A  common  yield  from  sown  wheat  is  from  seventy  to 
eighty  fold,  though  it  is  said  to  run  often  as  high  as  one  hundred 
and  upwards.  A  moderate  average  may  be  taken  at  fifty  fold. 
Maize  occasionally  gives  a  return  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  fold  ; 
while  if  it  produces  less  than  one  hundred,  it  is  scarcely  consider- 
ed worthy  of  notice.  It  may  be  remarked  that  the  seed  in  gen- 
eral is  much  less  thickly  sown  than  in  most  other  countries ;  and, 
naturally,  therefore,  having  space  to  spread  and  fructify,  there  is  a 
greater  corresponding  increase.  Potatoes  have  been  found  of  the 
enormous  weight  of  seven  and  eight  pounds,  while  those  of  two 
and  three  pounds  are  quite  common.    The  usual  yield  of  pot  atoes  is 


156 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


from  two  to  three  hundred  sacks  an  acre.  And  such  potatoes  !  In  no 
part  of  the  world  are  there  larger,  finer,  firmer  and  healthier  roots 
grown.  Newly-come  immigrants  and  casual  visitors  are  invariably 
full  of  raptures  at  the  sight  of  such  magnificent  earth  apples.  The 
cabbages,  again,  are  absolute  monsters  in  size,  often  from  fifteen 
to  twenty  inches  in  diameter  ;  and  as  good  in  quality  as  enormous 
in  bulk.  Carrots  often  grow  nearly  a  yard  in  length,  and  are  of 
corresponding  girth.  Turnips,  beets,  radishes,  onions,  and  indeed 
every  kind  of  edible  root  and  table  vegetable  grows  equally  large, 
and  of  the  best  and  most  wholesome  description.  California  is 
indeed  celebrated  for  its  garden  and  field  productions.  The  ber- 
ries and  fruits  of  the  vineyard  and  orchard  show  a  corresponding 
increase,  and  are  of  the  most  excellent  kind.  Long  ago  it  had 
been  imagined  by  hasty  travellers  and  writers,  that  California  had 
only  an  arid,  sterile  soil,  never  adapted  to  the  successful  pursuit 
of  agriculture.  On  the  contrary,  the  country  is  exceedingly  well 
watered,  the  soil  is  naturally  rich,  and  the  diffused  warmth  and 
geniality  of  the  climate  is  such  as  to  force  to  safe  maturity  an 
abundant  harvest  of  all  kinds.  Of  course,  manure  in  the  present 
stage  of  California,  is  out  of  the  question.  The  teeming  fields 
will  not  require  it  for  a  generation  or  two,  if  ever.  The  present 
practice  is  simply  to  break  fresh  ground  every  year ;  and  until  the 
agricultural  settlers  become  much  more  numerous,  there  will  be 
abundance  of  land  for  such  a  mode  of  farming.  There  is  no  need 
of  farm  buildings  to  house  and  stock  the  grain  for  shelter.  The 
chmate  is  so  dry  in  the  harvest  season  that  the  crops  are  never 
spoiled  by  wet  ;  but  the  ears  are  just  threshed  out  on  the  fields 
where  they  grow.  Farming  operations  formerly  were  of  a  very 
rude  nature,  as  they  still  generally  are,  though  the  soil  shows  so 
large  a  return.  When  an  improved  method  of  husbandry  is  adopt- 
ed, the  yield  will  be  correspondingly  great.  A  slight  wooden 
shed,  open  upon  one  side  to  the  weather,  and  merely  covered  with 
canvas  or  scantling,  affords  quite  a  sufficient  shelter,  summer 
and  winter,  to  milch  cows  and  the  most  delicate  trained  horses. 

From  the  previous  description  of  the  districts  surrounding  the 
inland  waters  known  by  the  general  name  of  the  Bay  of  San  Fran- 
cisco, it  will  be  noticed  that  their  respective  productions,  seen  to 
be  so  great,  can  best  be  interchanged  across  that  bay  ;  and  that 


DESCRIPTION  OF  YERBA  BUENA. 


157 


their  only  communication  with  the  ocean  is  through  the  Golden 
Gate.  Conveniently  placed  as  nearly  as  possible  to  this  gate  lies 
the  city  of  San  Francisco,  in  latitude  37°  48'  N.  and  longitude 
122°  25'  W.  from  Greenwich.  It  is  situated  on  the  north-east 
corner  of  the  peninsula  already  mentioned,  about  a  mile  south  of 
the  eastern  end  of  the  general  entrance  to  the  bay,  and  is  distant 
about  six  miles  from  the  ocean.  The  situation  happens  to  be 
about  the  most  barren  part  of  the  district ;  and  the  immediate 
vicinity  consists  chiefly  of  low  sand-hills,  covered  with  coarse  shrubs 
and  scattered  patches  of  grass.  The  name  of  the  Spanish  village 
which  originally  stood  on  a  portion  of  the  site  of  the  present  city 
was  Yerba  Buena — good  herb.  In  some  maps  of  the  country  it 
was  designated  as  San  Francisco  ;  but  locally  it  was  only  known 
by  the  name  we  have  mentioned.  Yerba  Buena  signifies  also  the 
herb  mint,  great  quantities  of  which  grew  about  the  spot,  and 
from  that  circumstance  no  doubt  the  name  of  the  place  is  derived. 

An  island,  lying  in  the  bay  about  two  miles  east  of  the  city 
likewise  bears  the  name  of  Yerba  Buena,  where  the  herb  mention- 
ed grows  abundantly.  Probably  this  island  first  bore  the  name 
which  later  was  given  to  the  cove  lying  between  it  and  the  main 
land  ;  and  subsequently  it  was  extended  to  the  plain  and  village 
surrounding  the  beach.  But  the  name  mentioned  was  descriptive 
both  of  the  island  and  the  shore  itself,  since  on  both  grew  the 
yerba  buena.  This  herb  grows  through  the  underwood  in  form 
of  a  vine,  some  feet  long.  The  leaves  are  six  inches  apart,  each 
directly  opposite  another.  It  is  very  fragrant,  and  is  used  to  make 
a  tea  or  alterative  medicinal  drink,  though  its  frequent  use  is  said 
to  debilitate  the  system.  The  name  of  so  insignificant  an  herb 
for  the  rising  city  being  perhaps  judged  not  sufficiently  imposing, 
it  was  changed  into  San  Francisco  in  January,  1847,  by  an 
ordinance  of  the  then  alcalde  of  the  place,  and  under  this  last 
designation  it  has  been  alone  known  to  the  world  at  large. 

The  village  of  Yerba  Buena  was  situated  in  the  small  cove  of 
that  name,  which  extended  little  more  than  half  a  mile  between 
Clark's  Point  (so  named  by  Captain  J.  F.  Hutton,  in  1849), 
on  the  north-west,  and  the  Rincon,  or  Rincon  Point,  on  the  south- 
east. The  first  tenement  was  constructed  in  the  year  1835,  by 
Captain  W.  A.  Richardson,  and  up  to  the  year  1846,  there  might 


158  ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 

not  be  more  than  twenty  or  thirty  houses  of  all  descriptions  in 
the  place.  The  only  practicable  landing  spot  for  small  boats  at 
low  tide  was  at  Clark's  Point,  where  there  were  a  few  rocks.  In 
the  inside  of  the  cove  where  the  water  was  shallow,  there  was  an 


Island  and  Cove  of  Verba  Buena. 

extensive  flat  of  mud,  laid  bare  at  low  water.  The  rise  and  fall 
of  ordinary  tides  was  about  eight  feet.  About  a  quarter  of 
a  mile  from  the  beach,  the  water  deepened  to  five  and  six  fath- 
oms, and  continued  of  the  same  or  of  little  greater  depth  the  whole 
distance  to  the  Island  of  Yerba  Buena  opposite.  This  space  now 
forms  the  present  harbor  and  centre  of  the  anchorage  ground  of 
San  Francisco.  As  Yerba  Buena  began  to  increase  in  size  and 
importance,  the  beach  and  water  lots  were  seen  to  be  of  the  ut- 
most value  ;  and  measures  accordingly  were  taken,  in  1847,  and 
following  years,  to  extend  the  village,  or  town  as  it  might  now  be 
called,  over  a  great  portion  of  the  cove.  About  the  same  time 
the  present  character  of  the  place  began  to  be  formed,  which  sub- 
sequent years  developed  into  the  existing  grand  plan  of  the  City 
of  San  Francisco. 

Eising  up  from  Clark's  Point,  and  between  Yerba  Buena  Cove 
and  the  cove  farther  to  the  north-west,  now  called  the  North  Beach, 
is  the  high  ground  named  the  Telegraph  Hill.    West  and  south 


LOCATION  OF  SAX  FRAXCISCO. 


159 


of  this  hill,  in  a  semicircular  direction,  lie  other  connecting  high 
grounds,  bearing  the  names  of  Russian  Hill,  Fvrn  Hill,  &c.  These 
hills  are  about  three  hundred  feet  high.  From  the  Rincon  like- 
wise rises  a  high  ground  of  about  from  one  hundred  to  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  feet  in  height,  which  runs  a  short  distance  in  a 
westerly  direction  towards  the  Mission  Dolores.  Beyond  and 
south  of  the  ridge  alluded  to  lies  Mission  Bay,  and  the  low  ground 
bordering  Mission  Creek.  The  distance  between  Telegraph  Hill 
and  the  last  mentioned  ridge,  may  be  about  three  quarters  of  a 
mile  ;  while  that  between  the  semicircular  line  of  hills  on  the 
west  and  the  advanced  line  of  streets  built  much  within  the 
limit  of  ebb  tide  in  Yerba  Buena  Cove,  may  be  nearly  the  same. 

Upon  this  limited  space  stands  the  most  valuable  and  business 
portion  of  San  Francisco,  and  its  most  substantial  and  magnifi- 
cent buildings.  However,  over  all  the  hills,  and  much  of  the 
country  on  every  side  beyond  them,  the  ground  has  been  regular- 
ly laid  out  into  building  lots,  lying  upon  long  straight  streets, 
crossing  each  other  at  right  angles  ;  and  many  excellent  houses, 
together  with  a  scattered  multitude  of  an  inferior  description, 
have  been  erected  on  them.  Indeed  the  nominal  limits  of  the  city 
and  the  building  stances,  as  actually  surveyed  and  mapped  out, 
at  this  time,  extend  from  the  west  side  of  North  Beach  to  the 
south  side  of  Mission  Creek,  a  distance  of  nearly  four  miles,  in  a 
straight  fine  ;  and  from  Rincon  Point  to  the  Mission  Church,  a 
distance,  likewise,  in  a  direct  line,  of  upwards  of  three  miles. 
Over  all  this  space,  some  eight  or  nine  square  miles,  on  height 
and  in  hollow,  and  upon  every  degree  of  elevated  site,  are  spread 
a  variety  of  detached  buildings,  built  partly  of  stone  and  brick, 
though  principally  of  wood.  But,  as  we  have  already  stated,  the 
heart  and  strength  and  wealth  of  the  city  is  contained  within  the 
little  level  space  lying  between  the  hills  or  rising  grounds  partic- 
ularly mentioned,  and  the  narrow  waters  of  Yerba  Buena  Cove. 
These  waters  are  yearly  continuing  to  be  encroached  upon  as  the 
cove  gets  filled  up  with  sand  and  rubbish,  excavated  from  the 
sand-hills  and  the  foundations  of  the  limits  behind,  and  as  new- 
streets  and  houses,  formed  on  piles,  are  pushed  further  out  into 
the  bay.  By  these  operations  the  old  character  of  the  cove  has 
been  completely  changed,  and  at  present,  instead  of  the  former 


160 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


semicircle  of  beach  there  is  almost  a  straight  line  of  building: 
extending  across  the  middle  of  the  cove  from  the  Rincon  to  Clark's 
Point.  In  many  places  of  what  is  now  the  very  centre  of  the 
business  portion  of  the  city  He  large  vessels,  which  in  the  disas- 
trous years  of  shipping,  1848  and  1849,  got  stranded  or  were  used 
as  store-ships  or  lodging-houses  on  the  beach.  When  the  exten- 
sion of  the  city  towards  the  waters  of  the  cove  took  place,  these 
ships  remained  where  they  lay,  fast  imbedded  in  mud,  while  long 
streets,  hollow  beneath,  and  numerous  solid  houses  arose  on  eveiy 
side,  effectually  to  hem  them  in  for  ever. 

The  deepening  water  will  prevent  the  city  from  moving  much 
farther  into  the  bay,  while  the  steep  rising  grounds  in  the  rear 
will  equally  prevent  it  from  climbing  and  spreading  over  the 
sandy,  irregular  country  beyond  them.  The  city  will  probably 
therefore  be  forced  to  proceed  northward  towards  the  North 
Beach,  where  there  is  already  a  long  pier  formed,  but  where  there 
is  remaining  but  limited  building  room  at  best.  It  will  also 
spread,  as  it  is  beginning  to  do,  over  the  extensive  and  compara- 
tively level  tract  of  ground  lying  to  the  south-west,  on  the  banks 
of  Mission  Creek,  and  in  the  direction  of  the  Mission  Dolores. 
Perhaps  not  many  years  hence  the  whole  shores  at  North  Beach 
and  South  Beach  (Mission  Bay),  and  the  bay  itself  to  a  consid- 
erable distance  from  the  present  high-water  mark,  will  be  covered 
with  streets  and  houses,  quays  and  long  piercing  piers,  just  as 
now  is  the  cove  of  Yerba  Buena.  The  existing  surveys  and 
plans  of  the  city,  anticipating  futurity,  already  exhibit  these 
places,  both  on  land  and  sea,  divided  and  fairly  mapped  out  into 
streets  and  wharves. 

Over  all  these  square  miles  of  contemplated  thoroughfares, 
there  seems  no  provision  made  by  the  projectors  for  a  public  park 
— the  true  "lungs"  of  a  large  city.  The  existing  plma,  or 
Portsmouth  Square,  and  other  two  or  three  diminutive  squares, 
delineated  on  the  plan,  seem  the  only  breathing-holes  intended 
for  the  future  population  of  hundreds  of  thousands.  This  is  a 
strange  mistake,  and  can  only  be  attributed  to  the  jealous  ava- 
rice of  the  city  projectors  in  turning  every  square  vara  of  the 
site  to  an  available  building  lot.  Indeed  the  eye  is  wearied,  and 
the  imagination  quite  stupefied,  in  looking  over  the  numberless 


LOCATION  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


IGl 


square — all  square — building  blocks,  and  mathematically  straight 
lines  of  streets,  miles  long,  and  every  one  crossing  a  host  of  oth- 
ers at  right  angles,  stretching  over  sandy  hill,  chasm  and  plain, 
without  the  least  regard  to  the  natural  inequalities  of  the  ground. 
Not  only  is  there  no  public  park  or  garden,  but  there  is  not  even 
a  circus,  oval,  open  terrace,  broad  avenue,  or  any  ornamental  line 
of  street  or  building,  or  verdant  space  of  any  kind,  other  than 
the  three  or  four  small  squares  alluded  to  ;  and  which  every  resi- 
dent knows  are  by  no  means  verdant,  except  in  patches  where 
stagnant  water  collects  and  ditch  weeds  grow. 

While  the  position  of  San  Francisco  on  the  shores  of  the  bay 
was  undoubtedly  the  best  that  could  have  been  selected  for  mari- 
time purposes,  there  certainly  have  been  sad  drawbacks  to  the 
extension  of  the  place  on  the  land  side.  The  want  of  sufficient 
level  space  on  which  to  found  so  great  and  growing  a  city,  has 
been  partially  rectified,  at  an  enormous  expense,  by  taking  build- 
ing ground  from  the  waters,  and  by  lowering,  and  in  many  cases 
absolutely  removing  bodily  the  multitude  of  sand  hills,  by  which 
the  place  is  immediately  surrounded.  What  with  digging  out 
and  filling  up,  piling,  capping  and  planking,  grading  and  re- 
grading  the  streets,  and  shifting,  and  rebuilding,  and  again  re- 
building the  houses,  to  suit  the  altered  levels,  millions  upon  mil- 
lions of  dollars  have  been  spent.  This  has  not  been  recklessly 
or  foolishly  done,  and  the  present  magnificence  and  business 
capabilities  of  the  city  are  the  consequence  ;  while  future  years 
will  still  more  exhibit  the  grand  result  of  all  the  money  that  has 
been  sunk  in  municipal  improvements.  It  would  be  out  of  place 
to  say  more  of  the  present  appearance  of  the  city  at  this  portion 
of  the  work  ;  but  a  more  particular  account  of  it  will  be  given 
towards  the  conclusion  of  "  Part  Second." 


11 


CHAPTER  II. 


The  Mission  and  Presidio  of  San  Francisco.— Formation  and  survey  of  the  village  of  Terba  Buena.— 
Disputes  and  litigation  in  regard  to  Terba  Buena  being  a  Pueblo.— Captain  Richardson  the  first 
Harbor  Master. — Visits  of  national  and  other  vessels  to  Terba  Buena  Cove. — Reasons  why  the 
whale  ships  ceased  to  enter  the  harbor  for  supplies. — Traffic  between  Terba  Buena  and  foreign 
ports. — Hides  and  tallow  the  chief  exports. — Prices  obtained  for  these.— Heavy  rains  and  their 
effects. — Earthquakes. — Unusual  drought. — Mr.  Jacob  P.  Leese  establishes  himself  at  Terba  Bu- 
ena—Celebration  of  the  Fourth  of  July  at  Leese's  house. — First  child  born. — Limits  of  the  origi- 
nal survey. 

The  Mission  of  San  Francisco,  as  mentioned  in  the  first  part  of 
this  work,  was  founded  in  the  year  1776.  It  was  situated  about 
two  and  a  half  miles  to  the  south-west  of  the  Cove  of  Yerba 
Buena.  Besides  the  mission  buildings,  there  were  erected,  at  the 
same  time,  a  presidio  and  fort,  along  the  margin  of  the  Golden 
Gate,  the  former  being  distant  from  the  mission  about  four 
miles,  and  from  the  cove  nearly  the  same  space.  The  latter  was 
situated  about  a  mile  nearer  the  ocean  than  the  presidio,  close 
upon  the  sea-beach,  and  on  a  rocky  height  at  the  narrowest  point 
of  the  strait. 

Before  1835,  the  village  of  Yerba  Buena  had  neither  name 
nor  existence.  The  Mexican  Government  had  some  time  before 
resolved  to  found  a  town  upon  the  cove  of  that  name,  which  was 
reputed  the  best  site  on  the  shores  of  the  Bay  of  San  Francisco 
for  establishing  a  port.  Much  discussion  and  litigation,  involving 
immense  pecuniary  interests,  have  occurred  as  to  the  date  and 
precise  character  of  the  foundation  of  Yerba  Buena.  It  has  long 
been  matter  of  keen  dispute  whether  the  place  was  what  is  called 
a  Spanish  or  Mexican  "pueblo;"  and  although,  after  previous 
contrary  decisions,  it  was  assumed  (not  being  exactly  decided 
upon  evidence)  by  the  Supreme  Court  to  be  a  "pueblo,"  the 
subject  seems  to  be  still  open  to  challenge.  It  is  unnecessary  in 
this  work  to  do  more  than  merely  allude  to  the  question.  In 


VISITS  OF  NATIONAL  AND  OTHER  VESSELS. 


163 


the  year  last  above  mentioned,  General  Figueroa,  then  governor 
of  the  Californias,  passed  an  ordinance,  forbidding  the  command- 
ant of  the  presidio  of  San  Francisco  to  make  any  grants  of  land 
around  the  Yerba  Buena  Cove  nearer  than  two  hundred  varas 
(about  one  hundred  and  eighty-five  yards)  from  the  beach,  with- 
out a  special  order  from  the  governor,  the  excluded  portion  being 
intended  to  be  reserved  for  government  uses.  Before  any  steps 
could  be  taken  for  the  survey  and  laying  out  of  the  proposed 
town,  General  Figueroa  died ;  and  the  place  was  neglected  for 
some  years,  and  left  to  proceed  as  chance  and  individuals  would 
have  it.  There  had  been  previous  applications  for  grants  of  the 
whole  land  around  the  cove  for  professedly  farming  purposes, 
which  circumstance  led  to  the  governor's  passing  the  temporary 
ordinance,  lest,  some  time  or  another,  the  portion  of  ground  in- 
tended to  be  reserved  should,  through  accident  or  neglect,  be 
granted  away. 

Captain  W.  A.  Richardson  was  appointed  the  first  harbor- 
master, in  the  year  1835,  and,  the  same  year,  he  erected  the 
first  house,  or  description  of  dwelling,  in  the  place.  It  was 
simply  a  large  tent,  supported  on  four  red-wood  posts,  and  cov- 
ered with  a  ship's  foresail.  The  captain's  occupation  in  those 
days  seems  to  have  been  the  management  of  two  schooners,  one 
belonging  to  the  Mission  of  San  Francisco,  and  the  other  to  the 
Mission  of  Santa  Clara.  These  schooners  were  employed  in 
bringing  produce  from  the  various  missions  and  farms  around  the 
bay  to  the  sea-going  vessels  which  lay  in  Yerba  Buena  Cove. 
The  amount  of  freight  which  the  captain  received  was  twelve 
cents  a  hide,  and  one  dollar  for  each  bag  of  tallow.  The  tallow 
was  melted  down  and  run  into  hide-bags,  which  averaged  five 
hundred  pounds  each.  For  grain,  the  freight  was  twenty-five 
cents  a  fanega  (two  and  a  half  English  bushels). 

Some  years  before  this  period,  Yerba  Buena  Cove  had  been 
occasionally  approached  by  various  ships  of  war  and  other  vessels. 
For  many  years,  the  Russians  had  continued  to  pay  it  annual 
visits  for  supplies  of  meat  and  small  quantities  of  grain.  One  of 
their  vessels  took  away  annually  about  one  hundred  and  eighty 
or  two  hundred  tons  of  such  provisions.  In  1816,  the  English 
sloop  of  war  "Racoon"  entered  the  port;  also,  in  1827,  the 


164 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


"  Blossom,"  of  the  same  nation,  on  a  surveying  cruise.  In  the 
last  named  year,  the  French  frigate  "  Artemesia,"  of  sixty  guns, 
arrived.  In  1839,  there  appeared  the  English  surveying  ships, 
the  "  Sulphur"  and  the  "Starling."  In  1841,  the  first  Ameri- 
can war  vessel,  the  "  San  Luis,"  sloop,  arrived  ;  and,  later  in 
the  same  year,  the  "  Vincennes,"  also  Ameiican,  on  a  surveying 
expedition.  In  1842,  came  the  "  Yorktown,"  the  "  Cyane,"  and 
the  "  Dale,"  all  of  the  American  navy ;  and  in  the  same  year, 
the  "  Brillante,"  a  French  sloop-of-war.  From  this  last  named 
year  downwards  hoth  ships  of  war  and  merchantmen  of  all  na- 
tions occasionally  entered  the  port.  "Whale  ships  first  hegan  to 
make  their  appearance  for  supplies  in  the  fall  of  the  year  1822, 
increasing  in  number,  year  by  year,  since  that  period.  However, 
some  impolitic  port  restrictions  by  the  authorities  had  the  effect 
latterly  of  sending  off  a  considerable  number  of  this  class  of 
ships  to  the  Sandwich  Islands,  a  place  much  less  convenient  for 
obtaining  supplies  than  San  Francisco  Bay.  Since  likewise  the 
discovery  of  gold  in  the  country,  and  the  consequent  temptation 
of  seamen  to  desert,  as  well  as  the  enhanced  price  of  most  sup- 
plies, whale  ships  have  not  found  it  their  interest  to  visit  San 
Francisco,  but  prefer  victualling  and  refitting  at  the  Sandwich 
Islands. 

Previous  to  1822,  a  small  traffic  was  carried  on  between  the 
coast  of  Mexico  and  the  California  ports  ;  the  latter  exporting 
principally  tallow  and  a  little  soap.  Some  small  vessels  from 
the  Sandwich  Islands  also  visited  occasionally  San  Francisco  and 
the  other  harbors  in  California.  It  was  in  the  last  year  named 
that  the  trade  began  between  California  and  the  United  States 
and  England.  The  country  then  sent  its  tallow  chiefly  to  Callao 
and  Peru,  and  its  hides  to  the  States  and  to  England.  The  price 
of  a  hide  in  1822,  was  fifty  cents,  and  of  tallow,  six  dollars  per 
hundred  weight.  These  prices  had  the  effect  of  soon  decreasing 
the  number  of  cattle  ;  and,  in  the  following  year,  hides  rose  to 
one  and  a  half  dollars  apiece,  payable  in  cash,  or  two  dollars,  if 
the  amount  was  taken  in  merchandise.  The  trade  value  of  hides 
continued  at  nearly  this  rate  until  the  war  between  the  United 
States  and  Mexico. 

Some  few  natural  occurrences  during  these  early  years  of  the 


HEAVY  EAINS  AND  EARTHQUAKES. 


165 


place  are  worth  recording.  In  December  1824  and  in  the  spring 
of  the  following  year,  very  heavy  rains  fell  over  all  this  part  of 
the  country.  The  Sacramento  and  tributaries  rose  to  a  great 
height,  and  their  valleys  were  flooded  in  many  places  to  a  depth 
of  fourteen  feet.  It  was  partly  owing  to  the  great  volumes  of 
fresh  water  brought  down  through  the  bay,  in  1825,  that  a  por- 
tion of  the  land  at  the  southern  side  of  the  entrance,  was  washed 
away  as  stated  in  a  previous  chapter.  In  September,  1829,  sev- 
eral very  severe  shocks  of  an  earthquake  were  experienced  in 
San  Francisco,  which  forced  open  lock-fast  doors  and  windows. 
In  1839,  an  equally  severe  earthquake  took  place.  In  1812, 
however,  a  much  more  serious  convulsion  had  been  felt  over  all 
California,  which  shook  down  houses  and  some  churches  in  several 
parts  of  the  country,  and  killed  a  considerable  number  of  human 
beings.  The  Church  of  San  Juan  Capistrano  was  completely 
destroyed,  and  forty-one  persons,  chiefly  Indians,  were  killed  by 
its  fall.  We  have  already  said  that  an  Indian  tradition  attributes 
the  formation  of  the  present  entrance  to  the  Bay  of  San  Fran- 
cisco to  an  earthquake,  which  forced  open  a  great  passage  through 
the  coast  range  of  hills  for  the  interior  waters.  It  may  be  men- 
tioned, when  on  this  subject,  that  since  these  dates,  no  seriou.- 
occurrences  of  this  nature  have  happened  at  San  Franciscv. 
though  almost  every  year  slight  shocks,  and  occasionally  smart  cl- 
ones have  been  felt.  God  help  the  city  if  any  great  catastrophe 
of  this  nature  should  ever  take  place  !  Her  huge  granite  and 
brick  palaces,  of  four,  five  and  six  stories  in  height,  would  indeed 
make  a  prodigious  crash,  more  ruinous  both  to  life  and  property 
than  even  the  dreadful  fires  of  1849,  1850  and  1851.  This  is 
the  greatest,  if  not  the  only  possible  obstacle  of  consequence  to 
the  growing  prosperity  of  the  city,  though  even  such  a  lament- 
able event  as  the  total  destruction  of  half  the  place,  like  another 
Quito  or  Caraccas,  would  speedily  be  remedied  by  the  indomita- 
ble energy  and  persevering  industry  of  the  American  character. 
Such  a  terrible  calamity,  however,  as  the  one  imagined,  may 
never  take  place.  So  "  sufficient  for  the  day  is  the  evil  thereof." 
This  maxim  abundantly  satisfies  the  excitement-craving,  money- 
seeking,  luxurious-living,  reckless,  heaven-earth-and-hell-daring 
citizens  of  San  Francisco. 


166  ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 

We  have  elsewhere  explained  the  nature  of  the  climate  in 
respect  that  the  winter  and  summer  months  are  simply  the  rainy 
and  dry  seasons  of  the  year.  We  have  seen  above,  the  effects 
of  excessive  rains  ;  and  we  may  also  mark  the  result  of  unusual 
drought.  In  the  personal  recollections  of  Captain  Richardson, 
who  is  our  authority  on  this  subject,  there  have  been  several  such 
seasons  in  the  country  around  the  Bay  of  San  Francisco  since 
1822,  when  that  gentleman  came  to  California.  The  grass  on 
such  occasions  was  completely  dried  up,  and  cattle  perished  in 
consequence.  The  missionaries  were  under  the  necessity  of  send- 
ing out  all  their  Indian  servants  to  cut  down  branches  of  oak 
trees  for  the  herds  to  subsist  upon.  In  these  dryer  seasons,  too, 
the  crops  suffered  greatly  from  grasshoppers ;  which  insects, 
about  the  month  of  July,  when  the  corn  was  still  green,  would 
sweep  all  before  them.  It  may  be  remarked  generally,  that 
while  the  year  is  divided  into  two  seasons — wet  and  dry — there 
is  great  irregularity,  in  the  case  of  the  former,  as  to  the  average 
quantity  of  rain  falling  annually.  During  some  winters  heavy 
rains  pour  down,  without  intermission,  for  months  together ; 
while,  on  other  and  often  alternate  winters,  the  sky  is  clear  for 
weeks — then  for  only  a  few  days  slight  showers  will  descend — and 
again  there  occurs  a  long  period  of  the  most  delightful  and  dry 
weather  imaginable.  Slight  frosts  are  occasionally  felt  during  the 
winter  months  ;  and  ice,  from  the  thickness  of  a  cent  to  that  of 
an  inch  is  seen  for  a  day  or  two,  nearly  every  season.  Generally, 
however,  the  winter  climate  is  mild  and  open,  and  the  winter 
months  are  the  most  pleasant  of  the  year. 

The  excessively  and  injuriously  wet  and  dry  seasons  are  ex- 
ceptional cases,  and  do  not  impugn  the  accuracy  of  the  state- 
ments, made  elsewhere,  of  the  general  mildness  of  the  climate, 
productiveness  of  the  soil,  and  safety  of  the  harvest.  A  fertile 
field  or  a  fruitful  tree  will  not  lose  its  character,  because  occasion- 
ally there  happens  to  be  a  short  crop.  The  Pacific  is  still 
reputed  a  serene  ocean,  though  sometimes  a  gale  or  tempest 
sweeps  over  it.  Even  in  the  case  of  possible  earthquakes,  no- 
body would  hold  France,  or  Spain,  or  even  Italy — the  bella  Italia 
of  the  old  world,  as  California  is  of  the  new  one — to  be  danger- 
ous countries  to  live  in,  although  historical  records  show  that 


ARRIVAL  OF  JACOB  P.  LEESE  AT  YERBA  BUENA.  167 

much  damage  has  been  done  in  them,  at  long  intervals,  by  vol- 
canic eruptions  and  subterranean  movements. 

In  May,  1836,  Mr.  Jacob  Primer  Leese  arrived  in  the  Cove 
of  Yerba  Buena,  with  the  intention  of  establishing  a  mercantile 
business  at  San  Francisco,  in  partnership  with  Mr.  Nathan  Spear 
and  Mr.  W.  S.  Hinckley,  who  were  to  remain  at  Monterey,  and 


Jacob  Primer  Leese. 


manage  the  business  of  the  firm  there.  Mr.  Leese  brought  let- 
ters from  the  then  governor  of  California,  Don  Mariano  Chico, 
to  the  alcalde  and  commandante  of  San  Francisco,  desiring  them 
to  render  him  all  assistance  in  their  power  in  arranging  a  location 
and  otherwise.  Mr.  Leese  at  once  fixed  on  the  beach  of  Yerba 
Buena  Cove  for  his  establishment,  but  as  the  ordinance  of  Gene- 
ral Figueroa,  concerning  the  government  reserve,  was  still  in 
force,  he  could  not  procure  an  allotment  nearer  the  beach  than  at 
the  distance  of  two  hundred  varas.  The  alcalde  and  comman- 
dante were  much  pleased  that  Mr.  Leese  should  come  to  settle 


168 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


among  their  people,  and  at  once  offered  him  a  choice  of  two  loca- 
tions, one  being  at  the  mouth  of  Mission  Creek,  and  the  other  at 
the  entrance  to  the  bay  near  the  presidio.  Mr.  Leese,  however, 
had  made  up  his  mind  on  the  subject ;  and,  partly  for  his  own 
business  convenience,  and  probably,  in  part,  foreseeing  the  increas- 
ed future  value  of  sites  around  Yerba  Buena  Cove,  would  accept 
no  grant  but  one  in  that  quarter.  In  this  the  local  authorities 
could  not  legally  aid  him  ;  so  Mr.  Leese  returned  forthwith  to 
Monterey  with  his  story  and  complaint  to  Governor  Chico.  On 
explanations  there,  the  governor  informed  Mr.  Leese  that  he 
would  instruct  the  alcalde  of  San  Francisco  to  grant  an  allot- 
ment within  the  limits  of  the  government  reserve,  and  in  the 
mean  time  authorized  Mr.  Leese  to  select  for  himself  the  most 
convenient  place  he  could  find  elsewhere. 

Back  to  Yerba  Buena  Cove  hastened  Mr.  Leese,  and  on  the 
first  of  July  presented  to  the  alcalde  his  new  letters.  On  the 
following  day  he  landed  boards  and  other  materials  for  building, 
and  immediately  took  possession  of  a  one-hundred  vara  lot,  ad- 
joining on  the  south  side  that  on  which  Captain  Richard- 
son's tent  was  already  erected.  Mr.  Leese's  lot  was  situated 
about  two  hundred  or  two  hundred  and  fifty  yards  from  the 
beach,  and  is  the  spot  where  the  St.  Francis  Hotel  was  subse- 
quently erected,  at  the  corner  of  Clay  and  Dupont  streets.  Mr. 
Leese  was  indefatigable  in  hastening  the  erection  of  his  dwelling, 
which  was  finished  by  ten  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  4th  of 
July — the  first  glorious  fourth — when  the  independence  of  Ame- 
rica was  commemorated  in  style  in  California.  These  two  houses, 
belonging  to  Capt.  Bichardson  and  Mr.  Leese,  were  the  earliest 
houses  erected  in  Yerba  Buena,  and  formed  the  beginning  of  the 
City  of  San  Francisco.  It  is  but  eighteen  years  since  their 
erection,  and  now  there  is  a  population  of  over  fifty  thousand 
around  the  spot  ! 

While  Mr.  Leese  was  erecting  his  mansion,  which  seems  to 
have  been  rather  a  grand  structure,  being  made  of  frame,  sixty  feet 
long  and  twenty-five  feet  broad,  Captain  Richardson  was  kindly 
proceeding  across  the  bay  to  Sonoma,  where  he  invited  all  the 
principal  folks  of  the  quarter  to  a  banquet  in  the  new  building. 
Two  events — each  great  in  their  way — were  to  be  celebrated  : 


FIRST  CELEBRATION  OF  THE  FOURTH  OF  JULY.  169 

first,  Independence  Day,  and  next,  the  arrival  of  Mr.  Leese  in 
the  country,  his  welcome  and  house-warming.  The  two  worthy 
souls,  cordially  fraternizing,  were  determined  to  make  a  great  af- 
fair of  it ;  and  so  indeed  it  happened.  As  it  was  the  first  grand 
scene  in  the  future  San  Francisco,  where  there  have  since  been 
so  many,  we  are  tempted  to  dwell  a  little  on  the  eventful  occa- 
sion. Future  generations  will  pleasantly  reflect  on  this  auspicious 
commencement  to  the  pride  of  the  Pacific,  then  like  a  new-born 
infant  cradled  by  its  tender  parents,  Capt.  Eichardson  and  Mr. 
Leese,  and  tricked  out  in  all  the  magnificence  of  an  heir's  baby 
clothes. 

At  this  time  there  was  lying  in  the  cove  the  American 
barque  "  Don  Quixote,"  commanded  by  Mr.  Leese's  partner, 
Capt.  Hinckley,  and  on  board  of  which  were  their  goods.  There 
were  also  at  anchor  in  the  port  another  American  ship  and  a 
Mexican  brig.  These  vessels  supplied  every  bit  of  colored  bunt- 
ing they  could  furnish,  with  which  was  decorated  Mr.  Leese's 
hall.  A  splendid  display  was  the  result.  Outside  of  the  build- 
ing floated  amicably  the  Mexican  and  American  flags — the  first 
time  the  latter  was  displayed  on  the  shore  of  Yerba  Buena. 
Captain  Hinckley  seems  to  have  been  somewhat  extravagant  in 
his  passion  for  sweet  sounds,  since  he  always  travelled  with  a 
band  of  music  in  his  train.  Through  this  cause  the  most  stylish 
orchestra,  perhaps,  ever  before  heard  in  California,  was  provided 
by  him.  This  consisted  of  a  clarionet,  flute,  violin,  drum,  fife 
and  bugle  ;  besides  two  small  six  pounders  to  form  the  bass,  and 
to  add  their  emphatic  roar  to  the  swelling  din,  when  a  toast  of 
more  than  usual  importance  should  be  given.  These  last,  how- 
ever, were  borrowed  from  the  presidio. 

The  feast  was  prepared  ;  the  minstrels  were  met  ;  and  the 
guests  began  to  assemble  about  three  o'clock  on  the  afternoon  of 
the  Fourth.  They  were  about  sixty  in  number,  and  included 
General  M.  Gr.  Vallejo  and  all  the  principal  families  from  the 
neighborhood  of  Sonoma,  such  as  the  Castro,  Martinez,  &c,  as 
well  as  the  chief  inhabitants  of  San  Francisco.  Besides  the 
banqueting  hall,  Mr.  Leese  had  erected  a  number  of  small  tents, 
in  which  to  receive  his  numerous  guests  and  provide  for  them 
comfortably.    At  five  o'clock  dinner  was  served,  and  immediately 


170 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


afterwards  followed  the  toasts.  First  of  all  was  given  the  union 
of  the  Mexican  and  American  flags.  (How  little  did  the  con- 
vivial parties  then  dream  of  the  near  advent  of  the  sole  and  ab- 
solute sway  of  the  Americans  in  the  country  !)  General  Vallejo 
next  paid  the  honors  to  Washington.  Then  followed  appropriate 
national  and  individual  toasts  in  their  order  :  hut  which  it  is 


Celebration  of  the  Fourth  of  July  at  Lcese's  House. 


needless  to  particularize.  The  guests  were  as  happy  as  mortals 
could  well  be  ;  and,  in  short,  "  all  went  merry  as  a  marriage 
bell."  The  abundance  and  variety  of  liquors  at  table  seemed  to 
tickle  the  Californians  amazingly.  One  worthy  gentleman  took 
a  prodigious  fancy  to  lemon  syrup,  a  tumbler  full  of  which  he 
would  rmaff  to  every  toast.  This  soon  made  him  sick,  and  sent 
him  off  with  a  colic  ;  which  was  all  matter  of  mirth  to  his  "jolly 
companions,  every  one."  At  ten  o'clock  our  "  city  fathers  "  got 
the  table  cleared  for  further  action,  and  dancing  and  other 
amusements  then  commenced.    The  ball  was  kej)t  hot  and 


FIRST  CHILD  BORN  IN  VERBA  BUENA. 


171 


rolling  incessantly,  all  that  night,  and  it  appears,  too,  the  follow- 
ing day  ;  for,  as  Mr.  Leese  naively  observes,  in  his  interesting 
and  amusing  diary,  "  our  fourth  ended  on  the  evening  of  the 
fifth."  Many  of  the  simple-minded  Indians  and  such  lower 
class  white  people  as  were  not  invited,  had  gathered  around 
while  the  festivities  and  sports  were  going  on  among  the  people 
of  quality,  and  could  not  contain  themselves  for  joy,  but  contin- 
ually exclaimed,  "Que  buenos  son  los  Americanos ! " — What 
capital  fellows  these  Americans  are  !  And  doubtless  the  white 
gentry  thought,  and  often  said  the  same. 

But  let  a  Yankee  alone  for  knowing  his  own  interest  in  spend- 
ing money  lavishly  !  In  a  few  days  afterwards,  Mr.  Leese  had 
concluded  the  landing  of  his  twelve  thousand  dollars  worth  of 
goods,  when  he  opened  his  store  for  business.  The  grateful  guests, 
and  all  the  people  around,  at  once  flocked  to  purchase  ;  and 
trade,  he  says,  became  quite  brisk,  at  most  satisfactory  prices. 

Shortly  after  this  event,  Mr.  Leese,  upon  a  hasty  courtship — 
or  rather,  for  he  seems  to  have  had  no  time  to  wait,  and  Califor- 
nia was  beginning  to  shake  off  her  lethargy  and  be  a  go-ahead 
country ;  in  fact,  none  beyond  "popping  the  question,"  in  smart 
business  fashion,  on  the  1st  of  April,  1837  (ominous  day  for  such 
a  deed  !) — was  married  to  a  sister  of  General  Vallejo.  On  the 
7th  of  the  same  month  they  were  tied  together,  for  life,  by  the 
"holy  bands  of  matrimony  ;"  and  from  this  union,  on  the  15th 
pf  April,  1838.  sprung  their  eldest  child — Eosalie  Leese — being 
tlie  first  born  in  Yerba  Buena. 

In  this  year,  Mr.  Leese  erected  a  large  frame  building  on  the 
beach,  with  consent  of  the  alcalde,  the  latter  observing  that  the 
governor  had  informed  him  he  was  going  to  lay  out  a  few  town 
lots.  He  therefore  permitted  Mr.  Leese,  in  order  to  forward  his 
plans,  to  take  a  one-hundred  vara  lot  provisionally  where  he  wish- 
ed. The  present  banking-house  of  Mr.  James  King  of  William, 
at  the  corner  of  Commercial  and  Montgomery  streets,  and  which 
is  situated  in  what  may  be  called  the  centre  of  San  Francisco, 
occupies  the  site  of  Mr.  Leese's  frame  building  on  the  beach  of  Yer- 
ba Buena  Cove.  In  this  year  also,  Captain  Richardson  erected 
an  adobe  building  on  the  same  lot  he  had  always  occupied,  and 
which  has  been  already  noticed.    This  adobe  building,  one  and  a 


172 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


half  stories  high,  was  the  old  "  Casa  Grande  "  which  stood  on  the 
west  side  of  Dupont-street,  between  Washington  and  Clay  streets, 
and  was  taken  down  in  1852.  About  this  time,  some  native  Cali- 
fornians  and  a  few  visitors  of  foreign  extraction,  chiefly  American, 
began  to  settle  in  the  rising  town.  The  arrivals  of  ships  likewise 
were  gradually  increasing. 

In  1839,  Don  J.  B.  Alvarado,  then  constitutional  governor  of 
California,  dispatched  an  order  to  the  then  alcalde  of  San  Fran- 
cisco, Francisco  Haro,  to  get  a  survey  taken  of  the  plain  and  cove 
of  Yerba  Buena.  This  was  accordingly  made  by  Captain  Juan 
Vioget  in  the  fall  of  the  same  year,  and  was  the  first  regular  sur- 
vey of  the  place.  It  included  those  portions  of  the  present  city 
which  lie  between  Pacific  street  on  the  north,  Sacramento  street 
on  the  south,  Dupont  street  on  the  west,  and  Montgomery  street 
on  the  east.  The  original  bounds  of  the  new  town  were  therefore 
very  limited.  The  lot  on  which  Mr.  Leese  built  his  second  house 
was  marked  No.  1  on  the  plan,  and  its  eastern  front  made  the 
line  of  the  present  Montgomery  street,  which  then  formed  the 
beach  of  the  cove.  Mr.  Leese  seems  to  have  been  pretty  well 
treated  by  the  authorities  in  the  matter  of  the  new  town,  since  he 
appears  to  have  received,  besides  the  allotment  already  mentioned, 
farther  grants  of  three  one-hundred  vara  lots  on  the  west  side  of 
Dupont  street,  and  two  on  the  south  side  of  Sacramento  street, 
as  well  as  of  other  three  lots,  likewise  outside  of  the  survey.  To 
conclude  this  notice  of  Mr.  Leese's  close  connection  with  the  rising 
fortunes  of  Yerba  Buena,  it  may  be  mentioned,  that,  in  the  month 
of  August,  1841,  he  sold  his  dwelling-house  to  the  Hudson's  Bay 
Company,  and  removed  his  property  and  family  to  Sonoma,  with 
the  intention  of  engagingin  extensive  cattle  transactions  in  Oregon, 
which  territory  was  then  attracting  much  notice,  and  had  begun 
to  draw  to  it  many  agricultural  settlers. 


CHAPTER  III. 

Removal  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company.— Rapid  growth  and  increase  of  population  of  Terba  Buens. 

 First  newspapers  established  in  California.— Tables  showing  the  number  of  inhabitants  in 

1847,  with  their  places  of  birth,  ages,  sexes  and  occupations.— Ordinance  of  the  alcalde  changing 
the  name  of  Terba  Buena  to  San  Francisco.— W.  A.  Bartk-tt  was  the  first  alcalde  under  the  Ame- 
rican flag,  who  was  succeeded  by  George  Hyde,  and  he  by  Edwin  Bryant.— Powers  of  an  alcalde. 
—Great  sale  of  beach  and  water  lots,  agreeably  to  a  decree  of  General  Kearny. — Price  of  grants 
of  property,  and  subsequent  increased  value  of  city  lots  — Width  of  the  streets.— Municipal  regu- 
lation restricting  purchasers. 

During  the  early  years  of  the  existence  of  Yerba  Buena,  little 
occurs  worthy  of  notice.  The  place  continued  merely  a  village  ; 
and  its  history  for  some  years  subsequent  to  1841,  would  be  sim- 
ply a  record  of  the  private  business  transactions  of  the  Hudson's 
Bay  Company,  whose  agents  and  people  formed  nearly  the  entire 
settlement.  Even  so  lately  as  1844,  Yerba  Buena  contained  only 
about  a  dozen  houses,  and  its  permanent  population  did  not  ex- 
ceed fifty  persons.  In  1846  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  disposed 
of  their  property,  and  removed  from  the  place.  After  that  pe- 
riod it  began  gradually  to  increase  in  importance  and  population. 
The  progress  of  political  events  during  which  the  country  passed 
into  American  hands,  was,  as  might  have  been  anticipated,  the 
chief  cause  of  the  rapid  strides  onward  which  the  place  now  began 
to  take. 

By  mid-summer  of  1846,  the  population  numbered  upwards 
of  two  hundred,  and  the  buildings  of  all  kinds  had  increased  to 
nearly  fifty.  From  this  date  the  place  advanced  with  wonderful 
rapidity.  On  the  first  April  of  the  following  year,  it  contained 
seventy-nine  buildings,  viz. : — twenty-two  shanties,  thirty-one 
frame-houses,  and  twenty-six  adobe  buildings.  In  the  course  of 
the  subsequent  five  months,  seventy-eight  new  tenements  were 
erected,  viz. : — forty-seven  of  frame,  eleven  of  adobe,  and  twenty 
shanties.    About  this  time  the  permanent  population  had  increas- 


174 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


ed  to  nearly  five  hundred.  By  the  end  of  April,  1848,  about  the 
time  when  the  "rush"  to  the  "  diggings"  commenced,  the  town 
contained  nearly  two  hundred  buildings,  viz.  : — one  hundred  and 
thirty-five  finished  dwelling-houses,  ten  unfinished  houses  of  the 
same  class,  twelve  stores  and  warehouses,  and  thirty-five  shanties. 
At  this  last  date  the  population  numbered  about  a  thousand  in- 
dividuals, composed  almost  entirely  of  people  from  the  United 
States  or  from  European  countries.  Every  day  was  bringing 
new  immigrants,  and  every  week  additional  houses  were  erected. 

Three  kinds  of  buildings  generally  appear  early  in  the  progress 
of  American  settlements  : — the  church,  tavern  and  printing-office. 
The  last  was  established  so  early  as  January,  1847,  when  the  pop- 
ulation was  little  more  than  three  hundred  ;  and,  on  the  7th  of 
that  month  the  first  number  of  the  "  California  Star  "  appeared. 
This  paper  was  published  by  Mr.  Samuel  Brannan,  and  edited  by 
Dr.  E.  P.  Jones.  It  was  a  small  sheet  of  four  pages,  about  fifteen 
inches  by  twelve  of  type,  and  appeared  every  Saturday.  It  was 
a  neat  production — type,  matter  and  arrangement  being  of  excel- 
lent quality.  A  passage  in  the  prospectus  gave  notice  that  "  it 
will  eschew  with  the  greatest  caution  every  thing  that  tends  to 
the  propagation  of  sectarian  dogmas."  This  clause  may  have 
been  inserted  in  consequence  of  the  publisher  having  but  recently 
been  prominently  connected  with  a  certain  religious  sect,  and  with 
a  view  to  assure  the  public  that  it  was  no  part  of  his  intention  to 
make  the  "Star"  the  medium  of  promulgating  its  peculiar  sectarian 
tenets. 

"  The  Californian,"  also  a  weekly  newspaper,  of  still  smaller 
dimensions,  and  of  much  inferior  typographical  pretension,  had 
previously  appeared  at  Monterey,  where  its  first  number  was  issued 
on  the  15th  August,  1846,  by  Messrs.  Colton  &  Semple,  by  whom 
also  it  was  edited.  Commodore  K.  F.  Stockton,  however,  was  the 
originator  of  this  publication.  This  was  the  first  newspaper  in 
the  English,  or  indeed,  in  any  language,  which  was  published  in 
California.  For  the  sake  of  the  natives,  the  editors  gave  a  portion 
of  the  contents  in  Spanish  ;  but  the  greater  part  from  the  begin- 
ning, and  soon  the  whole  of  it,  was  printed  in  English.  The  pub- 
lishers seem  to  have  been  reduced  to  considerable  difficulty  in 
getting  out  their  paper.    In  one  of  the  impressions  they  give  this 


FIRST  NEWSPAPERS  ESTABLISHED. 


175 


explanatory  and  apologetic  note  for  its  rude  appearance.  We 
copy  literally  : — 

"  Our  Alphabet. — Our  type  is  a  Spanish  font  picked  up  here  in  a  clois- 
ter, and  has  no  W's  [W's]  in  it,  as  there  is  none  in  the  Spanish  alphabet.  I 
have  sent  to  the  sandwich  Islands  for  this  letter,  in  the  mean  time  vve  must 
use  two  Vs.  Our  paper  at  present  is  that  used  for  wrapping  segars  ;  in  due 
time  we  will  have  something  better :  our  object  is  to  establise  a  press  in 
California,  and  this  we  shall  in  all  probability  be  able  to  accomplish.  The 
absence  of  my  partner  for  the  last  three  months  and  my  buties  as  Alcaldd  here 
have  dedrived  our  little  paper  of  some  of  those  attentions  which  I  hope  it  will 
hereafter  receive. 

"Walter  Colton." 

The  printer  is  responsible  for  a  few  errors  in  the  above  ex- 
tract ;  but  the  editor  seems  also  blameable  for  the  rapid  changes 
from  singular  to  plural  and  back  again.    It  will  be  noticed  from 
the  date  of  the  first  number  of  the  "  Californian,"  that  it  was 
issued  immediately  after  the  capture  of  Sonoma  and  the  first 
hoisting  of  the  American  flag  in  the  northern  towns  of  California ; 
and  no  doubt  these  events  hastened  its  appearance.    In  the 
prospectus  the  editor  says  :  "  We  shall  maintain  an  entire  and 
utter  severance  of  all  political  connection  with  Mexico.  We 
renounce  at  once  and  forever  all  fealty  to  her  laws,  all  obedience 
to  her  mandates.    *    *    *    We  shall  advocate  a  territorial 
relation  of  California  to  the  United  States,  till  the  number  of 
her  inhabitants  is  such  that  she  can  be  admitted  a  member  of 
that  glorious  confederacy.     *    *     *     We  shall  support  the 
present  measures  of  the  commander-in-chief  of  the  American 
squadron  on  the  coast,  so  far  as  they  conduce  to  the  public  tran- 
quillity, the  organization  of  a  free  representative  government, 
and  our  alliance  with  the  United  States.    *    *    *    We  shall 
go  for  California— -for  all  her  interests,  social,  civil,  and  religious 
— encouraging  every  thing  that  promotes  these  ;  resisting  every 
thing  that  can  do  them  harm."    Thus,  every  thing  was  showing 
that  the  Americans  were  resolved,  at  whatever  cost,  to  keep  the 
country,  and  make  it  their  own.    Meanwhile,  San  Francisco  was 
rising  into  such  importance  as  to  make  it  a  much  superior  place 
for  publication  to  Monterey  ;  and  accordingly  on  the  22d  day  of 
May,  1847,  Mr.  Robert  Semple,  who  seems  now  to  have  been  the 


176 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


sole  publisher  of  the  "  Californian,"  issued  the  first  number  of 
the  second  volume  of  that  paper  at  the  former  town,  much  en- 
larged and  every  way  improved.  This  therefore  was  the  second 
newspaper  established  in  our  city,  at  a  time  when  the  permanent 
population  did  not  exceed  four  hundred. 

From  the  columns  of  these  early  papers  we  extract  much 
curious  information  regarding  the  number  and  elements  of  the 
population  of  San  Francisco  in  the  latter  part  of  June,  1847. 
The  following  table  shows  the  total  number  of  inhabitants,  the 
sex  and  age  of  the  whites,  and  the  sex  of  the  Indians,  Sandwich 
Islanders,  and  negroes  ;  excluding  the  officers  and  soldiers  of 
the  detachment  of  New  York  volunteers  stationed  there  at  the 


time  : — 

Whites.  Males.  Females.  Total. 

Under  5  years  of  age   28  23  51 

Over  5  and  under  10  years   18  14  32 

«   10       "      15     "    10  14  24 

"   15       "      20    "    11  11  22 

"   20       "      25    «    29  15  44 

«   25       "      30    "    54  19  73 

«   30       "      40    "    61  19  80 

"40       "      50    "    20  10  30 

"50       "      60    "    12  3  15 

«   60       "      70    "    2  —  2 

"70       "      80    "    2  —  2 

Total  whites   247  128  375 

Indians  (of  different  ages)   26  8  34 

Sandwich  Islanders  (of  different  ages)  39  1  40 

Negroes  (of  different  ages)   9  1  10 

Total   321  138  459 


From  this  table  it  will  be  seen  that  upwards  of  four-fifths  of 
the  whole  population  were  under  forty  years  of  age  ;  while  more 
than  one-half  were  between  twenty  and  forty — the  prime  of  fife. 
Under  twenty,  the  sexes  were  nearly  equal  in  number  ;  but 
above  that  age,  the  vast  majority  were  males.  These  circum- 
stances must  be  borne  in  mind  when  the  reader  considers  the 
restless  enterprise,  energy  and  capability  exhibited  by  the  com- 
paratively small  population  of  the  town.  We  have  already 
alluded  to  the  mixture  of  foreigners  who  settled  in  San  Fran- 


POPULATION  OF  YEHBA  BUENA. 


177 


cisco.  We  now  give  the  birth-places  of  the  above  white  popula- 
tion : — 

Born  in  the  United  States,  228  ;  in  California,  38  ;  other 
Mexican  departments,  2  ;  Canada,  5  ;  Chili,  2  ;  England,  22  ; 
France,  3  ;  Germany,  27  ;  Ireland,  14  ;  Scotland,  14 ;  Switzer- 
land, 6  ;  at  sea,  4 ;  Denmark,  Malta,  New  Holland,  New  Zea- 


San  Francisco,  from  the  Bay,  in  1847. 


land,  Peru,  Poland,  Russia,  Sandwich  Islands,  Sweden  and 
West  Indies,  one  each. 

As  of  the  number  stated  to  have  been  born  in  California, 
eight  were  children  of  immigrant  parents,  it  will  be  seen  that 
the  total  population  of  Spanish  or  Mexican  descent  was  only 
thirty-two.  Three-fifths  of  the  total  inhabitants  were  of  direct 
American  origin  ;  and  perhaps  one-fifth  more  was  composed  of 
people  who  had  previously  settled  or  lived  in  the  United  States. 
The  Americans,  however,  as  may  be  supposed,  were  from  every 


178 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


State  in  the  Union,  and  were  often  as  different  from  each  other 
in  personal  characteristics,  as  if  they  had  been  so  many  foreigners 
of  separate  countries. 

The  number  who  could  read  and  write  was  two  hundred  and 
seventy-three  ;  those  who  could  read,  but  not  write,  were  thir- 
teen ;  while  those  who  could  neither  read  nor  write,  were  eighty- 
nine. 

From  these  statements  it  appears  that  the  number  who  could 
neither  read  nor  write  bore  a  near  relation  to  the  number  of 
inhabitants  under  ten  years  of  age.  At  that  period,  it  may  be 
mentioned,  there  was  only  one  school  in  the  place,  and  no  proper 
facilities  were  as  yet  given  for  bestowing  a  suitable  education 
upon  the  young. 

The  occupations  or  professions  of  the  white  males  were  as 
follows  : — 1  minister ;  3  doctors ;  3  lawyers  ;  2  surveyors  ;  1 
school-teacher  ;  11  agriculturalists  ;  7  bakers  ;  6  blacksmiths  ; 
1  brewer  ;  6  brick-makers ;  7  butchers  ;  2  cabinet  makers  ; 
26  carpenters  ;  1  cigar-maker  ;  13  clerks  ;  3  coopers  ;  1  gar- 
dener ;  5  grocers  ;  2  gunsmiths  ;  3  hotel-keepers  ;  20  laborers  ; 
4  masons  ;  11  merchants  ;  1  miner  ;  1  morocco-case  maker  ;  6 
inland  navigators  ;  1  ocean  navigator  ;  1  painter  ;  6  printers  ; 
1  saddler;  4  shoemakers  ;  1  silversmith  ;  4  tailors  ;  2  tanners ; 
1  watchmaker  ;  1  weaver. 

The  places  in  which  the  inhabitants  conducted  their  business, 
were  as  follows,  viz.  : — shops,  1  apothecary,  2  blacksmith,  3 
butcher,  1  cabinet  maker,  2  carpenter,  1  cigar-maker,  2  cooper, 
1  gun-smith,  1  shoemaker,  2  tailor,  and  1  watchmaker  ;  8  stores ; 
7  groceries  ;  2  hotels  ;  1  wind-mill  ;  1  horse-mill  ;  2  printing- 
offices  ;  and  3  bakeries. 

The  Indians,  Sandwich  Islanders,  and  negroes,  who  formed 
nearly  one-fifth  of  the  population,  were  mostly  employed  as 
servants  and  porters.  Many  of  the  Sandwich  Islanders  were 
engaged  in  navigating  the  bay,  and  were  very  expert  boatmen. 

On  the  30th  of  January,  1847,  the  following  important 
"  ordinance  "  appeared  in  the  "  California  Star." 

"AN  ORDINANCE. 

""Whereas,  the  local  name  of  Yerba  Buena,  as  applied  to  the  settlement 
or  town  of  San  Francisco,  is  unknown  beyond  the  district ;  and  has  been  ap- 


POWERS  OF  AN  ALCALDE. 


179 


plied  from  the  local  name  of  the  cove,  on  which  the  town  is  built :  Therefore, 
to  prevent  confusion  and  mistakes  in  public  documents,  and  that  the  town 
may  have  the  advantage  of  the  name  given  on  the  public  map, 

"It  is  hereby  ordained,  that  the  name  of  San  Francisco  shall  here- 
after be  used  in  all  official  communications  and  public  documents,  or  records 
appertaining  to  the  town. 

"  Wash'n  A.  Bartlett, 

"  Chief  Magistrate. 

"  Published  by  order, 

"  J.  G.  T.  Dunleavt,  Municipal  Clerk." 

Mr.  Bartlett  was  the  first  alcalde  of  San  Francisco  under  the 
American  flag.  He  was  a  lieutenant  in  the  United  States  navy ; 
and  on  being  subsequently  ordered  to  his  ship,  Mr.  Edwin  Bryant 
was  appointed  in  his  place,  and  sworn  into  office  on  the  22d  day 
of  February,  1847.  This  gentleman  had  travelled  the  previous 
year  across  the  country  from  Independence,  Mo.,  to  the  Pacific, 
and  had  subsequently  joined  Col.  Fremont  as  a  volunteer  in  the 
reduction  of  California.  Shortly  afterwards,  he  published  in 
New  York  an  interesting  account  of  his  travels  under  the  title, 
"  What  I  saw  in  California."  Before  Mr.  Bryant's  appointment 
to  the  chief-magistracy,  Mr.  George  Hyde  had  acted  for  a  short 
time  as  temporary  alcalde. 

Under  the  laws  of  Mexico,  an  alcalde  had  the  entire  control 
of  municipal  affairs,  and  administered  justice  pretty  much 
according  to  his  own  ideas  of  the  subject ;  without  being  tied 
down  to  precedents  and  formal  principles  of  law.  He  could 
make  grants  of  building-lots  within  the  town  boundaries  to 
intending  settlers  ;  and  really  in  general,  his  right  of  administra- 
tion (except  in  cases  of  importance,  either  civil  or  criminal), 
seems  to  have  been  only  limited  by  his  power  to  carry  his  decrees 
into  effect.  When  the  Americans  seized  the  country,  and  until 
peace  should  be  declared  or  a  formal  constitution  adopted,  they 
were  obliged  to  make  use  of  the  existing  machinery  of  local 
government  and  the  customary  laws  that  regulated  it.  They 
accordingly  every  where  appointed  alcaldes,  or  chief-magistrates 
of  towns  and  districts  (it  was  of  little  consequence  that  they 
were  not  lawyers,  but  only  ministers,  doctors,  adventurers,  men 
of  business,  or  of  pleasure,  and  the  like),  and  instructed  them 
to  dispense  justice  in  the  best  manner  they  could,  paying  always 


180 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


as  much  regard  as  possible  to  the  national  laws  of  Mexico  and 
the  provincial  customs  of  California. 

The  laws  of  Mexico  reserved  to  the  governor  of  a  province 
the  disposal  of  lands  in  towns  within  a  certain  number  of  feet 
below  high-water  mark.  By  this  time,  from  the  number  of  ships 
arriving  in  the  Bay  of  San  Francisco,  it  was  becoming  absolutely 
necessary  that  proper  facilities  should  be  given  for  the  discharge 
and  the  reception  of  cargoes,  and  that  wharves  and  other  land- 
ing-places should  be  built  across  the  great  mud  flat  close  upon 
the  beach  at  the  town,  and  extended  to  deep  water,  so  that  ves- 
sels could  lie  alongside.  Upon  the  application  therefore  of  the 
alcalde,  Mr.  Bryant,  the  then  governor  of  California,  General 
Kearny,  in  anticipation  that  the  country  was  ultimately  to  be- 
come American,  formerly  renounced,  on  the  10th  of  March,  1847, 
in  favor  of  the  municipal  authorities,  the  beach  and  water  pro- 
perty lying  between  the  points  known  as  the  Rincon  and  Fort 
Montgomery,  upon  the  conditions  stated  in  his  decree.  An  ex- 
tended survey  and  plan  of  the  town  had  been  previously  com- 
menced by  Mr.  Jasper  O'Farrell,  under  the  instructions  of  the 
former  alcalde,  Mr.  Bartlett,  and  were  now  continued  so  as  to 
embrace  the  beach  and  water  property.  When  this  survey  was 
completed,  the  shore  lots,  as  distinguished  from  those  on  the 
beach,  were  disposed  of  by  private  sale  to  applicants  at  a  fixed 
price  put  on  them  by  the  alcalde,  agreeably  to  the  Mexican  cus- 
toms. The  plan  of  the  city,  as  surveyed  and  mapped  out  by 
Mr.  O'Farrell,  fronted  the  cove,  and  included  the  Telegraph  Hill 
and  the  Rincon.  It  extended  about  three  quarters  of  a  mile 
from  north  to  south,  and  two  miles  from  east  to  west,  and  em- 
braced about  one  and  a  halt'  square  miles.  As  the  disposal  of  the 
beach  and  water  lots  was  a  great  event  in  the  history  of  San 
Francisco,  we  give  a  copy  of  the  advertisement  announcing  the 
sale,  and  which  was  published  in  the  "  California  Star,"  of  the 
town,  and  in  the  "  Californian,"  of  Monterey,  in  conformity  with 
the  governor's  decree  : — 

"Great  Sale  of  Valuable  Real  Estate  in  the  Town  of  San  Fran- 
cisco, Upper  California. 

By  the  following  decree  of  His  Excellency,  General  S.  W.  Kearny.  Go- 
vernor of  California,  all  the  right,  title  and  interest,  of  the  United  States,  and 


SALE  OF  BEACH  AND  WATER  LOTS. 


181 


of  the  Territory  of  California,  to  the  beach  and  water  lots  on  the  east  front 
of  the  town  of  San  Francisco,  have  been  granted,  conveyed,  and  released,  to 
the  people  or  corporate  authorities  of  said  town : — 

'Decree  of  General  Kearny. 

'  I,  Brigadier-General  S.  W.  Kearny,  Governor  of  California,  by  virtue  of 
authority  in  me  vested  by  the  President  of  the  United  States  of  America,  do 
hereby  grant,  convey,  and  release  unto  the  town  of  San  Francisco,  the  people, 
or  corporate  authorities  thereof,  all  the  right,  title,  and  interest  of  the  Govern- 
ment of  the  United  States,  and  of  the  Territory  of  California,  in  and  to  the 
beach  and  water  lots  on  the  east  front  of  said  town  of  San  Francisco,  included 
between  the  points  known  as  the  Rincon  and  Fort  Montgomery,  except  such 
lots  as  may  be  selected  for  the  use  of  the  United  States  Government  by  the 
senior  officers  of  the  army  and  navy  now  there:  Provided,  the  said  ground 
hereby  ceded  shall  be  divided  into  lots,  and  sold  by  public  auction  to  the 
highest  bidder,  after  three  months  notice  previously  given ;  the  proceeds  of 
said  sale  to  be  for  the  benefit  of  the  town  of  San  Francisco. 

'  Given  at  Monterey,  capital  of  California,  this  10th  day  of  March,  1847, 
and  the  71st  year  of  the  independence  of  the  United  States. 

'S.  W.  Kearny. 
'Brigadier-General  and  Governor  of  California.'' 

"  In  pursuance  of  and  in  compliance  with  the  conditions  of  the  foregoing 
decree,  all  the  ungranted  tract  of  ground  on  the  east  front  of  the  town  of  San 
Francisco,  lying  and  situated  between  Fort  Montgomery  and  the  Rincon.  and 
known  as  the  water  and  beach  lots  (the  reservations  by  the  general  and  town 
governments  excepted),  will  be  surveyed,  and  divided  into  convenient  building 
lots  for  warehouses  and  stores,  and  offered  at  public  sale  to  the  highest  bidder 
on  Tuesday,  the  29th  day  of  J une  next,  at  ten  o'clock,  a.  m.  A  plan  of  lots 
in  connection  with  a  general  map  of  the  town  will  be  made  out  and  exhibited 
on  or  before  the  day  of  sale. 

"  Terms  of  sale,  one  fourth  cash, — one  fourth  in  six  months, — one  fourth 
in  twelve  months, — and  one  fourth  in  eighteen  months,  the  purchaser  giving 
approved  security  bearing  an  interest  of  ten  per  cent,  per  annum  from  the 
day  of  sale. 

"  Other  conditions  will  be  made  known  on  or  before  the  day  of  sale. 

"  The  site  of  the  town  of  San  Francisco  is  known  to  all  navigators  and 
mercantile  men  acquainted  with  the  subject,  to  be  the  most  commanding  com- 
mercial position  on  the  entire  eastern  coast  of  the  Pacific  Ocean,  and  the  town 
itself  is,  no  doubt,  destined  to  become  the  commercial  emporium  of  the  west- 
ern side  of  the  American  continent.  The  property  offered  for  sale  is  the  most 
valuable  in,  or  belonging  to  the  town,  and  the  acquisition  of  it  is  an  object  of 
deep  interest  to  all  mercantile  houses  in  California  and  elsewhere  engaged  in 
the  commerce  of  the  Pacific. 

"Edwin  Bryant, 
"  Alcalde,  or  Ch  ief  Magistrate,  Town  and  District  of  San  Francisco. 

"San  Francisco,  Upper  California,  March  16th,  1847." 


182 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


This  great  sale  was  subsequently  postponed  to  Tuesday,  the 
20th  of  July  following,  by  order  of  Mr.  George  Hyde,  who  was 
then  alcalde  of  the  town.  On  the  day  last  named  the  sale  took 
place,  and  lasted  for  three  successive  days.  The  lots  were  all 
contained  between  the  limits  of  low  and  high-water  mark  ;  and 
four-fifths  of  them  were  entirely  covered  with  water  at  flood  tide. 
The  size  of  the  lots  was  sixteen  and  a  half  varas  in  width  of  front, 
and  fifty  varas  deep.  A  vara  is  a  Spanish  yard,  and  is  equal  to 
about  thirty-three  and  one-third  inches  of  English  measure. 
There  were  about  four  hundred  and  fifty  of  these  lots  in  all,  of 
which  number  two  hundred  were  disposed  of  at  the  public  sale 
above  mentioned.  The  attendance  of  buyers  was  pretty  fair  ; 
and  the  prices  given  were  very  considerable  (ranging  from  fifty  to 
one  hundred  dollars),  considering  the  population  and  circumstan- 
ces at  the  time.  The  price  of  some  of  the  same  lots  now  would 
somewhat  astonish  the  projectors  of  the  town  extension  of  those 
days. 

Curiously  enough,  we  were  in  the  act  of  finishing  the  last 
sentence,  when  we  were  informed  of  the  prices  obtained  by  the 
municipal  authorities  for  other  water  lots  which  they  were  at  this 
time  (26th  December,  1853)  disposing  of  likewise  at  public  auc- 
tion. These  last  lots  were  situated  much  farther  out  in  the  bay, 
at  places  always  covered  with  many  feet  of  water,  and  measured 
less  than  one-half  the  size  of  the  old  ones,  being  only  twenty-five 
feet  in  front  by  fifty-nine  feet  nine  inches  back.  Yet  they 
brought  prices  varying  from  eight  to  sixteen  thousand  dollars ! 
Four  small  sized  building  blocks  alone  produced,  in  all3  the  enor- 
mous sum  of  $1,200,000  ;  thereby  restoring  the  injured  credit 
of  the  city.  Such  is  one  contrast  between  1847  and  1853  at  San 
Francisco  ! 

But  the  principal  part  of  the  town  was  laid  out  in  lots  of  fifty 
varas  square  ;  six  of  them  making  a  building  block,  bounded  on 
the  four  sides  by  streets.  In  August,  1847,  there  had  been 
about  seven  hundred  of  this  description  of  lots  surveyed,  of  which 
number  nearly  four  hundred  and  fifty  had  been  applied  for  and 
disposed  of  by  the  alcalde  at  a  fixed  price,  which  now  seems  to 
have  been  merely  nominal.   This  price  was  twelve  dollars  per  lot, 


SALES  OF  CITY  PROPERTY. 


183 


and  when  the  office  fees  for  deed  and  recording  (three  dollars  and 
sixty-two  and  a  half  cents)  were  added,  the  total  cost  was  less 
than  sixteen  dollars.  The  conditions  of  sale  were  that  the  buyer 
should  fence  in  the  ground,  and  build  a  house  upon  it  within  one 
year  ;  failing  which,  the  lot  and  improvements  were  to  revert  to 
the  town. 

The  south-eastern  portion  of  the  town  was  laid  out  in  lots  of 
one  hundred  varas  square,  six  of  which  also  formed  a  building 
block,  bounded  by  regular  streets  at  the  four  sides.  The  part  of 
the  town  formed  by  these  last  lots  was  supposed  to  be  the  least 
valuable,  and  the  lots  themselves  were  expected  to  be  the  last 
taken  up  and  improved  by  purchasers.  The  price  established  by 
law  for  these  lots,  which  were  four  times  the  size  of  the  fifty  vara 
ones,  was  only  twenty-Jive  dollars  each,  and  when  the  deed  and 
recording  fees  were  added  (three  dollars  and  sixty-two  and  a 
half  cents),  the  total  cost  was  under  twenty-nine  dollars.  In 
August,  1847,  about  one  hundred  and  thirty  lots  of  this  descrip- 
tion were  surveyed  and  laid  out,  of  which  number  about  seventy 
had  been  sold.  The  conditions  of  the  sale  were  similar  to  those 
applicable  to  the  fifty  vara  lots. 

The  proceeds  of  all  these  sales  made  up  a  considerable  sum, 
and  saved  the  necessity  of  levying  municipal  taxes  for  a  short 
time.  Eeal  estate  has  advanced  so  rapidly  in  value  since  those 
days,  that  it  would  only  be  ridiculous  to  compare  the  prices  obtain- 
able now  with  those  fixed  by  the  alcalde  in  1847.  In  many  cases, 
however,  an  immense  sum  has  been  actually  expended  in  first 
bringing  the  ground  into  building  condition. 

In  Mr.  O'Farrell's  plan,  the  streets  are  all  regularly  laid  out 
at  right  angles  with  each  other,  and  are  seventy-five  and  eighty 
feet  wide.  One,  however,  is  one  hundred  and  ten  feet  in  width. 
The  streets  in  the  oldest  part  of  the  town — that  portion  surveyed 
by  Capt.  Juan  Vioget,  as  stated  in  the  previous  chapter — are 
only  about  sixty  feet  broad. 

There  was  at  one  time  a  municipal  regulation,  by  which  in- 
dividuals were  prevented  from  purchasing  and  holding  more  than 
a  single  fifty  or  one  hundred  vara  lot.  The  object  of  this  appears 
to  have  been  to  exclude  speculators  from  jobbing  in  the  lots,  and 


184 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


to  insure  their  speedy  improvement  by  the  real  owner.  By  pro- 
curing lots,  however,  in  the  names  of  third  parties,  speculators 
soon  contrived  to  evade  this  regulation,  and  thus  a  few  individu- 
als became  possessed  of  a  large  portion  of  the  extension  of  the 
town.  The  alcalde  and  town  council  therefore,  shortly  after- 
wards, did  away  with  this  restriction  upon  purchasers. 


CHAPTER  IV. 
1846-1847. 

Captain  Montgomery  hoists  the  American  flag  on  Portsmouth  Square. — Arrival  of  the  ship  Brooklyn 
from  New  York,  with  a  largo  company  of  Mormon  and  other  immigrants. — Disputes  among  her 
passengers,  leading  to  the  first  jury  trial  in  San  Francisco.— Grand  ball  at  the  residence  of  Wm. 
A.  Leidesdorff. — Nautical  fete  given  by  Capt.  Simmons. — Public  reception  of  Com.  Stockton. — 
Attempts  to  establish  a  public  school. — Name  of  town  changed  to  San  Francisco. — Number  of 
buildings  and  inhabitants.— Suffering  immigrants  in  the  Sierra  Nevada. — Trustees  of  the  proposed 
school  chosen. — Delegates  to  represent  the  District  of  San  Francisco  in  the  new  legislative  coun- 
cil— Arrival  of  Col.  Stevenson  and  New  York  Volunteers. — Vessels  in  the  harbor,  13th  March, 
1S47. — "The  California  Star"  adopts  tho  name  of  San  Francisco. — Mails  established  between  San 
Francisco  and  San  Diego. — Proposed  erection  of  a  church. — Grand  illumination  in  honor  of  Gen. 
Taylor's  victory  at  Buena  Vista. — Celebrations  of  Anniversaries — Public  meeting  to  consider  the 
clnims  of  Col.  Fremont  to  the  office  of  Governor  of  the  Territory.— Sale  of  beach  and  water 
lots. — Election  of  the  first  town  council. — The  first  public  school. — Gales  in  San  Francisco  Bay. — 
The  first  steamboat. — Thanksgiving  Day. — Commercial  Statistics. 

Having  got  the  new  town  of  San  Francisco  fairly  planned,  and 
given  some  general  notion  to  the  reader  of  the  elementary  com- 
position of  its  inhabitants,  shortly  before  the  time  when  the  dis- 
covery of  gold  was  altogether  to  change  its  appearance  and  char- 
acter, we  shall  now  turn  back  a  little  in  the  order  of  time,  and 
detail  such  few  scattered  notices  of  previous  events  as  may  seem 
to  us  worthy  of  being  recorded  among  the  "  Annals "  of  the 
place. 

1846. 

July  8th. — The  American  flag  was,  on  the  morning  of  this  day, 
hoisted  in  the  plaza,  or  public  square  of  Yerba  Buena,  by  Capt. 
Montgomery,  of  the  United  States  sloop-of-war  Portsmouth,  then 
lying  in  the  bay.  Two  days  before  Commodore  Sloat  had  despatch- 
ed a  messenger  to  Capt.  Montgomery,  informing  him  of  his  in- 
tention to  raise  the  American  flag  at  Monterey,  and  commanding 
him  to  do  the  same  in  the  northern  parts  of  the  province  around 
the  Bay  of  San  Francisco.    This  Montgomery  did  at  the  above 


186 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


date,  accompanied  by  a  party  of  seventy  sailors  and  marines, 
and  under  a  salute  of  twenty-one  guns  from  the  Portsmouth. 
The  plaza  at  this  time  received  the  name  of  Portsmouth  Square, 
and  the  street  lying  on  the  beach  was  called  Montgomery  Street.  It 
may  be  mentioned  that  the  American  flag  was  raised  at  Sonoma 
on  the  10th  of  this  month ;  and  soon  afterwards  at  every  princi- 
pal place  in  the  northern  portion  of  California,  where  it  was 
generally  beheld  with  tranquillity,  if  not  with  applause. 

July  31st. — The  ship  "  Brooklyn  "  arrived  in  San  Francisco 
Bay  with  a  company  of  Mormon  and  other  immigrants  from  New 
York.  On  landing  at  Yerba  Buena,  they  immediately  set  up 
their  tents  among  the  sand-hills  close  to  the  beach.  Very  soon 
disputes  began  to  arise  between  the  Mormon  people  and  their 
leaders,  which  ended  in  an  open  rupture,  and  a  secession  from 
their  body  of  several  of  the  principal  men.  Mr.  Samuel  Brannan, 
one  of  the  most  prominent  of  the  party,  was  bitterly  reviled,  and 
accused  of  sundry  malversations  in  his  office  as  president  of  the 
association  and  as  one  of  the  managers  of  their  funds.  A  jury 
trial — the  first  ever  seen  in  California — was  the  consequence  ;  in 
which  Mr.  Brannan  was  successful.  These  proceedings  had  the 
effect  of  preventing  the  Mormons  at  this  time  from  selecting  lands 
together  and  establishing  themselves  as  a  distinct  community. 
Soon  afterwards  many  of  them  volunteered  to  serve  in  the  war  in 
California,  and  joined  Colonel  Fremont's  battalion. 

September  8th. — The  people  of  Yerba  Buena,  though  still 
few  in  number,  and  particularly  deficient  in  the  fair  sex,  seemed 
determined  to  enjoy  fife  while  they  might.  A  grand  ball  was 
given  on  the  evening  of  this  day  at  the  residence  of  Mr.  William 
A.  Leidesdorff,  by  the  officers  in  the  service  of  the  United  States, 
and  by  the  citizens  of  the  town  ;  when  upwards  of  one  hundred 
Californian  and  American  ladies  were  present,  with  a  large  num- 
ber of  gentlemen.  The  dancing  was  very  spirited,  and  kept  up 
till  daylight.  This  was  the  first  gathering  of  ladies  and  gentle- 
men since  the  hoisting  of  the  American  flag.  It  was  not  long 
allowed  to  be  the  only  one  ;  for  on  the  18  th  of  the  same  month, 
we  find  Capt.  Simmons,  of  the  American  whale-ship  "  Magnolia," 
giving  a  nautical  fete  on  board  his  ship  on  the  evening  of  that 
day.    One  hundred  and  fifty  family  invitations  were  issued  in 


PUBLIC  SCHOOL  PROPOSED. 


187 


Yerba  Buena  and  around  the  bay.  From  repeated  traces  whicb 
we  find,  of  subsequent  balls,  grand  dinners  and  suppers,  and 
other  festive  entertainments,  it  may  be  presumed  that  the 
people  of  Yerba  Buena  were  an  exceedingly  gay  set.  Business 
was  brisk,  and  the  town  thriving ;  while  the  majority  of  the  pop- 
ulation being  unmarried  and  without  proper  homes,  it  seemed 
that  some  such  kind  of  continual  public  diversion  was  the  only 
way  in  which  they  could  unbend  their  minds  from  the  contem- 
plation of  the  "  almighty  dollar,"  and  enjoy  themselves. 

October  5th. — This  day,  His  Excellency,  Commodore 
Robert  F.  Stockton,  the  governor  and  commander-in-chief  of 
California,  was  honored  with  a  public  reception  on  the  occasion 
of  a  visit  to  San  Francisco.  At  a  preliminary  meeting  to  make 
the  necessary  arrangements,  nearly  every  male  adult  of  the  place 
had  been  present  ;  and  on  this  day  again  all  turned  out  in  pro- 
cession, to  welcome  the  commodore.  After  the  magistracy  of  the 
district  and  foreign  consuls,  there  came  the  committee  of  manage- 
ment and  the  masters  of  the  ships  in  port,  concluding  with  a 
long  line  of  citizens.  A  military  escort  and  band  of  music 
attended  on  the  occasion.  General  M.  Gr.  Vallejo,  with  several 
other  native  gentlemen  who  had  held  office  under  the  last  govern- 
ment, also  appeared  in  the  procession.  We  may  mention  that 
the  general  (many  of  whose  relations  were  American  or  English), 
and  some  other  leading  Californians,  had  been  early  of  opinion 
that  the  best  hopes  for  their  country  lay  in  immediate  annexation 
to  the  United  States  ;  and,  accordingly,  on  all  occasions,  when  duty 
permitted,  they  had  been  firm  friends  to  the  Americans.  After 
an  appropriate  address  to  Commodore  Stockton,  in  which  he  was 
complimented  upon  his  efforts  and  success  in  reducing  California, 
and  a  suitable  reply  by  him,  the  ceremonies  of  the  day,  after  a 
long  procession  to  the  mission  and  back  again,  concluded  by  an 
excellent  collation,  followed  by  a  ball  in  the  evening. 

1847. 

January. — Various  attempts  have  been  made  of  late  to  es- 
tablish a  public  school.  The  "  California  Star  "  has  weekly  been 
calling  attention  to  this  important  subject.  At  last  a  committee 
was  appointed  to  ascertain  the  amount  of  subscriptions  that 


188 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


might  be  expected  from  the  inhabitants,  the  cost  of  the  building 
and  the  salary  of  the  teacher.  Very  unlike  the  usual  proceedings 
of  the  citizens,  much  time  and  talk  seem  to  have  been  lost  on  this 
subject  ;  nor  was  the  object  wished  for  obtained  till  upwards  of 
twelve  months  after  this  date. 

It  was  in  this  month  that  the  term  Yerba  Buena  was  changed 
into  San  Francisco,  by  an  ordinance  of  the  alcalde,  as  stated  in 
the  preceding  chapter.  There  were  only  about  fifty  houses  at 
this  period  in  the  whole  place,  most  of  which  were  small  single 
story  buildings,  constructed  chiefly  of  adobes.  They  were  scat- 
tered irregularly  over  the  space  lying  between  the  foot  of  Tele- 
graph Hill  and  Happy  Valley.  In  April,  of  this  year,  the  pop- 
ulation numbered  three  hundred  and  seventy-five,  without 
reckoning  the  Indians,  who  were  by  this  time  few  in  number. 

February  3d. — A  public  meeting  was  held  on  the  evening  of 
this  day  to  consider  the  alarming  situation  of  a  party  of  immi- 
grants, who  the  previous  year  had  attempted  to  reach  California 
by  a  new  route  through  the  Great  Basin  ;  but  who,  in  ignorance 
of  the  country  and  other  causes,  had  been  so  long  delayed  on  the 
journey,  that  they  were  caught  among  the  winter  snows  of  the 
Sierra  Nevada,  where  some  of  them  had  already  perished,  and 
the  remainder  were  in  imminent  peril.  Not  content,  however, 
with  a  mere  expression  of  feeling,  the  meeting  subscribed  nearly 
fifteen  hundred  dollars,  and  immediately  fitted  out  an  expedition 
of  twenty  men,  with  an  old  mountaineer  as  guide,  to  proceed  to 
the  mountains  with  supplies  to  the  sufferers,  and  to  assist  in  ex- 
tricating them  from  danger.  Other  expeditions,  from  various 
parts  of  the  country,  one  of  which  was  organized  and  altogether 
maintained  at  the  personal  charges  of  the  benevolent  Capt.  Sutter 
of  New  Helvetia,  likewise  made  the  attempt  to  penetrate  the 
mountains,  and  carry  glad  tidings  and  safety  to  the  unfortunates. 
By  these  means  those  still  alive  were  all  rescued  by  the  middle 
of  spring.  The  descriptions  given  by  the  survivors,  and  by  such 
members  of  the  expeditions  as  were  able  to  reach  them,  show  a 
state  of  things  of  the  most  painful  and  horrible  character.  Many 
indeed  had  perished,  through  excessive  cold  and  exposure  to  the 
weather,  bodily  fatigue  and  sheer  hunger.  When  the  provisions 
of  the  party  were  exhausted,  and  there  was  no  strength  nor  oppor- 


SUFFERING  IMMIGRANTS. 


189 


tunities  left  to  kill  game  for  rood,  necessity  forced  them  to  feed 
upon  the  dead  bodies  of  their  companions,  two  of  whom  (Indian 
guides),  a  small  detached  party  of  the  white  people  killed  for 
their  support.  Some  even  began  to  relish  this  kind  of  food,  and 
sought  it  in  preference  when  other  provisions  might  have  been 
obtained.    One  man,  particularly,  named  Kiesburg,  was  suspected 


Suffering  Immigrants. 


of  foul  murders  to  enable  him  to  gratify  this  new  and  unnatural 
propensity.  Before  the  time  of  trial,  however,  was  over,  all  were 
glad  enough  of  opportunities  to  partake  of  the  horrid  messes  of 
human  blood  and  uncooked  entrails. 

Packed  closely  together  to  preserve  animal  heat,  in  miserably 
small  tents,  with  masses  of  snow  beneath  and  around  them,  while 
piercing  winds  and  snow  blasts  penetrated  through  all  their  de- 
fences, and  the  temperature  was  much  below  the  freezing  point, 
these  unhappy  beings  for  months  saw  only  ultimate  destruction 
from  cold  and  hunger  before  them.    There  were  husbnnds  and 


190 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


wives,  parents  and  children,  all  bearing  the  same  physical  suffer- 
ing, and  the  elders  likewise  the  mental  anguish  of  thinking  upon 
the  sad  fate  of  their  little  ones  and  the  females  dependent  on  them. 
Snow  had  begun  to  fall  earlier  than  usual  among  the  mountains, 
and  when  the  party  had  arrived  at  the  eastern  side  of  the  great 
pass  across  the  Sierra  Nevada,  it  lay  too  soft  and  deep  for  them 
to  proceed.  To  retrace  their  steps  was  impossible  ;  and,  accord- 
ingly, they  were  forced  to  encamp  where  they  were,  with  all  the 
gloomy  months  of  winter  before  them,  unprepared,  in  every  respect, 
in  clothing,  food,  and  lodging.  Soon  despair  filled  every  heart  ; 
while  the  stealthy  approaches  of  starvation  and  the  daily  sight  of 
their  misery  brought  insanity  in  their  train.  Many  died  raving 
mad  ;  while  the  minds  of  all  were  in  some  sense  affected  by  the 
horror  of  their  situation.  By  great  efforts  and  much  physical  ex- 
ertion some  few  scattered  members  of  the  company  managed  to 
struggle  through  the  snowy  barrier,  and  slowly  and  painfully, 
reached  the  nearest  settlements  on  the  western  slope  of  the  moun- 
tains. The  warm  hearts  of  the  settlers  beat  with  generous  emo- 
tion on  hearing  the  sad  tidings  from  the  few  who  had  thus  escaped, 
and  soon  the  whole  country  around  San  Francisco  Bay  was  aroused 
to  carry  relief  to  the  people  still  among  the  snows.' 

The  following  notice  of  the  appearance  of  the  suffering  immi- 
grants when  the  relief  party  reached  them,  is  taken  from  the  "  Cal- 
ifornia Star  "  of  the  10th  April,  1847  :— 

"  The  bones  of  those  who  had  died  and  been  devoured  by  the  miserable  ones 
that  still  survived,  were  lying  around  their  tents  and  cabins.  Bodies  of  men, 
women  and  children,  with  half  the  flesh  torn  from  them,  lay  on  every  side.  A 
woman  sat  by  the  side  of  the  body  of  her  husband,  who  had  just  died,  cutting 
out  his  tongue ;  the  heart  she  had  already  taken  out,  broiled  and  eat !  The 
daughter  was  seen  eating  the  flesh  of  the  father — the  mother  that  of  her  chil- 
dren— children  that  of  father  and  mother.  The  emaciated,  wild  and  ghastly 
appearance  of  the  survivors  added  horror  to  the  scene.  Language  cannot  de- 
scribe the  awful  change  that  a  few  weeks  of  dire  suffering  had  wrought  in  the 
minds  of  the  wretched  and  piteous  beings.  Those  who  but  one  month  before 
would  have  shuddered  at  the  thought  of  eating  human  flesh,  or  of  killing  their 
companions  and  relatives  to  preserve  their  own  lives,  now  looked  upon  the 
opportunity  by  these  acts  afforded  them  of  escaping  the  most  dreadful  of  deaths, 
as  a  providential  interference  in  their  behalf.  Calculations  were  coldly  made, 
as  they  sat  gloomily  around  their  camp  fires,  for  the  next  and  succeeding  meals. 
Various  expedients  were  devised  to  prevent  the  dreadful  crime  of  murder ;  but 


SUFFERING  IMMIGRANTS. 


191 


they  finally  resolved  to  kill  those  who  had  the  least  claims  to  longer  exist- 
ence. Just  at  this  moment,  however,  as  if  by  divine  interposition,  some  of 
them  died,  which  afforded  the  rest  temporary  relief.  Some  sunk  into  the  arms 
of  death  cursing  God  for  their  miserable  fate,  while  the  last  whisperings  of 
others  were  prayers  and  songs  of  praise  to  the  Almighty. 

"  After  the  first  few  deaths,  but  the  one  all-absorbing  thought  of  individual 
self-preservation  prevailed.  The  fountains  of  natural  affection  were  dried  up. 
The  chords  that  once  vibrated  with  connubial,  parental  and  filial  affection  were 
rent  asunder,  and  each  one  seemed  resolved,  without  regard  to  the  fate  of  oth- 
ers, to  escape  from  the  impending  calamity.  Even  the  wild  hostile  mountain 
Indians,  who  once  visited  their  camps,  pitied  them  ;  and  instead  of  pursuing 
the  natural  impulse  of  their  hostile  feelings  to  the  whites,  and  destroying 
them,  as  they  easily  could  have  done,  divided  their  own  scanty  supply  of  food 
with  them. 

"  So  changed  had  the  immigrants  become,  that  when  the  party  sent  out 
arrived  with  food,  some  of  them  cast  it  aside,  and  seemed  to  prefer  the  putrid 
human  flesh  that  still  remained.  The  day  before  the  party  arrived,  one  of  the 
immigrants  took  a  child  of  about  four  years  of  age  in  bed  with  him,  and  de- 
voured the  whole  before  morning,  and  the  next  day  eat  another  about  the  same 
age  before  noon. 

"  It  is  thought  that  several  more  of  these  unfortunate  people  might  have 
been  saved,  but  for  their  determination  not  to  leave  their  property.  Some  of 
them  who  started,  loaded  themselves  with  their  money  and  other  effects  to 
such  an  extent  that  they  sunk  under  them,  and  died  on  the  road." 

It  was  expected  that  this  calamity  would  have  had  a  serious 
influence  iu  deterring  future  immigration  into  California  from  the 
United  States.  But  the  discovery  of  gold  immediately  afterwards 
destroyed  all  calculations  on  the  subject,  and  sent  headlong  tens 
of  thousands  across  the  plains  and  over  t  he  Rocky  and  Snowy  Moun- 
tains where  the  above  party  had  suffered  so  much,  to  encounter 
in  some  cases  nearly  the  same  amount  of  misery  as  they.  We 
have  seen  that  the  town  of  San  Francisco  nobly  did  its  duty  on 
the  lamentable  occasion.  Of  the  eighty  individuals  who  composed 
the  party,  of  whom  forty-eight  were  males  and  thirty-two  females, 
thirty-six  perished.  Of  these,  twenty-eight  were  males,  and  only 
eight  females.  The  story  of  their  sufferings  and  end  make  a  strik- 
ing incident  in  the  history  of  California,  and  is  worthy  of  being 
recorded  in  the  "  Annals  of  San  Francisco,"  if  it  were  only  to 
mark  the  liberal  exertions  made  by  its  citizens  in  their  behalf. 

February  21st— Dr.  F.  Forgeaud,  C.  L.  Ross,  Dr.  J.  Town- 
send,  J.  Serrine  and  W.  H.  Davis,  were  appointed  trustees  of  the 
proposed  school. 


192  ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 

March  4th. — A  meeting  of  citizens  was  held  this  day  to  con- 
sider the  propriety  of  resolving,  that  the  District  of  San  Francisco 
should  be  fitly  represented  by  one  member  in  the  new  legislative 
council,  convened  by  the  governor,  until  a  proper  constitution 
should  be  obtained  for  the  Territory  ;  when  it  was  resolved  to  that 
effect,  and  Mr.  J.  G\  T.  Dunleavy  was  chosen  by  a  majority  of 
votes,  to  be  representative  accordingly.  It  appeared  that  the 
legislative  council,  recently  organized  by  Com.  Stockton,  consisted 
of  seven  individuals,  four  of  whom  were  Californians,  one  English- 
man and  two  Americans  ;  while  it.  was  an  undoubted  fact  that 
the  majority  of  the  white  population  was  from  the  United  States, 
and  the  constant  immigration  was  daily  increasing  this  majority. 
Similar  meetings  complaining  of  the  insufficient  American  repre- 
sentation in  the  council  were  held  at  Sonoma,  Santa  Clara,  and 
other  places,  at  which  American  delegates  were  chosen  to  repre- 
sent their  interests,  the  governor  being  entreated  by  these  meet- 
ings to  accept  of  their  choice,  and  formally  to  re-appoint  their 
nominees  as  members  of  the  legislative  council.  It  does  not  ap- 
pear that  any  notice  was  taken  of  these  proceedings,  or  that  the 
"people's  choice"  became  also  His  Excellency's.  The  latter  alone 
had  the  complete  control  of  the  Government — which,  so  long  as 
war  with  Mexico  lasted,  was  necessarily  a  military  one — and  ap- 
pointed only  such  officers  to  assist  him  in  the  same  as  suited  his 
personal  views  of  the  subject. 

March  6th. — The  ship  Thomas  H.  Perkins  arrived  from  New 
York,  bringing  Col.  Stevenson  of  the  New  York  volunteers,  and 
the  first  detachment  of  his  regiment.  With  few  exceptions,  the 
volunteers  were  mechanics  and  single  men;  and  as  they  were  enlist- 
ed t  o  serve  during  the  war,  and  when  peace  came,  to  be  disbanded 
only  in  California,  it  was  expected  that  they  would  nearly  all  re- 
main as  permanent  settlers  in  the  country.  The  colonel  himself 
and  all  his  officers,  had  likewise  expressed  their  wish  and  deter- 
mination to  make  California  their  home  after  the  termination  of 
hostilities. 

March  13th. — There  were  in  the  harbor  at  this  date  six 
square-rigged  vessels,  viz.  :  the  United  States  ship  Cyane,  the 
ships  Moscow,  Vandalia,  Barnstable,  Thomas  H.  Perkins,  and  the 
brig  Euphemia. 


CELEBRATION  OF  ANNIVERSARIES. 


193 


March  20th. — The  local  newspaper,  the  "  California  Star," 
is  pleased,  at  last,  to  acquiesce,  very  unwillingly,  in  the  change  of 
name  from  Yerba  Buena  to  San  Francisco  ;  and  to-day,  for  the 
first  time,  dates  its  leader  from  the  latter.  This  change  seems 
not  to  have  gratified  every  party.  Mr.  Semple,  of  the  Monterey 
"  Californian,"  and  Mr.  T.  0.  Larkin,  who  had  jointly  founded 
the  new  city  of  Francisca,  on  the  Strait  of  Carquinez,  afraid  lest 
their  rising  town  should  be  confounded  and  lost  in  the  name  and 
fame  of  San  Francisco,  were  forced  to  change  the  appellation  of 
the  former  to  Benicia.  In  those  days,  Benicia  was  anticipated  by 
many  to  be  the  great  future  rival  of  San  Francisco.  Later  times 
have  shown  how  unnecessary  fear  was  on  the  subject. 

April. — Semi-monthly  mails  established  between  San  Fran- 
cisco and  San  Diego  and  intermediate  places. 

May  6th. — A  public  meeting  was  held  to  consider  the  pro- 
priety of  erecting  a  church  in  the  town  ;  when  a  committee 
was  appointed  for  the  purpose  of  taking  steps  to  procure  the  erec- 
tion. 

May  28th. — First  grand  illumination  in  San  Francisco.  This 
was  in  honor  of  General  Taylor's  great  victory  over  the  Mexicans 
at  Buena  Vista.  Every  building  in  the  town,  of  frame  or  adobe, 
and  shanty  itself,  shone  with  as  much  lustre  as  an  unlimited  al- 
lowance of  oil  and  tallow  could  bestow.  Fire-arms  cracked,  and 
bonfires  blazed  on  all  sides. 

J uly. — Two  great  anniversaries  were  held  this  month,  in  a 
becoming  manner,  at  San  Francisco,  viz. :  the  independence-day 
of  the  United  States,  on  the  4th, — and  the  independence  or  con- 
quest-day of  California,  on  the  7th  ;  on  which  latter  day,  in  the 
previous  year,  the  American  flag  had  been  hoisted  at  Monterey  by 
Com.  Sloat.  We  have  already  had  occasion  to  notice  the  cele- 
bration of  a  "  glorious  fourth,"  just  eleven  years  before,  when  Mr. 
Leese  had  erected  the  first  solid  building  (his  house  being  of  frame, 
while  Capt.  Richardson's,  erected  the  preceding  year,  was  only  a 
canvas-covered  tent),  that  was  seen  in  Yerba  Buena.  Then  the 
country  was  Mexican,  and  while  the  guests  were  chiefly  of  that 
nation,  the  flags  of  both  Mexico  and  the  United  States  floated 
amicably  together.  Now — only  eleven  years  later — the  country 
■was  American,  and  her  flag  alone  was  displayed,  while  the  vast 
13 


194  ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 

majority  of  those  who  shared  in  the  festival  was  of  that  nation. 
What  a  wonderful  change  these  few  years  had  made  in  the  char- 
acter and  prospects  of  the  country !  As  before  we  had  occasion 
to  chronicle  Mr.  Leese's  musicians,  his  six  pounders,  his  dinner, 
drinks,  dancing  and  general  festivities  ;  so  we  may  here  say,  that 
the  day  of  1847  was  celebrated  in  a  similar  manner,  under  salutes 
from  men  of  war  in  the  bay,  and  the  presidio,  when  people  on 
shore  processed  to  musical  strains,  and  when  flags  waved,  and 
much  powder  was  burned,  and  the  citizens  speechified  and  hur- 
rahed, toasted,  drank,  danced  and  made  merry  as  is  usual  on 
such  occasions.    The  7 th  was  observed  in  a  similar  fashion. 

July  14th. — On  this  day  was  held  a  public  meeting  of  a  large 
number  of  citizens  to  consider  the  conduct  of  Col.  Fremont  in  Cal- 
ifornia, and  his  claims  to  be  chosen  by  the  President  of  the  Uni- 
ted States  as  Governor  of  the  Territory.  It  appears  that  after 
the  colonel's  volunteer  regiment  of  "mounted  riflemen"  was 
disbanded,  there  had  been  no  money  forthcoming  for  the  arrears 
of  pay,  or  even  to  reimburse  the  heavy  pecuniary  loss  and  outlay 
which  many  of  the  officers  and  men  had  incurred.  Governor 
Kearny,  and  his  successor,  Governor  Mason,  would  not,  or  could 
not,  make  such  payments  from  the  territorial  exchequer,  or  ra- 
ther grant  available  warrants  upon  the  national  treasury  without 
the  previous  sanction  of  Congress.  They  had  accepted  a  country 
conquered  partly  by  these  very  volunteers,  and  had  entered  upon 
possession  of  its  revenues,  and  yet  would  not,  or  cruelly  delayed 
to  pay  the  necessary  cost.  Col.  Fremont  therefore  appeared,  in 
the  mean  time,  the  only  debtor  ;  but  as  it  was  impossible  that  he 
could  pretend  to  be  able  to  make  payment  of  the  very  large  sums 
disbursed  on  account  of  the  war  in  California,  and  for  the  benefit 
solely  of  the  United  States,  much  personal  dissatisfaction  was  ex- 
pressed against  him  by  all  who  had  suffered  in  this  way,  and  by 
many  sympathizing  friends,  especially  in  the  northern  districts  of 
the  country.  In  the  southern  quarters,  from  whence  he  had  drawn 
few  or  no  volunteers,  and  owed  therefore  neither  pay  nor  supplies, 
the  colonel  had  become  exceedingly  popular  ;  and  this  although  he 
had  been  a  successful  invader.  In  these  parts  of  the  country  a 
petition  had  been  got  up  and  was  numerously  signed,  praying 
Congress  to  appoint  him  Governor  of  California.    The  same  peti- 


ELECTION  OF  A  TOWN  COUNCIL. 


195 


tion  being  taken  northwards  for  the  approval  and  signatures  of 
the  Americans  around  San  Francisco  Bay,  excited  much  angry 
feeling  on  the  subject.  Col.  Fremont  was  in  danger  of  losing  all 
his  recent  popularity,  and  in  the  rage  and  injustice  of  the  moment, 
was  even  denied  many  of  the  claims,  formerly  advanced  and  else- 
where allowed,  to  the  heroic  part  he  had  taken  in  the  conquest 
of  the  country.  At  the  meeting  above  mentioned,  a  committee 
of  eight  gentlemen  was  formed  to  investigate  and  publish  all  re- 
liable instances  of  his  misconduct ;  and  meantime,  the  meeting 
protested  against  his  being  chosen  as  their  governor  by  Congress. 
It  may  just  farther  be  stated  on  this  subject,  that  Congress,  a 
considerable  time  afterwards,  allotted  a  large  sum  to  satisfy  all 
claims  against  Fremont  on  account  of  the  war  in  California,  and 
which  naturally  fell  upon  the  United  States  as  accepting  the  coun- 
try reduced  to  their  hands. 

July  20th. — Beginning  of  the  great  sale  of  beach  and  water 
lots  in  San  Francisco,  as  detailed  in  a  preceding  chapter. 

July  28th. — The  alcalde,  Mr.  George  Hyde,  selected  six  gen- 
tlemen to  assist  him  in  disposing  of  the  great  and  daily  accumu- 
lation of  municipal  business.  These  were  the  ayuntamiento,  or 
"  town  council,"  as  they  were  called,  and  were  to  remain  in  office 
until  the  governor  should  think  fit  formally  to  cause  an  election 
to  take  place  among  the  citizens  to  fill  their  places.  According- 
ly, on 

August  15th,  Governor  Mason  issued  an  ordinance  addressed 
to  Mr.  Hyde,  in  regard  to  such  an  election.  As  it  explains  the 
manner  in  which  the  municipal  government  was  carried  on  in  those 
days,  we  quote  the  principal  portion  of  it : — 

"  There  is  wanted  in  San  Francisco  an  efficient  town  government,  more  so 
than  is  in  the  power  of  an  alcalde  to  put  in  force.  There  may  he  soon  expect- 
ed a  large  number  of  whalers  in  your  bay,  and  a  large  increase  of  your  popu- 
lation by  the  arrival  of  immigrants.  It  is  therefore  highly  necessary  that  you 
should  at  an  early  day  have  an  efficient  town  police,  proper  town  laws,  town 
officers,  &c,  for  enforcement  of  the  laws,  for  the  preservation  of  order,  and  for 
the  proper  protection  of  persons  and  property. 

"  I  therefore  desire  that  you  call  a  town  meeting  for  the  election  of  six 
persons,  who  when  elected  shall  constitute  the  town  council,  and  who  in  con- 
junction with  the  alcalde  shall  constitute  the  town  authorities  until  the  end 
of  the  year  1848. 


196 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


"  All  the  municipal  laws  and  regulations  will  be  framed  by  the  council, 
but  executed  by  the  alcalde  in  his  judicial  capacity  as  at  present. 

"  The  first  alcalde  will  preside  at  all  meetings  of  the  council,  but  shall  have 
no  vote,  except  in  cases  where  the  votes  are  equally  divided. 

"  The  town  council  (not  less  than  four  of  whom  shall  constitute  a  quorum 
for  the  transaction  of  business),  to  appoint  all  the  town  officers,  such  as  trea- 
surer, constables,  watchmen,  &c,  and  to  determine  their  pay,  fees,  &c. 

"  The  treasurer  to  enter  into  ample  and  sufficient  bonds,  conditioned  for 
the  faithful  performance  of  his  duties  :  the  bonds  to  be  fully  executed  to  the 
satisfaction  of  the  council  before  the  treasurer  enters  upon  his  duties. 

"  The  second  alcalde  shall,  in  case  of  the  absence  of  the  first  aloalde,  take 
his  place  and  preside  at  the  council,  and  there  perform  all  the  proper  functions 
of  the  first  alcalde. 

"  No  soldier,  sailor  or  marine,  nor  any  person  who  is  not  a  bona  fide  resi- 
dent of  the  town  shall  be  allowed  to  vote  for  a  member  of  the  town  council." 

In  pursuance  of  the  foregoing  order,  Mr.  Hyde  fixed  the  elec- 
tion for  six  members  for  a  town  council,  upon 

September  13th. — We  give  the  names  of  the  gentlemen  elect- 
ed, along  with  the  names  of  those  who  had  previously  been  ap- 
pointed by  the  alcalde,  as  an  interim  council : — 

Councillors  elected.  No.  of  votes.  Councillors  chosen  by  Alcalde. 


The  town  council  chose  Mr.  Leidesdorff  their  treasurer.  The 
first  alcalde  was  Mr.  George  Hyde  ;  and  the  second,  Dr.  T.  M. 
Leavenworth.  Immediately  after  the  formation  of  the  town 
council,  its  members  entered  with  spirit  upon  the  duties  of  their 
office.  They  passed  a  multitude  of  laws  affecting  the  general 
interests  of  the  town,  regulating  the  streets  and  buildings,  the 
licensing  and  character  of  business  allowed,  appointed  constables, 
&c.  Soon,  therefore,  the  place  became  to  assume  a  steady  pro- 
gressive appearance,  and  some  fair  sort  of  order  was  every  where 
established.  This  council  may  be  said  to  have  had  every  thing 
to  do  to  found  the  city.  Our  work  would  swell  beyond  all  rea- 
sonable limits,  should  we  attempt  to  name  every  public  act  of 
importance — when  nearly  all  they  did  was  new  and  of  vital  con- 


William  Glover, 
William  D.  M.  Howard, 
William  A.  Leidesdorff, 
E.  P.  Jones, 
Robert  A.  Parker, 
William  S.  Clark, 


12G 
114 
109 
88 
74 
72 


William  A.  Leidesdorff. 
Robert  A.  Parker. 
Jose  P.  Thompson. 
Pedro  T.  Sherreback. 
John  Rose. 

Benjamin  R.  Buckelew. 


THE  FIRST  THANKSGIVING  DAY. 


197 


sequence  to  the  well-being  of  San  Francisco — performed  by  this 
council.  We  can  only,  therefore,  give  an  occasional  notice  in 
future  of  their  proceedings.  One,  however,  of  their  earliest  reso- 
lutions may  just  be  glanced  at,  viz. :  the  rescinding  of  those  con- 
ditions in  the  sale  of  town  lands,  which  made  it  imperative  on  the 
buyer  to  fence  in  and  erect  a  building  upon  his  lot  within  a  year 
after  the  purchase.  One  effect  of  this  was  certainly  to  encourage 
speculation,  since  jobbers  in  lots  could  now  safely  hold  an  inde- 
finite number,  when  not  obliged  to  erect  buildings  upon  them 
within  a  limited  time. 

September  24th. — Messrs.  Leidesdorff,  Glover  and  Clark 
were  appointed  by  the  town  council  a  committee  to  take  measures 
for  the  establishment  of  a  public  school.  Various  resolutions 
were  subsequently  passed  by  the  council  on  this  subject,  and  after 
much  public  agitation,  at  length,  on  17th  March,  1848,  a  teacher 
was  appointed,  with  a  salary  of  one  thousand  dollars  ;  and  on  the 
3d  of  April  following,  Mr.  Thomas  Douglas  formally  opened  the 
long  delayed  and  much  needed  school,  for  the  instruction  of  the 
youth  of  both  sexes.  This  was  the  first  public  seminary  estab- 
lished in  San  Francisco. 

October  20th. — A  severe  Norther  visited  the  harbor  which 
did  considerable  damage  to  the  shipping.  Similar  furious  gales 
have  since  been  experienced  every  year,  when  more  or  less  loss 
has  been  occasioned  to  the  shipping  and  to  the  wharves  them- 
selves. The  exposure  to  excessive  winds  from  the  north  and  south- 
east is  one  of  the  most  serious  drawbacks  to  the  safety  and  con- 
venience of  the  port.  The  extension  of  the  city,  in  late  years, 
over  the  waters  of  Yerba  Buena  Cove,  has  increased  the  liability 
of  vessels  to  damage  during  the  prevalence  of  these  winds. 

November  15th. — "  The  Steamboat," — being  the  only  one  it 
had  no  distinct  name, — performed  an  experimental  trip  round 
"  Wood  Island."  This  was  but  a  small  concern  which  had  been 
brought  by  Mr.  Leidesdorff  from  Sitka.  It  was  the  first  vessel  of 
the  kind  in  San  Francisco  Bay,  and  was  quite  a  pet  or  plaything 
in  its  way.  Two  days  afterwards  "  the  steamboat "  sailed  for 
Santa  Clara.    In  February  following  it  was  lost  in  a  Norther. 

November  18th. — The  first  "Thanksgiving  Day"  celebra- 
ted in  New  England  style.    Public  worship  was  performed  at  the 


198 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


house  of  Mr.  Lincoln.  The  "  Sons  of  New  England  "  afterwards 
had  a  public  dinner. 

December  31st. — The  following  statistics  show  the  extent  of 
the  commerce  of  San  Francisco  for  the  three  months  ending  this 
day  : — 

Total  value  of  exports,  $49,597.53  ;  imports,  $53,589.73. 
Of  the  amount  of  exports,  §30,353.85,  represent  the  native  pro- 
duce of  California,  and  were  shipped  as  follows  : — To  the  Sand- 
wich Islands,  $320  ;  Peru,  $21,448.35;  Mazatlan,  $560  ;  Sitka, 
$7,285.50  ;  Tahiti,  $700.  The  other  exports,  amounting  to 
$19,343.68,  were  the  produce  of  foreign  countries,  and  were  ship- 
ped as  follows  :— $2,060  to  the  United  States  ;  $12,442.18  (of 
which  $11,340  were  coined  gold  and  silver),  to  the  Sandwich  Isl- 
ands ;  and  $4,831.50  to  Mazatlan.  The  imports  came  from  the 
following  countries  : — United  States,  $6,790.54  ;  Oregon,  $7,- 
701.59  ;  Chili,  $3,676.44 ;  Sandwich  Islands,  $31,740.73  ;  Sit- 
ka, $2,471.32  ;  Bremen,  $550.54  ;  and  Mexico,  $160. 


CHAPTER  V. 


1848. 

Resolutions  concerning  gambling. — Public  sale  of  City  Property.— Price  Current  published.— Condi- 
tion and  population  of  the  town. — Overland  express  to  Independence,  Mo. — George  Hyde,  al- 
calde, resigned,  and  succeeded  by  Dr.  J.  Townsend. — Death  of  Wm.  A.  Leidesdorff.— Discovery 
of  gold,  and  immediate  effects. — Illumination  in  celebration  of  the  peace  between  Mexico  and 
the  United  States. — Dr.  T.  M.  Leavenworth  elected  alcalde. — First  brick  house. — Public  meeting 
to  regulate  the  price  of  gold  dust. — First  square-rigged  vessel  discharged  at  Broadway  wharf. — 
Judicial  limits  of  the  town. — Rev.  T.  D.  Hunt  chosen  chaplain. — First  issue  of  the  "Star  and 
Californian." — State  of  the  markets.— Public  meeting  to  organize  a  Provisional  Government — 
New  town  council  elected. — Election  declared  invalid. — Duties  collected  at  the  Custom-Houso 

January  11th. — Stringent  resolutions  were  passed  by  the 
council  regarding  gambling.  This  vice  had  been  growing  in 
popular  favor,  and  at  this  period  and  for  years  afterwards,  be- 
came one  of  the  leading  characteristics  of  the  inhabitants.  Be- 
sides heavily  fining  parties  engaged  in  gambling,  one  of  the 
resolutions  authorized  the  authorities  "  to  seize  for  the  benefit  of 
the  town  all  the  money  found  on  a  gambling  table  where  cards 
are  played."  If  this  had  been  in  force  a  short  time  afterwards, 
when  the  gold  discoveries  had  enriched  thousands,  and  the  reck- 
less miners  hurried  to  San  Francisco  to  spend  their  gains  in  the 
great  public  gaming  saloons  of  the  period,  the  town  in  a  single 
night  would  have  become  wealthy.  But  at  the  next  meeting  of 
the  council  these  resolutions  were  all  repealed. 

March  5th. — A  great  public  sale  took  place  by  the  town  of 
some  of  its  real  estate.  The  preferable  lots  had  already  been 
secured  by  speculators,  under  the  old  regulations,  at  a  nominal 
price,  by  private  arrangement  with  the  alcalde.  The  prices  ob- 
tained at  this  sale  do  not  show  much  advance  in  the  value  of 
town  property,  since  the  lots  only  brought  from  sixteen  to  fifty 
dollars,  averaging  about  twenty-two  dollars  and  fifty  cents  each 
for  fifty-two  lots.    It  is  certain,  however,  that  the  value  of  desi- 


200 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


rable  locations  was  immensely  higher  than  this  ;  and  the  citizens, 
from  their  eagerness  in  getting  up  houses,  and  the  high  prices  of 
labor  and  building  materials,  seem  to  have  been  satisfied  on  this 
subject.    The  population  of  the  town  was  fast  improving. 

March  15th. — As  a  sign  of  the  times,  a  weekly  wholesale 
price-current  was  first  published  in  San  Francisco  in  the  columns 
of  the  "  Californian  "  of  this  date.  In  the  "  California  Star,"  of 
the  18  th  instant,  likewise  appeared  a  similar  document,  and  re- 
marks on  the  state  of  the  market,  for  the  first  time. 

About  this  period  the  population  of  the  town  was  ascertained 
by  the  Board  of  School  Trustees,  in  canvassing  the  place  for  edu- 
cational purposes,  to  be,  575  male  and  177  female  adults,  and  60 
children  of  ages  to  attend  school,  making  a  total  of  812.  Adding 
the  number  of  infants  and  children  still  too  young  to  attend 
school,  the  whole  number  of  inhabitants  amounted  to  about  850. 
The  buildings  of  all  kinds  numbered  200.  There  were  two  large 
hotels  in  the  place,  besides  boarding  and  public  houses,  and 
houses  attached  to  ten-pin  alleys,  billiard  saloons,  &c.  ;  so  that 
the  town  was  becoming  one  of  some  consequence,  and  was  assum- 
ing the  pretensions  and  attractions  of  older,  wealthier  and  more 
populous  communities.  Two  wharves  were  in  the  course  of  con- 
struction, and  extensive  stores  and  warehouses  had  been  erected. 
There  were  twelve  mercantile  houses  established,  consisting  of 
agencies  for  large  firms  in  the  East  and  in  the  Sandwich  Islands, 
auction  and  commission  houses,  and  importers  from  the  United 
Stales  direct.  The  facilities  for  discharging  ships  and  filling 
them  anew  with  cargo,  were  rapidly  increasing.  There  was 
much  bustle,  and  even  enthusiasm  among  the  inhabitants,  which 
promised  a  flattering  future  to  the  town.  Current  expenses  were 
too  high  to  prevent  immediate  fortunes  being  made  ;  still  most 
persons  in  business  believed  they  were  laying  the  firm  foundations 
of  early  wealth. 

April  1st. — The  "  California  Star  Express  "  left  San  Fran- 
cisco, to  proceed  overland  to  Independence,  Mo.  The  passage 
was  guaranteed  to  be  accomplished  in  sixty  days.  Fifty  cents 
was  charged  as  the  postage  on  single  letters. 

April  3d. — The  first  public  school  was  opened.  Dr.  J. 
Townsend  was  also  sworn  in  before  the  council,  as  first  alcalde, 


EFFECTS  OF  THE  DISCOVEEY  OF  GOLD.  201 

vice  George  Hyde,  resigned.  Serious  complaints  had  been  made 
in  regard  to  Mr.  Hyde's  conduct  in  office,  which,  being  reported 
to  Governor  Mason,  led  to  a  formal  inquiry  on  the  subject. 
Some  nine  or  ten  charges  of  a  criminal  nature  were  made  against 
the  former  alcalde,  only  two  of  which  were  ultimately  held  to  be 
established  by  proof.  These,  in  the  whole  circumstances  of  the 
case,  seemed  insufficient  to  warrant  His  Excellency  to  remove 
Mr.  Hyde  from  office.  But  as  popular  clamor  was  somewhat 
loud  and  vexatious  on  the  matter,  that  gentleman  thought  fit  to 
resign  his  trust. 

May  18th. — Mr.  Wm.  A.  LeidesdorfF  died  of  the  brain 
fever.  This  gentleman  was  the  United  States  vice-consul  at  San 
Francisco,  and  was  closely  connected  with  all  the  interests  of  the 
place.  His  decease  was  much  regretted  by  the  town's  people,  a 
large  number  of  whom  attended  in  his  funeral  procession.  All 
places  of  business  and  entertainment  were  closed  on  the  occasion, 
the  flags  at  the  barracks  and  of  the  vessels  in  port  hung  at  half- 
mast  during  the  day  ;  while  minute  guns  were  fired  as  the  burial 
train  moved  on  towards  the  Mission  Dolores,  in  the  church- 
yard of  which  place  the  body  was  interred.  Mr.  Leidcsdorff  was 
of  Danish  extraction,  and  of  the  Roman  Catholic  religion.  He 
had  been  nearly  nine  years  in  business  in  San  Francisco,  and 
was  about  thirty-six  years  old.  The  property  he  left  was  of  con- 
siderable value  at  the  time  of  his  death,  (though  heavily  bur- 
dened with  debts ;)  while,  as  much  of  it  consisted  of  real  estate, 
on  which  the  growing  city  afterwards  spread,  its  value  at  this 
date  is  immense.  The  deceased  left  no  legal  heirs  on  the  spot, 
and  his  estate  was  administered  by  Mr.  Wm.  D.  M.  Howard, 
under  authority  of  the  alcalde,  for  behoof  of  all  concerned. 
Much  litigation,  among  parties  claiming  to  be  administrators,  or 
heirs  or  assignees  of  heirs  of  the  deceased,  afterwards  resulted, 
which  it  is  believed  is  not  yet  fairly  ended.  The  law  proceedings 
and  history  of  the  estate  generally  form  quite  an  event  in  the 
annals  of  the  town,  and  deserve  a  more  particular  notice,  which 
will  be  given  in  a  subsequent  chapter. 

The  promising  state  of  things  in  San  Francisco  shortly  be- 
fore described  was  now  to  be  suddenly  checked  by  means  which, 
unpromising  at  first,  ultimately  led  to  the  most  extraordinary 


202 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


prosperity  in  the  city.  Early  in  the  spiing  of  this  year,  occa- 
sional intelligence  had  been  received  of  the  finding  of  gold  in 
large  quantities  among  the  foot  hills  of  the  Sierra  Nevada,  the 
particulars  of  which  discovery  we  have  already  given.  Small 
parcels  of  the  precious  metal  had  also  been  forwarded '  to  San 
Francisco,  while  visitors  from  the  mines,  and  some  actual  diggers 
arrived,  to  tell  the  wonders  of  the  region  and  the  golden  gains  of 
those  engaged  in  exploring  and  working  it.  In  consequence  of 
such  representations,  the  inhabitants  began  gradually,  in  bands 
and  singly,  to  desert  their  previous  occupations,  and  betake 
themselves  to  the  American  River  and  other  auriferous  parts  of 
the  great  Sacramento  valley.  Labor,  from  the  deficiency  of 
hands,  rose  rapidly  in  value,  and  soon  all  business  and  work,  ex- 
cept the  most  urgent,  was  forced  to  be  stopped.  Seamen  deserted 
from  their  ships  in  the  bay  and  soldiers  from  the  barracks. 
Over  all  the  country  the  excitement  was  the  same.  Neither 
threats,  punishment  nor  money  could  keep  men  to  their  most 
solemn  engagements.  Gold  was  the  irresistible  magnet  that  drew 
human  souls  to  the  place  where  it  lay,  rudely  snapping  asunder 
the  feebler  ties  of  affection  and  duty.  Avarice  and  the  overween- 
ing desire  to  be  suddenly  rich,  from  whence  sprang  the  hope  and 
moral  certainty  of  being  so,  grew  into  a  disease,  and  the  infection 
spread  on  all  sides,  and  led  to  a  general  migration  of  every  class 
of  the  community  to  the  golden  quarters.  The  daily  laborer, 
who  had  worked  for  the  good  and  at  the  command  of  another, 
for  one  or  two  dollars  a  day,  could  not  be  restrained  from  flying 
to  the  happy  spot  where  he  could  earn  six  or  ten  times  the 
amount,  and  might  possibly  gain  a  hundred  or  even  a  thousand 
times  the  sum  iu  one  lucky  day's  chance.  Then  the  life,  at 
worst,  promised  to  be  one  of  continual  adventure  and  excitement, 
and  the  miner  was  his  own  master.  While  this  was  the  case 
with  the  common  laborer,  his  employer,  wanting  his  services,  sud- 
denly found  his  occupation  at  an  end  ;  while  shopkeepers  and  the 
like,  dependent  on  both,  discovered  themselves  in  the  same  pre- 
dicament. The  glowing  tales  of  the  successful  miners  all  the 
while  reached  their  ears,  and  threw  their  own  steady  and  large 
gains  comparatively  in  the  shade.  They  therefore  could  do  no 
better,  in  a  pecuniary  sense  even,  for  themselves,  than  to  hasten 


EFFECTS  OF  THE  DISCOVERY  OF  GOLD.  203 

after  their  old  servants,  and  share  in  their  new  labor  and  its  ex- 
traordinary gains,  or  pack  up  their  former  business  stock,  and 
travelling  with  it  to  the  mines,  open  their  new  stores  and  shops 
and  stalls,  and  dispose  of  their  old  articles  to  the  fortunate  dig- 
gers, at  a  rise  of  five  hundred  or  a  thousand  per  cent. 


Kush  for  the  gold  regions. 


In  the  month  of  May  it  was  computed  that,  at  least  one 
hundred  and  fifty  people  had  left  San  Francisco,  and  every  day 
since  was  adding  to  their  number.  Some  were  occasionally  re- 
turning from  the  auriferous  quarter  ;  but  they  had  little  time  to 
stop  and  expatiate  upon  what  they  had  seen.  They  had  hastily 
come  back,  as  they  had  hastily  gone  away  at  first,  leaving  their 
household  and  business  to  waste  and  ruin,  now  to  fasten  more 
properly  their  houses,  and  remove  goods,  family  and  all,  at  once 
to  the  gold  region.  Their  hurried  movements,  more  even  than 
the  words  they  uttered,  excited  the  curiosity  and  then  the  eager 
desire  of  others  to  accompany  them.    And  so  it  was.    Day  after 


204 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


day  the  hay  was  covered  with  launches  filled  with  the  inhabitants 
and  their  goods,  hastening  up  the  Sacramento.  This  state  of 
matters  soon  came  to  a  head  ;  and  master  and  man  alike  hur- 
ried to  the  placeres,  leaving  San  Francisco,  like  a  place  where 
the  plague  reigns,  forsaken  by  its  old  inhabitants,  a  melancholy 
solitude. 

On  the  29th  of  May  the  "  Californian  "  published  a  fly-sheet, 
apologizing  for  the  future  non-issue  of  the  paper,  until  better 
days  came,  when  they  might  expect  to  retain  their  servants  for 
some  amount  of  remuneration,  which  at  present  was  impossible, 
as  all,  from  the  "  subs  "  to  the  "  devil,"  had  indignantly  rejected 
every  offer,  and  gone  off  to  the  diggings.  "The  whole  country," 
said  the  last  editorial  of  the  paper,  "from  San  Francisco  to 
Los  Angeles,  and  from  the  sea  shore  to  the  base  of  the  Sierra 
Nevada,  resounds  with  the  sordid  cry  of  gold  !  gold  !  !  GOLD  !  !  ! 
— while  the  field  is  left  half  planted,  the  house  half  built,  and 
every  thing  neglected  but  the  manufacture  of  shovels  and  pick- 
axes, and  the  means  of  transportation  to  the  spot  where  one  man 
obtained  one  hundred  and  twenty-eight  dollars'  worth  of  the  real 
stuff  in  one  day's  washing,  and  the  average  for  all  concerned  is 
twenty  dollars  per  diem  !  " 

On  the  14th  of  June  the  "California  Star"  likewise  ceased. 
In  the  explanatory  fly-sheet,  the  editor  simply  and  sadly  said, 
that  his  paper  "  could  not  be  made  by  magic,  and  the  labor  of 
mechanism  was  as  essential  to  its  existence  as  to  all  other  arts." 
And  as  every  body  was  deserting  him,  why,  the  press  and  the  pa- 
per stopped  together — that  was  all. 

July  15th. — The  "Californian"  revives,  and  promises  an 
occasional  paper,  if  that  can  be  managed.  It  gives  this  day  the 
first  intelligence  of  the  French  revolution,  under  the  alarming 
head,  "  The  whole  world  at  war  !  "  though  little  did  the  gold- 
diggers  and  the  speculative  traders  in  San  Francisco  care  about 
that.  It  chronicles  likewise  the  observance  of  another  "  glorious 
fourth  "  which  was  held  in  the  town  as  spiritedly  as  the  few  re- 
maining inhabitants  could  manage.  The  rest  of  the  news,  and 
many  of  the  advertisements  were  about  the  mines  and  gold. 
The  city  itself  afforded  few  items  of  intelligence,  except  the  con- 
tinued desertion  of  the  place,  and  the  high  and  increasing  prices 


PRICE  OF  GOLD  DUST  ESTABLISHED. 


205 


of  labor.  The  council  had  not  met  for  two  months  ;  and  its 
members,  with  many  officials  of  the  town,  had  all  "  gone  to  the 
diggings." 

July  25th. — Governor  Mason  issued  a  proclamation  calling 
on  the  people  to  assist  the  authorities  in  apprehending  deserters, 
who  had  now  become  very  numerous  from  both  the  army  and 
navy  service. 

July  31st. — His  Excellency  consents  to  receive  gold  dust  in 
payment  of  duties  at  the  custom-house  at  a  low  rate,  with  right 
of  redemption  of  the  whole  by  the  payer,  within  one  hundred 
and  eighty  days,  or  of  the  half  within  ninety  days,  upon  giving 
the  proper  amount  in  gold  or  silver  coin.  Several  public  meet- 
ings have  been  held  on  this  subject,  in  which  the  community  was 
much  interested. 

August  11th. — A  second  grand  illumination.  This  time  it 
was  in  celebration  of  the  peace  between  Mexico  and  the  United 
States,  the  official  news  of  which  reached  Monterey  on  the  6th 
instant.  In  the  early  part  of  the  day  guns  were  fired  on  all 
sides,  from  the  presidio  and  barracks,  ships  in  harbor,  and  by 
every  youngster  on  shore  who  happily  owned,  or  could  buy,  bor- 
row, or  steal  a  little  gunpowder  and  a  fire-arm,  from  a  musket 
to  a  rusty  key  with  a  priming-hole  filed  across  the  barrel.  A 
cavalcade  of  citizens  proceeded  through  the  streets.  In  the 
evening,  the  windows  of  every  house  remaining  inhabited  were 
illuminated,  many  of  them  brilliantly.  Tar  barrels  and  bonfires 
blazed  on  all  sides.  Squibs,  crackers  and  pistols  boomed  oft"  in 
harmony  with  the  general  rejoicing. 

August  29th. — Dr.  T.  M.  Leavenworth  elected  first  alcalde.  ' 

September  6th.— The  first  brick  house  was  erected  by  Mel- 
ius &  Howard,  at  the  corner  of  Montgomery  and  Clay  streets. 
This  was  the  second  brick  building  erected  in  Upper  California, 
one  having  been  previously  constructed  at  Monterey. 

September  9th. — A  great  public  meeting  was  held  to  con- 
sider how  best  to  fix  the  price  of  gold  dust  at  a  certain  reason- 
able amount,  to  pass  as  a  currency  in  the  country,  during  the 
scarcity  of  coin,  and  until  a  branch  mint  could  be  established. 
This  was  supposed  to  be  the  largest  meeting  that  had  ever  as- 
sembled in  San  Francisco,  most  of  the  old  inhabitants  havine 


206 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


returned  for  a  season  from  the  mines.  Dr.  T.  M.  Leavenworth 
was  called  to  the  chair,  and  Mr.  J.  D.  Hoppe  appointed  secre- 


San  Francisco,  Winter  of  1S4S. 


tary.  The  meeting  unanimously  decided  and  resolved  that  six- 
teen dollars  an  ounce  was  a  fair  price  for  gold  dust,  and  that  it 
ought  to  be  taken  in  all  business  transactions  at  that  rate.  A 
committee  was  also  appointed  to  urge  upon  Congress  the  imme- 
diate establishment  of  a  branch  mint  at  San  Francisco. 

Tliis  month  a  square-rigged  vessel  (the  brig  Belfast,  from 
New  York,)  first  discharged  a  cargo  at  Broadway  wharf.  The 
price  of  goods  consequently  fell  twenty-five  per  cent.,  while  real 
estate  rose  from  fifty  to  one  hundred  per  cent.  A  vacant  lot  at 
the  corner  of  Montgomery  and  Washington  streets  was  offered 
the  day  previous  to  the  opening  of  the  wharf  for  five  thousand 
dollars,  but  there  were  no  buyers.  The  next  day  the  same  lot 
sold  readily  at  ten  thousand  dollars.  This  shows  how  property 
was  beginning  to  be  affected  by  the  improvement  of  the  town. 

October  3d. — At  a  second  election,  Dr.  T.  M.  Leavenworth 
was  again  chosen  first  alcalde.  B.  R.  Buckelew  and  Barton 
Mowrey  were  also  elected  town  councillors.  One  hundred  and 
fifty-eight  votes  were  polled. 


STATE  OF  THE  MARKETS. 


207 


October  9th. — First  meeting  of  the  town  council  since  May 
last.  At  an  adjourned  meeting  held  on  the  11th,  it  was  resolved 
that  the  limits  of  the  town  for  the  administration  of  justice 
should  he  as  follows,  viz.  :  "  That  the  line  shall  commence  at  the 
mouth  of  Creek  Guadalupe,  where  it  empties  into  the  Bay  of 
San  Francisco,  following  the  course  of  said  stream  to  its  head 
waters  ;  from  thence  a  due  west  line  to  the  Pacific  Ocean  ; 
thence  northwards  along  the  coast  to  the  inlet  to  the  harhor  of 
the  bay  ;  thence  eastwardly,  through  the  middle  of  the  said  inlet 
into  the  Bay  of  San  Francisco,  and  embracing  the  entire  anchor- 
age ground  from  the  inlet  to  the  mouth  of  the  Creek  Guada- 
lupe." 

November  1st. — No  regular  church  had  hitherto  been  estab- 
lished ;  but  nearly  every  Sunday,  for  a  long  period  back,  occa- 
sional religious  services  had  been  performed  by  clergymen  of 
various  denominations  ;  or,  in  their  absence,  by  some  serious 
minded  layman.  This  day,  the  Rev.  T.  D.  Hunt,  who  had  been 
invited  from  Honolulu,  was  chosen  Protestant  chaplain  to  the 
citizens,  and  an  annual  salary  of  two  thousand  five  hundred 
dollars  appropriated  to  him,  to  be  defrayed  out  of  the  subscrip- 
tions of  various  town's  people.  Divine  worship  on  Sundays  to 
take  place  in  the  Public  Institute,  (school-house,)  Portsmouth 
Square. 

November  18th. — The  "  Californian,"  having  been  bought 
up  by  the  proprietors  of  the  "  California  Star,"  a  new  paper, 
similar  in  appearance  to  both  these,  and  virtually  a  continuation 
of  the  latter,  which  had  stopped  five  months  before,  was  issued 
this  day  under  the  title,  "  The  Star  and  Californian." 

December. — The  markets,  as  might  be  expected,  were  very 
high  about  this  time,  though  prices  fluctuated  considerably.  Ou 
the  1st  of  this  month,  flour  was  twenty-seven  dollars  a  barrel, 
beef  twenty,  pork  sixty  ;  butter  was  ninety  cents  a  pound,  and 
cheese  seventy.  Two  weeks  later,  flour  sold  at  from  twelve  to 
fifteen  dollars  a  barrel,  while  other  articles  had  fallen  in  propor- 
tion. Brandy  was  in  demand  at  eight  dollars  a  gallon,  and  gold 
dust  dull  of  sale  at  ten  dollars  and  a  half  an  ounce. 

December  12th. — The  public  school,  after  having  been  closed 
for  many  months  during  the  gold-mania,  re-opened.  Bates  of 
tuition  were  announced  to  be  eight  dollars  a  term. 


208 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


December  21st  and  23d. — Great  public  meetings  were  held, 
(Dr.  Townsend  in  the  chair,)  regarding  the  propriety,  and  grow- 
ing necessity  of  immediately  organizing  a  provisional  government. 
For  some  time  back,  much  public  agitation  had  existed  on  this 
subject.  The  frequent  murders  and  other  daring  outrages  com- 
mitted of  late  in  different  parts  of  the  country,  especially  at  the 
mines,  while  there  was  no  proper  legal  protection  for  the  lives  and 
property  of  the  citizens,  had  forced  the  people  to  conclude  that 
Congress  had  been  trifling  with  them  in  delaying  the  long  pro- 
posed constitution — that  there  was  no  more  time  to  wait — and 
therefore  that  instant  steps  should  be  taken  to  establish  a  form 
of  government  for  themselves.  At  these  meetings  resolutions 
were  passed  to  the  above  effect,  and  five  delegates  appointed  to 
be  chosen  at  a  subsequent  public  meeting,  to  represent  the  town 
and  district  at  a  general  convention  to  be  held  at  San  Jose,  in 
March  next,  for  the  purpose  of  framing  a  form  of  constitution. 
A  meeting  to  the  same  effect  had  been  held  at  San  Jose  on  the 
11th  instant,  which  had  fixed  the  assembling  of  the  convention 
so  early  as  the  2d  of  January  following,  and  similar  meetings 
were  beginning  to  be  called  all  over  the  country. 

December  27th. — The  following  gentlemen  were  elected  as 
town  council,  or  ayuntamicnto,  for  1849,  viz. :  Stephen  C.  Harris, 
Wm.  D.  M.  Howard,  George  C.  Hubbard,  Kobert  A.  Parker, 
Thomas  J.  Koach,  John  Sirrine,  and  John  Townsend — the  last 
of  whom  was  chosen  president.  The  number  of  votes  polled  was 
three  hundred  and  forty-seven. 

December  28th,  29th  and  30th. — Various  meetings  were 
held  of  the  old  town  council,  which  ended  in  its  resolving  that 
the  election  of  the  27th  instant  was  invalid,  owing  to  the  votes 
of  a  small  number  of  unqualified  parties  having  been  received  ; 
and  a  new  election  was  ordered  for  the  15th  proximo. 

The  duties  collected  at  the  custom-house,  during  1848,  were 
as  follows: — First  quarter,  §11,931;  second  quarter,  §8,835; 
third  quarter,  §74,827  ;  fourth  quarter,  §100,480.  The  value 
of  imported  goods  during  the  year  was  about  one  million  of  dol- 
lars. Coin  was  also  imported  to  about  the  same  amount.  Gold 
dust  to  the  value  of  two  millions  of  dollars  was  exported  in  the 
last  six  months  of  1848.  A  few  years  later  as  great  a  quantity 
was  exported  by  every  semi-monthly  mail. 


CHAPTER  VI. 


1848-1849. 

General  Effects  of  the  Gold  Discoveries. 

While  San  Francisco,  like  so  many  other  parts  of  the  country, 
was  forsaken  in  the  manner  described  in  the  foregoing  chapter, 
the  neighborhood  of  the  American  River  was  overflowing  with 
people,  all  busily  engaged  in  gold  hunting.  The  miners  by  the 
middle  of  May  were  estimated  to  be  about  two  thousand.  In 
another  month  they  had  increased  probably  to  three  ;  and,  two 
months  later,  their  number  was  supposed  to  be  about  six  thou- 
sand. From  that  period  the  arrival  of  persons  at  the  different 
auriferous  districts,  which  were  known  to  extend  over  a  large 
.space  of  territory,  was  constant  ;  but  no  sufficient  materials 
existed  to  form  a  correct  opinion  of  their  total  number.  The 
vast  majority  of  all  the  laboring  classes  in  the  country  had  cer- 
tainly deserted  their  former  pursuits,  and  had  become  miners, 
while  a  great  many  others — merchants  and  their  clerks,  shop- 
keepers and  their  assistants,  lawyers,  surgeons,  officials  in  every 
department  of  the  State,  of  the  districts  and  in  the  towns,  run- 
away seamen  and  soldiers,  and  a  great  variety  of  nondescript 
adventurers — likewise  began  the  search  for  gold.  The  miners 
were  by  no  means  exclusively  American.  They  consisted  of 
every  kindred  and  clan.  There  were  already  tame  Indians, 
Mexicans  from  Sonora,  Kanakas  from  the  Sandwich  Islands, 
settlers  from  Oregon,  mixed  with  the  usual  dash  of  Spanish, 
British,  German  and  French  adventurers  that  had  for  a  long 
time  existed  in  California.  Later  months  were  to  bring  other 
Mexicans,  Chinese,  Peruvians,  and  Chilians,  and  all  these  before 
the  great  impending  immigration  of  Americans  and  Europeans. 
14 


210 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


At  first  the  general  gains  of  the  miners,  though  great,  were 
little  compared  to  what  shortly  afterwards  were  collected.  But 
any  positive  statement  on  this  matter  is  naturally  subject  to 
error,  since  none  could  personally  know  more  than  what  was 
taking  place  around  the  scene  of  his  own  operations,  or  where  he 
was  immediately  travelling.  If,  however,  we  compare  different 
accounts,  and  endeavor  to  form  from  them  something  like  a  fair 
average,  we  might  find  that  from  ten  to  fifteen  dollars  worth  of 
gold  dust  was  about  the  usual  proceeds  of  an  ordinary  day's 
hard  work.  But  while  that  might  have  been  the  average,  people 
listened  more  to  the  individual  instances  of  extraordinary  success. 
Well  authenticated  accounts  described  many  known  persons  as 
averaging  from  one  to  two  hundred  dollars  a  day  for  a  long 
period.  Numerous  others  were  said  to  be  earning  even  from 
five  to  eight  hundred  dollars  a  day.  A  piece  of  four  pounds  in 
weight  was  early  found.  If,  indeed,  in  many  cases,  a  man  with 
a  pick  and  pan  did  not  easily  gather  some  thirty  or  forty  dollars 
worth  of  dust  in  a  single  day,  he  just  moved  off  to  some  other 
place  which  he  supposed  might  be  richer.  When  the  miners 
knew  a  little  better  about  the  business  and  the  mode  of  turning 
their  labor  to  the  most  profitable  account,  the  returns  were 
correspondingly  increased.  At  what  were  called  the  "  dry  dig- 
gings "  particularly,  the  yield  of  gold  was  enormous.  One  piece 
of  pure  metal  was  found  of  thirteen  pounds  weight.  The  com- 
mon instrument  at  first  made  use  of  was  a  simple  butcher's 
knife  ;  and  as  every  thing  was  valuable  in  proportion  to  the 
demand  and  supply,  butchers'  knives  suddenly  went  up  to 
twenty  and  thirty  dollars  apiece.  But  afterwards  the  pick  and 
shovel  were  employed.  The  auriferous  earth,  dug  out  of  ravines 
and  holes  in  the  sides  of  the  mountains,  was  packed  on  horses, 
and  carried  one,  two,  or  three  miles,  to  the  nearest  water,  to  be 
washed.  An  average  price  of  this  washing  dirt  was,  at  one 
period,  so  much  as  four  hundred  dollars  a  cart  load.  In  one 
instance,  five  loads  of  such  earth  sold  for  seven  hundred  and 
fifty-two  dollars,  which  yielded,  after  washing,  sixteen  thousand 
dollars.  Cases  occurred  where  men  carried  the  earth  in  sacks  on 
their  backs  to  the  watering  places,  and  collected  eight  to  fifteen 
hundred  dollars  in  a  day,  as  the  proceeds  of  their  labor.  Indi- 


EFFECTS  OF  THE  GOLD  DISCOVERIES. 


211 


viduals  made  their  five  thousand,  ten  thousand,  and  fifteen  thou- 
sand dollars  in  the  space  of  only  a  few  weeks.  One  man  dug 
out  twelve  thousand  dollars  in  six  days.  Three  others  obtained 
eight  thousand  dollars  in  a  single  day.  But  these,  of  course, 
were  extreme  cases.  Still  it  was  undoubtedly  true,  that  a  large 
proportion  of  the  miners  were  earning  such  sums  as  they  had 
never  even  seen  in  their  lives  before,  and  which,  six  months  earlier, 
would  have  appeared  a  downright  fable.  When  the  "  Califor- 
nian  "  newspaper  resumed  its  issue  in  July,  the  editors  said,  that 
the  publisher  of  the  paper,  "when  on  a  tour  alone  to  the 
mining  district,"  (probably  in  June,)  "collected,  with  the  aid  of 
a  shovel,  pick  and  tin  pan,  about  twenty  inches  in  diameter, 
from  forty-four  to  one  hundred  and  twenty-eight  dollars  a  day, 
averaging  one  hundred  dollars."  This  is  a  fair  specimen  of  the 
moderately  fortunate  miner. 

The  story  has  a  shady  as  well  as  a  bright  side,  and  would 
be  incomplete  unless  both  were  shown.  There  happened  to  be 
a  "  sickly  season  "  in  the  autumn  at  the  mines  ;  and  many  of 
the  miners  sank  under  fever  and  diseases  of  the  bowels.  A 
severe  kind  of  labor,  to  which  most  had  been  unaccustomed,  a 
complete  change  of  diet  and  habits,  insufficient  shelter,  continued 
mental  excitement,  and  the  excesses  in  personal  amusement  and 
dissipation  which  golden  gains  induced,  added  to  the  natural 
unhealthiness  that  might  have  existed  in  the  district  at  different 
periods  of  the  year,  soon  introduced  sore  bodily  troubles  upon 
many  of  the  mining  population.  No  gains  could  compensate  a 
dying  man  for  the  fatal  sickness  engendered  by  his  own  avari- 
cious exertions.  In  the  wild  race  for  riches,  the  invalid  was 
neglected  by  old  comrades  still  in  rude  health  and  the  riotous 
enjoyment  of  all  the  pleasures  that  gold  and  the  hope  of  continu- 
ally adding  to  their  store  could  bestow.  When  that  was  the 
case  with  old  companions  it  could  not  be  expected  that  strangers 
should  care  whether  the  sick  man  lived  or  died.  Who  forsooth 
among  the  busy  throng  would  trouble  himself  with  the  feeble 
miner  that  had  miscalculated  his  energies,  and  lay  dying  on  the 
earthen  floor  of  his  tent  or  under  the  protecting  branch  of  a 
tree  ?  There  were  no  kind  eyes  to  gaze  mournfully  on  him, 
hearts  to  feel,  lips  to  speak  softly,  and  hands  to  minister  to  his 


212  ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 

wants.  His  gains  were  swept  away  to  buy  a  hasty  and  careless 
medical  attendance  ;  and  too  generally  he  died  "  unwept,  un- 
knelled,  unknown."  Selfishness  that  heeded  not  the  dying 
might  perchance  bury  the  dead,  if  only  the  corrupting  corpse 
stood  in  the  way  of  working  a  rich  claim — scarcely  otherwise. 
Many,  not  so  far  reduced,  were  compelled  to  return  to  their  old 
homes,  the  living  spectres  of  their  former  selves,  broken  in  con- 
stitution and  wearied  in  spirit  ;  thoroughly  satisfied  that  thp 
diggings  were  not  fit  abiding  places  for  them. 

The  implements  at  first  used  in  the  process  of  gold  seeking, 
were  only  the  common  pick  and  shovel,  and  a  tin  pan  or  wooden 
bowl.  The  auriferous  earth  when  dug  out  was  put  into  the  last, 
and  water  being  mixed  with  it,  the  contents  were  violently  stirred. 
A  peculiar  shake  of  the  hand  or  wrist,  best  understood  and 
learned  by  practice,  threw  occasionally  over  the  edge  of  the  pan 
or  bowl  the  muddy  water  and  earthy  particles,  while  the  metal, 
being  heavier,  sunk  to  the  bottom.  Kepeated  washings  of  this 
nature,  assisted  by  breaking  the  hard  pieces  of  earth  with  the 
hand  or  a  trowel,  soon  extricated  the  gold  from  its  covering  and 
carried  away  all  the  dirt.  But  if  even  these  simple  implements 
were  not  to  be  had,  a  sailor's  or  butcher's  knife,  or  even  a  sharp- 
ened hard-pointed  stick  could  pick  out  the  larger  specimens — the 
pepitas,  chunks,  or  nuggets,  of  different  miners — while  the  finer 
scales  of  gold  could  be  washed  from  the  covering  earth  in  Indian 
willow-woven  baskets,  clay  cups,  old  hats,  or  any  rude  apology 
for  a  dish  ;  or  the  dried  sand  could  be  exposed  on  canvas  to  the 
wind,  or  diligently  blown  by  the  breath,  until  nothing  was  left 
but  the  particles  of  pure  gold  that  were  too  heavy  to  be  carried 
away  by  these  operations.  Afterwards  the  rocker  or  cradle  and 
Long  Tom  were  introduced,  which  required  several  hands  to  feed 
and  work  them  ;  and  the  returns  by  which  were  correspondingly 
great.  Every  machine,  however,  was  worked  on  the  same  prin- 
ciple, by  rocking  or  washing,  of  separating  by  the  mechanical 
means  of  gravitation,  the  heavier  particles — the  gold  from  stones, 
and  the  fighter  ones  of  earth. 

Provisions  and  necessaries,  as  might  have  been  expected,  soon 
rose  in  price  enormously.  At  first  the  rise  was  moderate  indeed, 
four  hundred  per  cent,  for  flour,  and  five  hundred  for  beef  cattle, 


EFFECTS  OF  THE  GOLD  DISCOVERIES. 


while  other  things  were  in  proportion.  But  these  were  trifles. 
The  time  soon  came  when  eggs  were  sold  at  one,  two,  and  three 
dollars  apiece  ;  inferior  sugar,  tea,  and  coffee,  at  four  dollars  a 
pound  in  small  quantities,  or,  three  or  four  hundred  dollars  a 
barrel ;  medicines — say,  for  laudanum,  a  dollar  a  drop,  (actually 
forty  dollars  were  paid  for  a  dose  of  that  quantity,)  and  ten 


A  Mining  .Sicne. 


dollars  a  pill  or  purge,  without  advice,  or  with  it,  from  thirty, 
up,  aye,  to  one  hundred  dollars.  Spirits  were  sold  at  various 
prices,  from  ten  to  forty  dollars  a  quart  ;  and  wines  at  about  as 
much  per  bottle.  Picks  and  shovels  ranged  from  five  to  fifteen 
dollars  each  ;  and  common  wooden  or  tin  bowls  about  half  as 
much.  Clumsy  rockers  were  sold  at  from  fifty  to  eighty  dollars, 
and  small  gold  scales,  from  twenty  to  thirty.  As  for  beef,  little 
of  it  was  to  be  had,  and  then  only  jerked,  at  correspondingly 
high  prices.  For  luxuries — of  which  there  were  not  many ;  if  a 
lucky  miner  set  his  heart  on  some  trifle,  it  might  be  pickles, 


214  ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 

fruit,  fresh  pork,  sweet  butter,  new  vegetables,  a  box  of  seidlitz 
powders  or  of  matches,  he  was  prepared  to  give  any  quantity  of 
the  "dust"  rather  than  be  balked.  We  dare  not  trust  ourselves 
to  name  some  of  the  fancy  prices  thus  given,  lest  we  should  be 
supposed  to  be  only  romancing.  No  man  would  give  another  a 
hand's  turn  for  less  than  five  dollars  ;  while  a  day's  constant 
labor  of  the  commonest  kind,  if  it  could  have  been  procured  at 
all,  would  cost  from  twenty  to  thirty  dollars,  at  least.  When 
these  things,  and  the  risks  of  sickness,  the  discomforts  of  living, 
and  the  unusual  and  severe  kind  of  labor  are  all  balanced  against 
the  average  gains,  it  may  appear  that,  after  all,  the  miners  were 
only  enough  paid. 

About  the  end  of  May  we  left  San  Francisco  almost  a  desert 
place,  and  such  it  continued  during  the  whole  summer  and 
autumn  months.  Many  ships  with  valuable  cargoes  had  mean- 
while arrived  in  the  bay,  but  the  seamen  deserted.  The  goods  at 
great  expense  had  been  somehow  got  landed,  but  there  was  no- 
body to  take  care  of  them,  or  remove  them  from  the  wharves 
where  they  lay  exposed  to  the  weather,  and  blocking  up  the  way. 
The  merchants  who  remained  were  in  a  feverish  bustle.  They 
were  selling  goods  actually  arrived  at  high  prices,  and  could  get 
uo  hands  to  assist  them  in  removing  and  delivering  the  articles. 
By  and  bye,  some  of  the  miners  came  back  to  their  old  homes  ; 
but  most  of  them  were  emaciated,  feeble  and  dispirited.  Here, 
therefore,  as  at  the  mines,  the  prices  of  labor  and  all  necessaries 
rose  exceedingly.  The  common  laborer,  who  had  formerly  been 
content  with  his  dollar  a  day,  now  proudly  refused  ten  ;  the  me- 
chanic, who  had  recently  been  glad  to  receive  two  dollars,  now 
rejected  twenty  for  his  day's  services.  It  was  certainly  a  great 
country,  this — there  was  no  mistake  about  it ;  and  every  subject 
was  as  lofty,  independent,  and  seemingly  as  rich  as  a  king.  No 
money  indeed  could  now  buy  the  servile  labor  of  many  persons 
who  had  lately  been  glad  to  receive  the  meanest  employment  ; 
and  thus  many  necessary  acts,  and  much  manual  business  had 
to  be  done  by  principals  themselves,  or  not  done  at  all.  Keal  es- 
tate, meanwhile,  had  rapidly  advanced  in  value,  and  generally 
was  considered  worth  from  five  to  ten  times  its  former  price. 

Within  the  first  eight  weeks  after  the  "  diggings  "  had  been 


EFFECTS  OF  THE  GOLD  DISCOVERIES. 


215 


fairly  known,  two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars  had  reached 
San  Francisco  in  gold  dust,  and  within  the  next  eight  weeks,  six 
hundred  thousand  more.  These  sums  were  all  to  purchase,  at 
any  price,  additional  supplies  for  the  mines.  Coin  grew  scarce, 
and  all  that  was  in  the  country  was  insufficient  to  satisfy  the  in- 
creased wants  of  commerce  in  one  town  alone.  Gold  dust,  there- 
fore, soon  became  a  circulating  medium,  and  after  some  little  de- 
mur at  first,  was  readily  received  by  all  classes  at  sixteen  dol- 
lars an  ounce.  The  authorities,  however,  would  only  accept  it  in 
payment  of  customs  duties  at  ten  dollars  per  ounce,  with  the 
privilege  of  redemption,  by  payment  of  coiD,  within  a  limited 
time. 

When  subsequently  immigrants  began  to  arrive  in  numerous 
bands,  any  amount  of  labor  could  be  obtained,  provided  always  a 
most  unusually  high  price  was  paid  for  it.  Returned  diggers,  and 
those  who  cautiously  had  never  went  to  the  mines,  were  then  also 
glad  enough  to  work  for  rates  varying  from  twelve  to  thirty  dollars 
a  day  ;  at  which  terms  most  capitalists  were  somewhat  afraid  to 
commence  any  heavy  undertaking,  The  hesitation  was  only  for 
an  instant.  Soon  all  the  labor  that  could  possibly  be  procured, 
was  in  ample  request,  at  whatever  rates  were  demanded.  The 
population  of  a  great  State  was  suddenly  flocking  in  upon  them, 
and  no  preparations  had  hitherto  been  made  for  its  reception. 
Building  lots  had  to  be  surveyed,  and  streets  graded  and  planked 
— hills  levelled — hollows,  lagoons,  and  the  bay  itself  piled,  capped, 
filled  up  and  planked — lumber,  bricks,  and  all  other  building  ma- 
terials, provided  at  most  extraordinarily  high  prices — houses  built, 
finished  and  furnished — great  warehouses  and  stores  erected — 
wharves  run  far  out  into  the  sea — numberless  tons  of  goods  re- 
moved from  shipboard,  and  delivered  and  shipped  anew  every 
where — and  ten  thousand  other  things  had  all  to  be  done  without 
a  moment's  unnecessary  delay.  Long  before  these  things  were 
completed,  the  sand-hills  and  barren  ground  around  the  town 
were  overspread  with  a  multitude  of  canvas,  blanket  and  bough- 
covered  tents, — the  bay  was  alive  with  shipping  and  small  craft 
carrying  passengers  and  goods  backwards  and  forwards, — the  un- 
planked,  ungraded,  unformed  streets,  (at  one  time  moving  heaps 
of  dry  sand  and  dust ;  at  another,  miry  abysses,  whose  treacher- 


216 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


ous  depths  sucked  in  horse  and  dray,  and  occasionally  man  him- 
self,) were  crowded  with  human  heings  from  every  corner  of  the 
universe  and  of  every  tongue — all  excited  and  busy,  plotting, 
speaking,  working,  buying  and  selling  town  lots,  and  beach  and 
water  lots,  shiploads  of  every  kind  of  assorted  merchandise,  the 
ships  themselves,  if  they  could, — though  that  was  not  often, — 
gold  dust  in  hundred  weights,  ranches  square  leagues  in  extent, 
with  their  thousands  of  cattle — allotments  in  hundreds  of  con- 
templated towns,  already  prettily  designed  and  laid  out, — on  pa- 
per,— and,  in  short,  speculating  and  gambling  in  every  branch 
of  modern  commerce,  and  in  many  strange  things  peculiar  to  the 
time  and  the  place.  And  every  body  made  money,  and  was  sud- 
denly growing  rich. 

The  loud  voices  of  the  eager  seller  and  as  eager  buyer — the 
laugh  of  reckless  joy — the  bold  accents  of  successful  speculation 
— the  stir  and  hum  of  active  hurried  labor,  as  man  and  brute, 
horse  and  bullock,  and  their  guides,  struggled  and  managed 
through  heaps  of  loose  rubbish,  over  hills  of  sand,  and  among  de- 
ceiving deep  mud  pools  and  swamps,  filled  the  amazed  newly  ar- 
rived immigrant  with  an  almost  appalling  sense  of  the  exuberant 
life,  energy  and  enterprise  of  the  place.  He  breathed  quick  and 
faintly — his  limbs  grew  weak  as  water — and  his  heart  sunk  with- 
in him  as  he  thought  of  the  dreadful  conflict,  when  he  ap- 
proached and  mingled  among  that  confused  and  terrible  business 
battle. 

Gambling  saloons,  glittering  like  fairy  palaces,  like  them  sud- 
denly sprang  into  existence,  studding  nearly  all  sides  of  the  plaza, 
and  every  street  in  its  neighborhood.  As  if  intoxicating  drinks 
from  the  well  plenished,  and  splendid  bar  they  each  contained 
were  insufficient  to  gild  the  scene,  music  added  its  loudest,  if  not 
its  sweetest  charms  ;  and  all  was  mad,  feverish  mirth,  where  for- 
tunes were  lost  and  won,  upon  the  green  cloth,  in  the  twinkling 
of  an  eye.  All  classes  gambled  in  those  days,  from  the  starched 
white  neck-clothed  professor  of  religion  to  the  veriest  black  rascal 
that  earned  a  dollar  for  blackening  massa's  boots.  Nobody  had 
leisure  to  think  even  for  a  moment  of  his  occupation,  and  how 
it  was  viewed  in  Christian  lands.  The  heated  brain  was  never 
allowed  to  get  cool  while  a  bit  of  coin  or  dust  was  left.  These 


EFFECTS  OF  THE  GOLD  DISCOVEKIES. 


217 


saloons,  therefore,  were  crowded,  night  and  day,  by  impatient 
revellers  who  never  could  satiate  themselves  with  excitement,  nor 
get  rid  too  soon  of  their  golden  heaps. 

We  are,  however,  anticipating  and  going  ahead  too  fast.  We 
cannot  help  it.  The  very  thought  of  that  wondrous  time  is  an 
electric  spark  that  fires  into  one  great  flame  all  our  fancies,  pas- 
sions and  experiences  of  the  fall  of  the  eventful  year,  1849. 
The  remembrance  of  those  days  comes  across  us  like  the  delirium 
of  fever ;  we  are  caught  by  it  before  we  are  aware,  and  forthwith 
begin  to  babble  of  things  which  to  our  sober  Atlantic  friends 
seem  more  the  ravings  of  a  madman,  than  plain,  dull  realities. 
The  world  had  perhaps  never  before  afforded  such  a  spectacle  ; 
and  probably  nothing  of  the  kind  will  be  witnessed  again  for 
generations  to  come.  Happy  the  man  who  can  tell  of  those 
things  which  he  saw  and  perhaps  himself  did,  at  San  Francisco, 
at  that  time.  He  shall  be  an  oracle  to  admiring  neighbors.  A 
city  of  twenty  or  thirty  thousand  inhabitants  improvised — the 
people  nearly  all  adult  males,  strong  in  person,  clever,  bold,  san- 
guine, restless  and  reckless  But  really  we  must  stop  now, 

and  descend  to  our  simple  "  annals." 


CHAPTER  VII. 
1849. 


The  Alta  California  newspaper  established— Delegates  elected  to  the  proposed  convention  to  be  held 
at  San  Jos6. — New  town  council  elected. — Three  town  councils  at  one  time. — Meeting  of  the  con- 
vention to  frame  a  civil  government  postponed. — Public  meeting  respecting  the  conflicting  coun 
cils. — Public  meeting  concerning  negro  6lavery. — Town  councils  resigned,  and  legislative  assembly 
chosen. — Arrival  of  the  steamship  California. — Address  of  delegates  to  civil  government  con 
vention. — Arrival  of  steamship  Oregon,  and  Col.  John  W.  Geary  with  the  first  United  States 
mails. — General  Riley  announced  territorial  governor. — Acts  of  the  legislative  assembly  and  of  tho 
governor. — Meetings  concerning  municipal  and  State  governments. — Growth,  population  and  gen- 
eral prosperity  of  the  city. — Gambling  and  other  vices  and  crimes. 

January  4th. — "  The  Star  and  Californian "  is  dropped,  and 
the  "  Alta  California,"  a  weekly  newspaper  of  the  same  character 
and  appearance,  and  published  by  the  same  parties,  is  issued  in 
its  stead. 

January  8th. — Election  of  delegates  to  the  proposed  con- 
vention at  San  Jose,  in  conformity  with  the  resolutions  of  the 
public  meeting  of  23d  ultimo,  when  Wm.  M.  Stewart,  Francis  J. 
Lippitt,  Elbert  P.  Jones,  Myron  Norton  and  John  A.  Patterson 
were  chosen. 

January  15th. — New  election  of  town  council,  which  result- 
ed in  the  choice  of  Stephen  C.  Harris,  Lazarus  Everhart,  Ste- 
phen A.  Wright,  Daniel  Starks,  Isaac  Montgomery,  John  Sir- 
rine,  and  C.  E.  Wetmore.    Mr.  Sirrine  was  appointed  president. 

There  were  at  this  period  three  town  councils  in  San  Francis- 
co, viz.  : — the  old  one  of  1848,  not  yet  dissolved,  and  those  elect- 
ed on  the  27th  December  and  15  th  January  respectively.  The 
former  of  the  two  last  insisted  that  the  council  of  the  previous 
year  had  expired  the  very  day  of  its  own  election  on  the  27th 
December,  and  therefore  the  members  met  and  transacted  busi- 
ness as  if  it  alone  represented  the  town.  A  majority  of  the  old 
council,  however,  insisted  on  continuing  in  office  till  those  whom 


MUNICIPAL  AND  STATE  GOVERNMENTS.  219 

they  considered  their  proper  successors  were  chosen,  and  accord- 
ingly, they  supported  the  council  elected  on  the  15th  January, 
and  resolved  to  transier  the  municipal  records  into  its  hands. 
The  citizens  generally  seemed  adverse  to  the  pretensions  of  the 
old  council,  as  scarcely  a  fourth  part  of  the  numbers  that  voted 
on  the  27th  December  voted  on  the  second  election  of  the  15th 
January.  Strong  party  and  personal  feelings  existed  among  the 
inhabitants  at  this  time.  The  alcalde,  T.  M.  Leavenworth,  and 
his  official  acts,  among  other  subjects  of  contention,  were  vigor- 
ously attacked  by  one  party,  and  as  strenuously  defended  by  the 
other. 

January  24th. — The  corresponding  committee  for  the  Dis- 
trict of  San  Francisco,  on  the  suggestion  of  the  delegates  chosen 
at  Monterey,  recommend  a  postponement  of  the  assembling  of 
the  convention  for  framing  a  civil  government  to  the  first  day  of 
May,  in  order  to  give  the  southern  districts  sufficient  time  to  elect 
delegates  and  appear  at  the  convention.  The  movement  for  the 
election  of  such  delegates  is  general  over  the  country,  as  the  peo- 
ple are  satisfied  that  the  present  state  of  civil  disorganization  cannot 
safely  be  longer  permitted. 

February. — It  was  estimated  that  the  population  was  now 
about  two  thousand. 

February  12th. — Public  meeting  of  citizens  to  consider  the 
anomalous  position  of  two  town  councils  existing  and  acting,  in- 
dependently of  each  other,  at  the  same  time.  Myron  Norton 
was  called  upon  to  preside,  and  T.  W.  Perkins  to  act  as  secretary. 
George  Hyde  submitted  a  plan  of  municipal  organization  and 
government,  which  was  adopted  by  the  meeting  ;  and  resolutions 
were  passed  requesting  the  members  of  both  councils  to  resign, 
and  appointing  an  election  of  fifteen  town  councillors  and  three 
justices  of  the  peace,  to  take  place  on  the  21st  instant. 

February  17th  and  24th. — Public  meetings  to  consider  the 
propriety  of  instructing  the  delegates  to  the  convention  of  the 
1st  of  May  to  oppose  any  incipient  act  that  might  tend  to  the 
introduction  of  negro  slavery  into  California.  Capt.  J.  L.  Folsom 
was  chosen  president,  and  B.  R.  Buckelew  secretary.  It  was 
known  that  the  whole  delay  of  Congress  in  providing  a  territorial 
government  had  arisen  from  the  disputes,  and  the  apparent  im- 


220 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


possibility  of  agreement  between  the  two  great  political  parties 
on  this  subject.  The  inhabitants  of  the  country  itself  might  be 
said  to  be  unanimous  against  slavery  in  all  shapes  among  them  ; 
and  they  were  justly  indignant  that  the  Atlantic  politicians 
should  pretend  to  dictate  to  them  any  thing  on  the  matter.  At 
these  meetings,  resolutions  were  passed,  instructing  the  delegates 
of  the  San  Francisco  district,  "  by  all  honorable  means  to  oppose 
any  act,  measure,  provision  or  ordinance  that  is  calculated  to  fur- 
ther the  introduction  of  domestic  slavery  into  the  territory  of 
California." 

February  21st. — In  compliance  with  the  wishes  of  the 
meeting  of  the  12th  instant,  the  members  of  both  town  councils 
resigned  their  office,  and  an  election  of  fifteen  members  of  a  legis- 
lative assembly  and  three  justices  of  the  peace  took  place  this  day, 
which  it  was  hoped  would  settle  all  disputes  between  the  rival 
partisans.    The  parties  elected  were  as  follows  : — 

Justices  of  the  Peace. 
Myron  Norton,  Theron  R.  Per  Lee,        Wm.  M.  Stewart. 

District  Legislature. 

Stephen  A.  Wright,        Isaac  Montgomery,  Thomas  J.  Roach, 

Alfred  J.  Ellis,  "Wm.  M.  Smith,  Wm.  F.  Swasey, 

Henry  A.  Harrison,         Andrew  J.  Grayson,  Francis  J.  Lippitt, 

George  C.  Hubbard,        James  Creighton,  George  F.  Lemon. 
George  Hyde,                Robert  A.  Parker, 

On  the  5th  proximo  these  gentlemen  met,  and  chose  various 
officials  ;  but  as  the  whole  proceedings  were  afterwards  set  aside, 
it  is  unnecessary  here  to  detail  more  of  them. 

February  28th. — The  steamship  "California"  being  the 
first  of  the  line  of  mail  steamers  along  the  coast,  arrived.  The 
citizens  hailed  her  appearance  with  many  cheers  and  other  de- 
monstrations of  joy.  General  Persifer  F.  Smith,  a  passenger  on 
this  vessel,  came  to  take  command  of  the  Pacific  division  of  the 
military  department  of  the  United  States,  which  comprehends 
Oregon  and  California. 

March. — An  address  to  the  people  of  California  was  issued 
by  several  of  the  delegates  for  San  Francisco,  Monterey,  Sonoma, 
Sacramento,  and  other  parts  of  the  country,  recommending  a 
postponement  of  the  meeting  of  the  convention  to  frame  a  civil 


MUNICIPAL  AND  STATE  GOVERNMENTS. 


221 


government,  to  the  first  Monday  of  August,  and  that  the  place 
of  meeting  be  Monterey,  instead  of  San  Jose". 

March  31st. — The  Pacific  mail  steamship  "  Oregon  "  arrived 
with  about  three  hundred  and  fifty  passengers,  among  whom  were 
Col.  John  W.  Geary  and  family.  Col.  Geary  had  been  appointed 
postmaster  for  San  Francisco,  with  powers  to  create  post-offices 
and  appoint  postmasters  throughout  the  territory  ;  also  to  estab- 
lish mail  routes  and  make  contracts  for  carrying  the  mails.  He 
was  the  bearer  of  despatches  from  the  United  States  Government 
to  the  commanders  of  the  military  and  naval  forces  on  the 
Pacific,  and  brought  with  him  the  first  regular  mail  from  the 
Atlantic  States  that  was  opened  in  San  Francisco. 

April  13th. — Order  issued  by  Brigadier-General  Bennet 
Riley,  announcing  that  he  had  assumed  command  of  the  tenth 
military  department  of  the  United  States,  and  the  administration 
of  civil  affairs  in  California. 

June. — For  the  last  six  months,  and  particularly  during  the 
last  two,  the  public  events  of  most  consequence  to  San  Francisco 
resolve  themselves  into  two  divisions,  viz.  :  the  appointment  of 
pmper  district  and  municipal  authorities,  and  the  formation  of  a 
State  government.  We  have  already  chronicled  several  meetings 
on  both  these  heads  ;  but  notwithstanding  all  that  had  been  said 
or  done,  no  common  action  could  be  obtained  to  promote  the  ends 
in  view  to  the  satisfaction  of  all  parties. 

As  regarded  the  municipal  question,  the  recently  appointed 
legislative  assembly  abolished  the  office  of  alcalde,  and  substituted 
the  senior  justice  of  the  peace  in  his  place.  Afterwards,  the 
alcalde,  Mr.  Leavenworth,  was  ordered  to  give  up  the  town  docu- 
ments and  official  papers  in  his  hands ;  upon  which  he  applied 
for  advice  to  General  Smith,  who  recommended  him  not  to  com- 
ply with  the  demands  of  the  legislative  assembly.  That  body 
next  ordered  the  election  of  a  sheriff,  who,  when  appointed,  pro- 
ceeded to  take  what  he  considered  legal  steps  against  Mr.  Leaven- 
worth, who  had  meanwhile  resuscitated  the  old  council  of  1848, 
to  sanction  and  confirm  his  proceedings,  which  it  readily  did, 
appealing  to  Governor  Riley  for  advice  and  protection.  The  gov- 
ernor, accordingly,  on  the  4th  of  June,  issued  a  proclamation  to 
the  citizens,  recognizing  the  office  and  power  of  the  existing 


222 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


alcalde,  declaring  the  legislative  assembly  an  illegal  body,  and 
forbidding  payment  of  taxes  to  them. 

While  that  was  the  state  of  affairs  regarding  the  municipality 
and  District  of  San  Francisco,  the  governor,  on  the  3d  of  June, 
issued  a  proclamation  to  the  people  of  California,  in  which,  after 
narrating  the  position  of  the  country,  and  the  necessity  of  both 
district  and  general  governments,  he  appointed  the  first  day  of 
August  for  the  election,  first,  of  certain  specified  municipal  and 
district  provisional  officials  over  the  whole  country,  according  to 
Mexican  custom  ;  and  second,  of  thirty-seven  delegates  to  be 
chosen  from  the  specified  districts,  as  delegates  to  a  general  con- 
vention to  be  held  at  Monterey,  on  the  first  day  of  September 
next,  for  the  purpose  of  forming  a  State  Constitution. 

Following  upon  these  proclamations,  the  people  of  San  Fran- 
cisco held  a  mass  meeting  in  Portsmouth  Square,  on  the  12th  of 
June,  when  Wm.  M.  Stewart  was  chosen  president,  and  E.  Gould 
Buffum,  secretary.  This  meeting  was  large  and  enthusiastic,  and 
after  being  addressed  by  several  eloquent  speakers,  resolved  that 
the  people  of  California  had  a  rigid  to  organize  a  government  for 
their  own  protection — that,  therefore,  delegates  should  be  chosen 
to  frame  a  constitution — and  that  a  committee  of  five  be  imme- 
diately appointed  by  the  president  of  the  meeting  to  correspond 
with  the  other  districts  of  the  country,  in  order  to  carry  out  in  a 
practical  manner  the  said  resolutions.  The  meeting  refused  to 
recognize  Governor  Eiley's  proclamations  as  binding  on  them. 
The  committee  chosen  consisted  of  Peter  H.  Burnett,  Wm.  D. 
M.  Howard,  Myron  Norton,  E.  Gould  Buffum,  and  E.  Gilbert. 
This  committee,  on  the  18th  of  June,  issued  an  address  to  the 
public,  in  which,  without  admitting  the  right  or  power  in  Gov- 
ernor Biley  to  "  appoint  "  time  or  place  for  the  election  of  dele- 
gates and  assembling  of  the  convention,  yet  considered  it  best,  as  a 
matter  of  expediency,  to  adopt  the  terms  of  the  governor's  pro- 
clamation in  these  respects. 

These  steps  settled  the  plan  and  course  of  future  proceedings 
so  far  as  the  State  Government  was  concerned.  In  respect  to 
the  municipality  the  legislative  assembly  published  a  long  address 
to  their  constituents,  in  answer  to  Governor  Biley's  proclamation 
of  the  3d,  and  the  very  "  uncourteous  and  disrespectful "  one  of 


CONDITION  OF  THE  COUNTRY. 


223 


the  4th  June.  In  this  document,  they  resolved  that  they  were 
a  legally  constituted  body,  and  declared  their  determination  to 
hold  office  and  to  act  in  the  same  until  formally  deprived  of  their 
authority  by  the  people  from  whom  it  was  derived.  Thus  arose 
a  sort  of  civil  war  on  a  small  scale.  The  assembly  afterwards 
having  considered  it  expedient  to  appeal  directly  to  the  people,  a 
ballot  was  taken  on  the  subject  on  the  9th  July,  when  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty-seven  votes  appeared  for  their  continuance  in  office, 
and  only  seven  against  it.  But  as  this  result  showed  either  the 
indifterence  of  the  citizens  on  the  subject,  since  but  a  small  por- 
tion of  their  number  voted,  or  else  their  tacit  desire  that  the 
legislative  assembly  should  altogether  cease,  that  body  thought 
fit,  at  last,  to  dissolve  itself.  Thus  the  old  alcalde,  Mr.  Leaven- 
worth, was  virtually  reinstated  in  triumph,  and  no  obstacle  left 
to  the  several  elections  ordered  by  Governor  Riley's  proclamation 
of  the  3d  of  June.  These  various  meetings  and  other  proceedings 
narrated  may  possess  little  interest  for  the  present  inhabitants  of 
San  Francisco  ;  but  they  certainly  much  excited  those  who  dwelt 
in  the  town  at  the  time  of  their  occurrence.  The  excesses  of  the 
"  hounds,"  fully  described  in  a  subsequent  chapter,  were  much 
encouraged  by  the  dissensions  and  jealousies  which  existed  among 
the  rival  politicians  and  local  partisans  of  those  days. 

During  the  first  half  of  this  year,  San  Francisco  was  rapidly 
increasing  the  number  of  its  houses  and  population.  Every  day 
added  sensibly  to  both.  The  mines  were  continuing  to  yield 
large  returns,  most  of  which  were  immediately  forwarded  to  San 
Francisco,  in  exchange  for  new  supplies.  The  bay  was  filling 
with  shipping  from  all  the  ports  of  the  Pacific  coast  of  both 
Americas,  from  the  Sandwich  Islands,  and  from  China,  Australia 
and  other  ports  towards  the  west.  Nearly  two  hundred  square- 
rigged  vessels  lay  at  anchor  about  the  end  of  July.  Hosts  of 
passengers  by  these  vessels,  after  staying  but  a  little  while  in  the 
town,  hurried  off  to  the  diggings.  Meanwhile,  others  who  had 
been,  fortunate  were  returning  from  the  mines  with  bags  of  gold 
dust,  to  squander  in  gambling,  in  drinking  and  all  manner  of 
thoughtless  extravagance  and  dissipation.  Gambling,  which  pre- 
viously had  been  carried  on  to  so  great  an  extent,  was  now  begin- 
ning to  be  developed  on  a  still  larger  scale.    Saloons,  at  the 


224  ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 

public  tables  of  which  every  variety  of  game  was  to  be  found, 
arose  in  all  quarters  of  the  town,  where  play  was  carried  on  during 
the  whole  twenty-four  hours,  and  where  the  gross  amount  of 
money  or  gold  dust  staked  was  enormous.  It  might  almost  be 
said  that  the  same  spirit  of  gambling  or  speculation  reigned  in 
every  department  of  business  ;  and  prices  rose  and  fell,  and  for- 


San  Francisco,  in  1819,  from  head  of  Clay  Street. 


tunes  were  made,  and  lost,  and  made  again,  according  to  the 
"  play "  of  the  parties  engaged.  New  towns,  all  of  course  in 
splendid  locations,  were  beginning  to  be  projected,  and  the  build- 
ing lots  in  them  sold  for  immense  sums  of  money.  Sacramento 
and  Stockton  were  among  the  first  and  best  needed  of  these 
places  ;  and  soon  they  took  such  positions  as  commanded  success 
and  insured  future  prosperity.  But  besides  these  two  cities,  a 
multitude  of  other  and  inferior  places  were  projected,  and  while 
the  future  of  the  whole  country  was  uncertain,  but  over  which 
hung  a  certain  vague  grandeur,  their  pretensions  were  very 
respectably  set  forth,  and  speculation  in  their  allotments  was 
rife.  Some  of  these  schemes  have  since  shared  in  the  general 
advancement  of  the  countiy  ;  while  of  others  probably  nothing 
again  will  ever  be  heard. 

A  short  experience  of  the  mines  had  satisfied  most  of  the 


CONDITION  OF  THE  COUNTRY.  225 

citizens  of  San  Francisco  that,  in  vulgar  parlance,  all  was  not 
gold  that  glittered,  and  that  hard  work  was  not  easy, — sorry 
truisms  for  weak  or  lazy  men.  They  returned  very  soon  to  their 
old  quarters,  and  found  that  much  greater  profits,  with  far  less 
labor,  were  to  be  found  in  supplying  the  necessities  of  the  miners, 
and  speculating  in  real  estate.  For  a  time  every  body  made 
money,  in  spite  of  himself.  The  continued  advance  in  the  price 
of  goods,  and  especially  in  the  value  of  real  estate,  gave  riches  at 
once  to  the  fortunate  owner  of  a  stock  of  the  former  or  of  a  single 
advantageously  situated  lot  of  the  latter.  When  trade  was 
brisk,  and  profits  so  large,  nobody  grudged  to  pay  any  price,  or 
any  rent,  for  a  proper  place  of  business.  Coin  was  scarce,  but 
ba<rs  of  cold  dust  furnished  a  circulating  medium,  which  auswered 
all  purposes.  The  gamblers  at  the  public  saloons  staked  such 
bags,  or  were  supplied  with  money  upon  them  by  the  "  banks." 
till  the  whole  was  exhausted.  There  were  few  regular  houses 
erected,  for  neither  building  materials  nor  sufficient  labor  were 
to  be  had  ;  but  canvas  tents,  or  houses  of  frame,  served  the  im- 
mediate needs  of  the  place.  Great  quantities  of  goods  continued 
to  pour  in  from  the  nearer  ports,  till  there  were  no  longer  stores 
to  receive  and  cover  them.  In  addition  to  Broadway  Wharf, 
Central  Wharf  was  projected,  subscribed  for,  and  commenced. 
Several  other  small  wharves  at  landing-places  were  constructed 
at  the  cost  of  private  parties.  All  these,  indeed,  extended  but  a 
little  way  across  the  mud  flat  in  the  bay,  and  were  of  no  use  at 
low  tide  ;  yet  they  gave  considerable  facilities  for  landing  passen- 
gers and  goods  in  open  boats.  The  different  religious  denomina- 
tions were  beginning  to  make  movements  as  to  creating  churches 
and  appointing  clergymen  ;  while  the  Freemasons  and  Odd-Fel- 
lows were  likewise  beginning  to  take  their  characteristic  first 
steps.  Seamen  deserted  their  vessels,  as  a  matter  of  course,  so 
soon  as  they  dropped  anchor  in  the  bay,  and  hastened  to  the 
mines.  Society,  not  merely  there,  but  in  San  Francisco,  was  in 
a  state  of  utter  disorganization,  which  became  worse  and  more 
terrible  as  the  autumn  and  winter  months  brought  new  thousands 
of  immigrants  upon  the  place.  We  have  seen  that  there  was 
neither  a  proper  government  for  the  State,  nor  recognized  mu- 
nicipal authorities,  who  could  have  protected  the  citizens  and 
15 


226 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


established  order,  and  made  provision  for  the  systematic  extension 
of  the  town  and  reception  of  the  coming  crowds.  There  was  a 
military  governor,  indeed,  and  martial  law  could  have  been 
adopted,  but  the  governor  had  not  sufficient  force  at  his  com- 
mand to  curb  the  wild  elements  of  the  population  ;  nor,  at  best, 
would  his  forcible  interference  have  satisfied  American  ideas  of 
civil  independence  and  the  national  privilege  of  self-government. 
Thefts,  robberies,  murders,  and  other  outrages  of  the  most  des- 
perate and  criminal  nature  were  taking  place,  and  there  were  no 
proper  officials  to  take  cognizance  of  them,  and  bring  the  offend- 
ers to  justice.  Every  man  was  intent  on  merely  making  money, 
and  provided  an  outrage  did  not,  in  a  direct  manner,  personally 
or  pecuniarily  affect  himself,  he  was  content  to  shut  his  eyes  to 
the  ultimate  consequences. 

By  the  beginning  of  1849,  the  population  of  San  Francisco 
had  increased  to  two  thousand.  Two  months  later  it  was  proba- 
bly about  three  thousand  ;  whilst  in  July,  when  the  riots  and 
outrages  of  the  "  hounds"  came  to  a  height,  it  might  be  nearly 
.five  thousand.  This  was  what  might  be  called  the  usual  and 
permanent  population  of  the  time — if  any  thing  could  be  sup- 
posed permanent  in  so  frail  and  fluctuating  a  place,  although 
every  day  new  arrivals  of  immigrants  added  temporarily  to  the 
number,  till  they  flocked  off  to  Sacramento,  Stockton,  and  the 
mines. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


1849. 

The  Hounds— Election  of  Supreme  Judge,  delegates  to  convention,  and  municipal  officers.— Al- 
calde's address  to  the  Ayuntamiento.— Duties  of  prefects.— The  prison  brig  Kupliemia,  and  store- 
ship  Apollo.— Churches.— Regulations  and  appointments  of  the  Ayuntamiento. — The  "  Pacific 
News"  commenced. — Meeting  of  the  Constitution  Convention  at  Monterey.— Merchants'  Ex- 
change. —  Steam  Navigation.  —  Death  of  Nathan  Spear.  —  First  democratic  meeting.  —  Circus 
opened— Constitution  approved  and  State  officers  elected.— First  habitation  on  Kincon  Point. — 
Thanksgiving  Day.— Judge  Almond's  court— The  "  Alta  California." — First  great  fire. 

July  15th,  et  seq. — The  affair  of  the  "hounds"  came  to  an  end. 
This  was  an  association  of  young  men  for  the  declared  purpose 
of  assisting  each  other  in  sickness,  or  when  peril  of  any  kind 
threatened  any  of  the  members.  It  had  been  imperfectly  organ- 
ized in  the  beginning  of  the  year,  and  was  virtually  a  gang  of 
public  robbers.  The  members  assumed  a  kind  of  military  disci- 
pline, under  the  guidance  of  regular  leaders,  who  wore  a  uniform, 
•and  occasionally,  but  only  on  Sundays,  paraded  the  streets  with 
flags  displayed  and  drum  and  fife  playing.  They  attacked  the 
tents  of  inoffensive  people,  chiefly  foreigners,  and  if  they  could 
not  extort  money  from  the  owners  or  inmates  by  threats,  tore 
them  down  to  the  ground,  and  stole  or  destroyed  money,  jewels, 
and  every  thing  valuable  on  the  premises.  These  outrages,  per- 
petrated usually  at  night,  when  the  more  peaceable  citizens  had 
retired  to  rest,  were  so  frequent  that  the  "  hounds "  became  a 
terror  to  all  well-disposed  people  of  the  town.  They  invaded 
the  stores,  taverns,  and  houses  of  Americans  themselves,  and 
rudely  demanded  whatever  they  desired.  They  eould  not  be 
refused,  for  their  numbers  were  so  great,  while  they  were  well 
armed,  that  nobody  durst  resist  them.  The  town  was  paralyzed 
with  terror,  and  the  "  hounds,"  who  latterly  adopted  the  name 


228 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


of  "  regulators,"  committed  the  most  violent  and  cruel  outrages 
in  open  defiance  of  the  law  and  common  humanity.  A  series  of 
the  most  barbarous,  destructive,  and  daring  attacks,  were  perpe- 
trated by  those  desperadoes  on  Sunday,  the  15th  of  July,  which 
at  last  effectually  roused  the  community  to  a  determined  coun- 
teraction. They  formed  themselves  into  a  police  force,  and  pro- 
ceeded to  measure  their  strength  against  the  rioters.  They  were 
successful,  and  immediately  afterwards  some  twenty  of  the  of- 
fenders were  put  upon  trial.  At  this  time  San  Francisco  had  no 
proper  municipal  organization,  while  neither  was  there  an  efficient 
State  government  to  which  the  citizens  could  appeal  for  protec- 
tion. They  therefore  had  to  do  every  thing  for  themselves. 
They  accordingly  appointed  judges  and  counsel  for  both  prosecu- 
tion and  defence,  and  at  once  proceeded  with  the  trial  of  the 
rioters,  or  conspirators,  as  they  were  charged  with  being.  A 
jury  found  them  guilty  of  conspiracy,  riot,  robbery,  and  assault, 
with  intent  to  kill.  Nine  were  convicted  and  sentenced  to 
various  periods  of  imprisonment  and  considerable  fines,  and  the 
town  was  purged  for  a  while  of  the  more  violent  ruffians  that  had 
infested  it.  A  full  account  of  these  proceedings  will  be  found  in 
the  Third  Part  of  this  work. 

August  1st. — The  elections  ordered  by  Governor  Riley  took 
place  in  a  spirited,  though  orderly  manner.  The  candidates  were 
numerous,  and  the  following  parties  were  elected  : — 


Peter  H.  Burnett,  who  had  1298  votes  in  San  Francisco,  and  76  at  San  Jose. 


Judge  of  the  Supreme  Court. 


Prefect. 
Horace  Hawes,  913  votes. 

Sub-Prefects. 


First  Alcalde. 
John  W.  Geary,  1516  votes. 

Second  Alcalde. 
Frank  Turk,  1055  votes. 


Francis  Guerrero,  1503  votes. 
Joseph  R.  Curtis,  1399  " 


Ayuntamiento,  or  Town  Council. 


Talbot  H.  Green,  1510  votes. 
Henry  A.  Harrison,  1491  " 


Rodman  M.  Price,  840  votes. 


Alfred  J.  Ellis,  1354 
Stephen  C.  Harris,  1323 
Thos.  B.  Winton,  1052 


Win.  H.  Davis,  835  " 
Bezer  Simmons,    825  " 


Samuel  Brannan,  823 


John  Townsend,      1052  " 


Wm.  M.  Stewart,  815  " 
Gabriel  B.  Post,    691  " 


alcalde's  address  to  the  ayuntamiento.  229 


Delegates  to  Convention.  Supernumerary  Delegates. 

Edward  Gilbert,  1512  votes.  Wm.  D.  M.  Howard,  870  votes. 

Myron  Norton,   1436    "  Francis  J.  Lippitt,    874  " 

Wm.  M.  Gwin,  1073    "  Alfred  J.  Ellis,         872  " 

Joseph  Hobson,    839    "  Francisco  Sanchez,    872  " 

Wm.  M.  Stewart,  833    "  Rodman  M.  Price,     871  " 

There  were  some  ten  or  a  dozen  different  tickets  at  this  elec- 
tion, upon  all  of  which  the  name  of  Col.  John  W.  Geary  ap- 
peared for  the  office  of  First  Alcalde.  He  consequently  received 
the  whole  number  of  votes  polled.  This  decided  evidence  of 
public  confidence  was  deserved  and  appreciated.  At  the  first 
meeting  of  the  ayuntamiento,  the  newly  elected  alcalde  presented 
the  following  address.  It  is  a  document  worthy  of  preservation, 
being  well  written,  and  giving  a  faithful  account  of  the  gloomy 
aspect  of  public  affairs  in  San  Francisco  at  that  period,  and 
much  useful  advice  to  those  having  the  interests  of  the  city  in 
charge  : — 

"  Gentlemen  of  the  City  Councils  : — Having  been  called  by  the  unanimous 
voice  of  my  fellow-citizens  to  the  office  of  chief  magistrate  of  the  city  of  San 
Francisco,- 1  find  it  impossible  to  convey  to  them  bywords  the  feelings  excited 
by  this  decided  manifestation  of  their  confidence  and  approbation.  Pro- 
foundly sensible  that  the  honor  and  trust  which  have  been  conferred  upon  me  far 
transcend  my  deserts,  I  can  make  no  other  return,  than  a  heartfelt  declaration 
of  my  gratitude,  accompanied  by  the  assurance,  that  to  the  extent  of  ray 
power,  I  will  with  zeal  and  fidelity  cause  the  observance  of  every  law  and  or- 
dinance made  for  the  good  of  this  city. 

"The  citizens  of  San  Francisco,  appreciating  the  importance  of  the  present 
crisis  in  the  territorial  history  of  California,  and  particularly  the  high  and  im- 
portant destiny  of  their  citj',  have  conferred  upon  you,  gentlemen,  the  onerous 
duty,  yet  high  honor,  of  legislating  for  their  future  welfare  and  prosperity, 

"As  your  presiding  officer,  I  deem  it  my  duty  to  call  your  attention  to  the 
situation  of  the  city,  and  to  ask  your  co-operation  in  making  it,  in  point  of 
order  and  security,  what  it  must  shortly  be  in  wealth  and  importance,  the 
first  city,  and  great  commercial  and  moneyed  emporium  of  the  Pacific.  To 
effect  this,  gentlemen,  it  will  require  of  you  great  devotion  to  your  duties,  as 
well  as  great  diligence  and  a  liberal  supply  of  funds  for  municipal  purposes. 

"  Economy  in  the  expenditure  of  the  public  money  is  at  all  times  desirable 
and  necessary ;  but  situated  as  we  are  here,  without  any  superior  body  to 
legislate  for  us,  the  people  of  the  city  will,  of  necessity,  be  called  upon  to 
assume  a  responsibility  in  the  enactment  of  laws,  and  in  the  expenditure  of 
money  for  public  purposes,  not  usual  under  ordinary  circumstances.  Of  this 
every  citizen  of  San  Francisco  is  fully  aware,  and  all  who  desire  the  prosperity 


230 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


and  good  government  of  the  city  will  stand  ready  to  sustain  you  in  whatever 
you  may  do  for  its  permanent  improvement  and  benefit. 

"At  this  time  we  are  without  a  dollar  in  the  public  treasury,  and  it  is  to 
be  feared  the  city  is  greatly  in  debt.  You  have  neither  an  office  for  your 
magistrate,  nor  any  other  public  edifice.  You  are  without  a  single  police  offi- 
cer or  watchman,  and  have  not  the  means  of  confining  a  prisoner  for  an  hour ; 
neither  have  you  a  place  to  shelter,  while  living,  sick  and  unfortunate  strangers 
who  may  be  cast  upon  our  shores,  or  to  bury  them  when  dead.  Public  im- 
provements are  unknown  in  San  Francisco.  In  short,  you  are  without  a 
single  requisite  necessary  for  the  promotion  of  prosperity,  for  the  protection 
of  property,  or  for  the  maintenance  of  order. 

"  I  therefore  repeat,  that  the  present  exigency  in  public  affairs  requires 
the  utmost  diligence  on  your  part,  in  the  performance  of  all  your  duties,  as 
well  as  a  liberal  supply  of  funds,  to  provide  for  the  security  of  life  and  property 
in  San  Francisco. 

"  There  is  perhaps  no  city  upon  the  earth  where  a  tax  for  the  support  of 
its  municipal  government  can  be  more  justly  imposed  than  here.  Real 
estate,  both  improved  and  unimproved,  within  a  short  space  of  time,  has  in- 
creased in  value  in  many  instances  a  thousand-fold,  and  even  at  its  present 
high  rates,  will  produce  in  the  shape  of  rents  the  largest  average  income  upon 
record.  Yet  notwithstanding  this  unprecedented  increased  value  of  real 
estate,  the  burdens  of  government  should  not  be  borne  by  a  tax  upon  that 
species  of  property  alone  ;  each  and  every  kind  of  business  carried  on  within 
the  limits  of  the  district  should  bear  its  just  and  proper  share  of  taxation. 
Equal  justice  to  all  should  be  your  guide,  and  if  strictly  followed,  none  will 
have  just  cause  of  complaint. 

"  The  charters  of  most  cities  in  the  United  States,  granted  by  the  Legisla- 
tures, give  the  corporation  the  right  to  levy  and  collect  a  tax,  as  well  to  defray 
the  expenses  of  its  municipal  government  as  for  public  improvements;  and  it 
is  usual  to  submit  a  tax  bill  to  the  Legislature  for  its  confirmation.  This  is 
done  to  prevent  abuses.  Yet  I  do  not  know  of  an  instance  where  the  tax  im- 
posed has  been  reduced  by  the  Legislature.  In  towns  not  incorporated  there 
is  no  resort  to  be  had  to  the  Legislature  for  a  confirmation  of  the  tax  laws.  The 
town  officers,  chosen  by  the  people,  impose  the  taxes,  and  collect  a  sufficient 
revenue  by  common  consent ;  and  their  right  to  do  so  is  never  questioned. 
That  you  have  a  right  to  levy  and  collect  a  reasonable  and  proper  tax,  for  the 
support  of  your  municipal  government,  cannot,  in  my  judgment,  for  a  moment 
be  questioned.  In  the  absence  of  State  legislative  authority,  you,  as  the 
representatives  of  the  people,  are  supreme  in  this  district,  and  your  acts,  so 
long  as  you  confine  them  strictly  to  the  legitimate  sphere  of  your  duty,  will 
not  only  be  sanctioned  and  approved  by  the  present  worthy  Executive  of  our 
government  in  California,  but  will  be  most  promptly  confirmed  by  the  Legis- 
lature, whenever  one  shall  be  assembled  either  for  the  Territory  or  State. 

"I  would,  therefore,  recommend  that  with  all  convenient  despatch  you 
ascertain,  as  near  as  possible,  the  amount  of  funds  deemed  necessary  for  the 
rupport  of  a  proper  and  efficient  municipal  government  for  one  year ;  that 


alcalde's  address  to  the  ayuntamiento.  231 


when  you  shall  have  determined  this,  you  shall  proceed  to  collect  a  just  equi- 
table tax  upon  real  estate  and  upon  sales  at  auction ;  and  that  you  require  all 
merchants,  traders,  storekeepers,  &c,  to  take  out  a  license  for  the  transaction 
of  their  business,  paying  therefor  an  amount  proportionate  to  the  quantity  of 
merchandise  vended  by  them.  Also,  that  all  drays,  lighters,  and  boats,  used 
in  the  transportation  of  merchandise,  and  of  passengers,  to  or  from  vessels  in 
the  harbor,  be  licensed. 

"  There  is  also  another  class  of  business  proper  to  be  taxed,  which  although 
sometimes  prohibited  by  law,  yet  in  many  countries  is  regulated  by  law.  I 
recommend  you  to  adopt  the  latter  course.  The  passion  for  gaming  is  uni- 
versal, even  where  the  severest  penalties  are  imposed  to  prevent  its  indul- 
gence. And  it  is  a  fact  well  known  and  understood,  whenever  gaming  tables 
are  licensed  and  subject  to  proper  police  regulations,  they  are  less  injurious  to 
the  interests  and  morals  of  the  community  than  when  conducted  in  defiance 
of  law.  In  the  one  case  the  proprietors  are  amenable  to  the  law  which  au- 
thorizes them,  and  are  subject  to  proper  control ;  while  on  the  other  hand,  if 
prohibited,  the  evasion  of  the  law  by  such  means  as  are  usually  resorted  to, 
does  but  increase  the  evil,  and  the  community  is  in  no  way  benefited.  I  would, 
therefore,  recommend,  under  present  circumstances,  and  until  State  legislation 
can  be  had  on  the  subject,  that  you  license  gaming  and  billiard  tables. 

"  For  the  collection  of  each  and  every  tax,  the  imposition  of  which  I  have 
recommended,  you  have  the  example  of  almost  every  city  in  the  world.  A 
revenue  is  necessary  for  the  proper  maintenance  and  support  of  the  munici- 
pality,—  and  it  is  a  maxim  everywhere  acknowledged,  that  every  citizen 
should,  for  the  privileges  he  enjoys,  aid  in  the  support  of  the  government 
under  which  he  lives,  and  which  affords  him  protection  of  life,  liberty,  and 
property. 

"The  public  documents  containing  all  the  muniments  of  title,  &c,  for  real 
estate,  are  not  to  be  found  in  possession  of  my  predecessor,  but  in  the  private 
keeping  of  a  portion  of  the  citizens. 

"  As  these  documents  have  not  been  transferred  to  me  in  a  legal  manner 
by  an  officer  of  the  law,  and  as  there  may  be  a  probability  of  their  being  more 
or  less  mutilated,  I  particularly  request  you  to  grant  me  authority  to  appoint 
a  committee  of  three  respectable  and  intelligent  citizens,  who,  under  oath, 
shall  make  an  inventory  of  the  said  documents,  and  a  schedule  of  any  mutila- 
tions, erasures,  or  interlineations,  which  may  be  found  on  their  pages.  I  feel 
confident  that  the  importance  of  this  matter  has  already  suggested  to  you 
such  a  measure,  inasmuch  as  the  value  of  titles  to  real  estate  might  be  greatly 
impaired  by  failing  to  adopt  it.  This  course  will  not  only  relieve  from  unjust 
suspicion  the  officer  to  whose  charge  and  safe-keeping  those  documents  are 
intrusted  by  the  law,  but  it  will  also  render  him  responsible  for  his  own 
acts,  and  not  for  those  of  his  predecessor,  or  of  any  other  person. 

"  The  laws  under  which  we  act  oblige  each  officer,  without  regard  to  his 
station,  to  advance,  with  his  utmost  zeal,  the  cause  of  education.  L  there- 
fore, strongly  urge  upon  you  the  propriety  of  adopting  measures  by  which 
the  children  of  the  high,  the  low,  the  rich  and  the  poor  of  this  district,  can 


232 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


have  equal  advantages  of  drinking  freely  at  the  fountain  of  primary  know- 
ledge ;  and  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  our  territory,  which  is  ere  long  to  be  erected 
into  a  State,  and  placed  by  the  side  of  her  elder  sisters  of  the  Union,  will 
show  to  them  that  she  fully  appreciates  education  as  the  only  safeguard  of  our 
republican  institutions ;  that  the  liberties  of  the  people  are  based  upon  their 
intelligence,  and  that  in  this  respect,  as  well  as  in  all  others,  California  will 
present  herself  to  the  world  a  model  Republic,  without  spot  or  blemish. 

"  John  W.  Gearv, 
"  First  Alcalde  of  the  District  of  San  Francisco.  CaV 


Prison-brig  Euphemia.  and  Stoe-ship  Apollo. 

Prefect  Hawes  also  ably  addressed  the  council,  chiefly  ex- 
plaining the  duties  of  prefects,  which  are,  he  says,  "  to  take  care 
of  public  order  and  tranquillity  ;  to  publish  and  circulate,  with- 
out delay,  observe,  enforce,  and  cause  to  be  observed  and  en- 
forced, the  laws,  throughout  their  respective  districts  ;  and  for 
the  execution  of  these  duties  they  are  clothed  with  certain  pow- 
ers, which  are  clearly  specified  and  defined.  They  are  particu- 
larly enjoined  to  attend  to  the  subject  of  public  instruction,  and 
see  that  common  schools  be  not  wanting  in  any  of  the  towns  of 


FIRST  PROTESTANT  CHURCH. 


233 


their  respective  districts.  They  are  also  required  to  propose 
measures  for  the  encouragement  of  agriculture  and  all  branches 
of  industry,  instruction,  and  jmblic  beneficence,  and  for  the  exe- 
cution of  new  works  of  public  utility  and  the  repair  of  old  ones. 
They  constitute  the  ordinary  channel  of  communication  between 
the  governor  and  the  authorities  of  the  district,  and  are  to  com- 
municate all  representations  coming  from  the  latter,  accompanied 
with  the  necessary  information." 

The  first  money  appropriated  by  the  ayuntamiento  was  for  the 
purchase  of  the  brig  Euphemia,  which  was  converted  into  a 
prison  for  the  confinement  of  criminals.  This  was  the  first  jail 
established  in  the  place  where  convicted  rogues  could  be  kept  in 
custody.  We  give  a  correct  representation  of  the  Euphemia. 
The  store-ship  Apollo,  which  is  seen  on  the  illustration,  was  an- 
chored in  the  cove,  some  distance  from  the  beach.  It  was  subse- 
quently used  for  a  lodging-house  and  drinkiug-saloon.  As  the 
city  improvements  progressed,  lots  were  piled,  capped,  and  filled 
in  on  the  flat  covered  by  the  waters  of  the  bay,  far  beyond  where 
the  Apollo  lay  ;  and  strangers  visiting  the  city  were  astonished 
to  see  the  hull  of  a  large  ship  located  in  the  very  heart  of  the 
city,  surrounded  on  all  sides  with  large  blocks  of  substantial  stone 
and  brick  edifices. 

August  5th.— The  first  Protestant  Church  in  California  was 
dedicated  by  the  Baptists.  At  this  time  the  Episcopalians, 
Presbyterians,  Congregationalists,  and  Methodists,  were  taking 
steps  to  build  places  of  worship  for  themselves,  while  most  of 
these  denominations  had  already  established  sabbath-schools. 
The  Roman  Catholics  had  also  erected  a  church  in  Vallejo-street, 
at  which  divine  service  was  regularly  performed  on  Sundays. 
The  Rev.  T.  D.  Hunt,  whose  appointment  was  noticed  before, 
officiated  at  the  chaplaincy;  and  Mr.  Lyman,  a  Mormon 
preacher,  was  holding  forth  at  the  Institute,  on  Portsmouth 
Square. 

August  6th,  8th,  and  11th.— The  ayuntamiento  meet,  take 
the  oaths  of  office,  and  organize  and  distribute  themselves  into 
various  committees,  for  the  purpose  of  systematically  conducting 
the  affairs  of  the  town.  On  the  13th,  they  appointed  the  follow- 
ing municipal  officials  : — 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


234 

Frank  Turk,  Secretary. 
William  M.  Eddy,  City  Surveyor. 
P.  C.  Landers,  Collector  of  Taxes. 

And  on  the  20th  of  the  month, 
Dr.  T.  R.  Palmer,  City  Physician. 


Jonathan  Cade,  Sergeant  at-Arms. 
Malachi  Fallon,  Captain  of  Police. 
A.  G.  Peachy,  City  Attorney. 
John  E.  Townes,  Sheriff. 
Benj.  Burgoyne,  City  Treasurer. 


View  of  San  Francisco  in  1849,  from  head  of  California  street 


August  27th. — The  "  Pacific  Neivs,"  a  San  Francisco  tri- 
weekly newspaper,  published  by  Messrs.  Falkner  and  Leland, 
makes  its  first  appearance.  This  paper  was  the  second  in  San 
Francisco  at  this  period,  and  continued  until  1851,  when,  after 
having  several  times  changed  its  proprietors  and  political  com- 
plexion, it  expired.  The  only  other  newspaper  in  California  was 
the  "  Placer  Times"  published  weekly  at  Sacramento  ;  but  which 
merged  into  a  daily,  and  was  afterwards  issued  in  San  Francisco. 

The  ayuntamiento  this  day  issue  an  ordinance  (subsequently 
amended  and  re-issued)  for  raising  a  revenue  for  municipal  pur- 
poses, chiefly  by  means  of  a  percentage  duty  on  the  sale  of  mer- 
chandise and  real  estate,  and  heavy  license  duties  imposed  on 
those  engaged  in  different  kinds  of  business.  This  was  the  be- 
ginning of  those  steps  by  which  a  very  great  revenue  was  after- 
wards collected. 


STEAM  NAVIGATION  COMMENCED. 


235 


September  1st. — The  convention  of  delegates  to  frame  a 
State  Constitution  met  at  Monterey  ;  and  on  the  4th  instant, 
chose  Robert  Semple  president,  and  Capt.  Wm.  0.  Marcy  secre- 
tary. The  Constitution  was  finished  and  signed  by  the  delegates 
on  the  13th  of  October. 

September  lOth.— The  first  "  Merchants'  Exchange"  was 
projected  a  short  time  before  this  date  ;  and  at  a  public  meeting 
of  citizens,  held  to-day,  the  scheme  was  approved  of  and  sub- 
scribed to  by  a  considerable  number  of  merchants  and  others. 
The  undertaking,  however,  after  going  on  some  time,  seems  to 
have  been  dropped  ;  and  in  November  we  find  Mr.  E.  E.  Dunbar 
opening  a  subscription  "  Merchants'  Exchange  and  Reading 
Room"  in  Washington  street,  which  was  patronized  by  most 
mercantile  people  in  the  town. 

October  26th. — Steam  navigation  is  beginning  to  be  adopted 
in  the  bay  and  its  upper  waters.  Just  two  years  before  this 
time  Wm.  A.  Leidesdorff  had  attempted  to  run  a  small  steam- 
boat, about  the  size  of  a  ship's  jolly-boat,  which  had  been  pro- 
cured from  the  Russian  settlement  at  Sitka.  But  this  vessel,  in 
February,  1848,  was  sunk  in  one  of  the  severe  northers  that 
visit  the  bay  ;  and  no  steps  had  been  taken  to  renew  the  experi- 
ment until  some  time  after  the  gold  discoveries  made  its  success 
certain.  Then  speculators  sent  out  many  proper  vessels  from 
the  Atlantic  States.  The  "  Pioneer,"  a  little  iron  steamer, 
brought  out  in  pieces  from  Boston,  sailed  upon  the  waters  of  the 
Sacramento  River  about  a  month  before  this  date  ;  and,  being 
the  first  that  had  penetrated  so  far  into  the  interior,  deserves  the 
title  she  had  assumed.  On  the  9th  instant,  the  small  iron 
steamer  "  Mint"  had  a  trial  trip,  which  was  highly  satisfactory. 
She  was  intended  to  ply  between  San  Francisco  and  the  towns 
on  the  upper  waters.  This  day  the  steam-propeller  "  McKim" 
left  for  Sacramento.  Before  this  time  voyages  across  the  bay 
and  up  the  Sacramento  and  San  Joaquin  Rivers  were  made  in 
schooners  and  launches.  These  vessels  were  often  detained  a 
week  or  ten  days  in  sailing  that  distance,  which  a  steamer  now 
accomplishes  in  half  a  day.  Both  the  steamers  mentioned  sailed 
every  alternate  day  from  San  Francisco,  and  on  the  intervening 
days  left  Sacramento  for  the  return  passage.    The  fares  at  first 


236 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


were  thirty  dollars  cabin,  and  twenty  dollars  deck.  If  berths 
were  used,  five  dollars  extra.  Meals  on  board,  two  dollars  each. 
The  well  known  steamer  "  Senator "  was  shortly  afterwards 
placed  on  the  same  station,  and  the  little  "Mint"  withdrawn 
and  placed  on  another.  This  was  the  beginning  of  a  very  great 
increase  of  the  transit  trade  of  the  bay.  Later  years  have  sent 
numerous  large,  well  appointed,  and  beautiful  steam-vessels, 
which  have  still  further  developed  the  interior  water  traffic,  and 
added  immensely  to  the  resources  of  the  country. 

October  21st. — Mr.  Nathan  Spear  died  of  a  disease  of  the 
heart.  He  was  forty-seven  years  of  age,  and  one  of  the  oldest 
inhabitants  of  the  place.  This  gentleman  was  partner  to  Mr. 
Jacob  P.  Leese,  who  built  the  first  house  and  formed  the  first 
mercantile  establishment  in  Yerba  Buena.  The  death  of  Mr. 
Spear  was  much  regretted  by  the  citizens,  and  the  flags  of  the 
ships  in  the  bay  were  hung  at  half  mast  when  it  was  announced. 

October  25th. — The  first  Democratic  Meeting  ever  held  in 
California  assembled  this  evening  at  Dennison's  Exchange.  The 
attendance  was  so  large  that  the  meeting  was  compelled  to  ad- 
journ to  the  public  square.  The  officers  chosen  were  : — Presi- 
dent, Col.  John  W.  Geary  ;  Vice-Presidents,  Dr.  McMillan  and 
Messrs.  0.  P.  Sutton,  E.  V.  Joyce,  Thomas  J.  Agnew,  John 
McVickar,  Annis  Merrill,  and  W.  H.  Jones  ;  Secretaries,  Messrs. 
Joseph  T.  Downey,  J.  Ross  Brown,  Daniel  Cronin,  and  John 
A.  McGlynn.  Hon.  Wm.  VanVorhies  delivered  a  spirited  ad- 
dress, and  a  long  series  of  resolutions  expressive  of  democratic 
principles  were  adopted.  The  chief  object  of  the  assembly  was 
to  effect  a  party  organization  previous  to  the  approaching  State 
elections. 

October  29th. — Rowe's  Olympic  Circus,  which  was  in  a  large 
tent,  opened  to  a  numerous  attendance  of  spectators.  This  was 
the  first  public  announcement  of  the  dramatic  or  spectacle  kind 
in  San  Francisco.  The  "  house"  could  hold  from  twelve  to  fif- 
teen hundred  ;  and  the  prices  of  admission  were,  three  dollars  to 
the  pit,  five  dollars  to  the  boxes,  and  fifty-five  dollars  for  a  pri- 
vate box.  Two  theatres  had  some  time  previously  been  an- 
nounced, and  were  at  this  time  in  course  of  formation. 

November  13th. — Ballot  taken  on  the  Constitution,  and 


STATE  ELECTION. 


election  for  State  officers.  Party  politics  were  beginning  to  in- 
fluence voters  in  the  choice  of  candidates.  The  election,  how- 
ever, was  conducted  in  a  quiet  and  orderly  manner.  In  San 
Francisco  two  thousand  and  fifty-one  voted  for  the  Constitution, 
and  five  against  it.  Over  the  whole  country  the  votes  were 
twelve  thousand  and  sixty-four  for,  and  eight  hundred  and 
eleven  against.  These  numbers  were  much  below  what  had  been 
anticipated,  partly  on  account  of  a  mistake  in  the  voting  tickets 
at  San  Francisco,  and  partly  from  the  heavy  rains  over  the 
country,  which  prevented  many  voters  from  attending  the  polling 
places.  Perhaps,  also,  after  the  first  excitement  was  over,  when 
the  convention  closed,  the  people  became  indifferent  on  the  sub- 
ject, and  neglected  the  duty  of  voting.  The  following  is  a  list 
of  the  State  officers,  senators,  and  representatives  in  Congress, 
first  elected  under  the  Constitution  ;  also,  the  members  of  the 
first  Legislature  of  California  (to  meet  at  San  Jose),  elected  by 
the  citizens  of  San  Francisco. 

Governor.  Lieutenant  Governor. 

Peter  H.  Burnett.  John  McDougal. 

United  States  Senators. 
John  C.  Fremont,  Wm.  M.  Gwin. 

Representatives  in  Congress. 
George  W.  Wright,  Edward  Gilbert. 

Secretary  of  State.  Treasurer.  Comptroller. 

Wm.  Van  Vorhies.         Richard  Roman.         J.  S.  Houston. 

Attorney  General.  Surveyor  General. 

Edward  J.  C.  Kewen.  Charles  J.  Whiting. 

Chief  Justice.  Associate  Justices. 

S.  C.  Hastings.  J.  A.  Lyon,  Nathaniel  Bennett. 

State  Senators. 
Gabriel  B.  Post,  Nathaniel  Bennett. 

Assembly. 

Wm.  Van  Vorhies,  Edmund  Randolph,  Levi  Stowell,  J.  H.  Watson, 
J.  A.  Patterson. 

November  26th. — The  first  habitation  on  Rkicon  Point, 
erected  by  Dr.  John  H.  Gihon.    It  was  an  India-rubber  tent, 


238 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


and  occupied  the  site  of  the  present  U.  S.  Marine  Hospital.  The 
entire  hill  was  covered  with  gnarled  oaks  and  thick  underbrush. 
There  were  at  that  time  but  several  buildings  between  the  Rin- 
con  and  California  street,  while  the  waters  of  the  bay  washed  the 
foot  of  precipitous  sand-hills  the  greater  portion  of  the  distance, 
which  rendered  it  necessary  for  the  pedestrian,  when  the  tide  was 
in,  to  wade  up  to  his  waist  in  the  water  in  passing  from  the  city 
to  the  point,  he  being  compelled  to  follow  the  line  of  the  beach. 
Those  hills  have  since  been  transplanted  into  the  cove,  and  made 
substantial  building  lots,  where  large  vessels  were  then  anchored. 

November  29th. — The  governor  had  appointed  this  as  a  day 
of  solemn  thanksgiving  and  prayer  for  the  new  State  of  Califor- 
nia, and  as  such  it  was  very  generally  observed. 

December  ]2th. — Some  time  previous  to  this  date,  the  busi- 
ness of  the  alcalde  had  so  greatly  increased,  as  to  render  necessary 
the  establishment  of  another  court  ;  and  upon  application  made 
to  the  governor,  he  authorized  William  B.  Almond,  Esq.,  to  open 
and  hold  a  Court  of  First  Instance,  with  civil  jurisdiction  only, 
and  that  in  cases  involving  sums  exceeding  one  hundred  dollars. 
Judge  Almond  accordingly  organized  his  court  in  the  old  school- 
house  on  the  plaza  ;  and  the  novel  and  summary  manner  in 
which  he  conducted  his  business  and  disposed  of  sometimes  very 
important  cases,  was  a  source  of  as  much  merriment  to  some  and 
mortification  to  others  as  any  thing  else  then  transpiring  in  the 
town.  Many  a  wag  who  was  fond  of  fun,  and  had  nothing  better 
to  do,  would  spend  an  hour  in  the  court-room  to  enjoy  the  satis- 
faction of  observing  the  chagrin  of  upstart  attorneys,  toward  whose 
oratorical  eloquence  and  legal  knowledge  the  judge  was  wont  to 
exhibit  the  most  mortifying  indifference.  His  Honor,  at  whose 
expense  many  a  good  anecdote  has  been  told,  had  a  sovereign 
contempt  for  Buncombe  speeches,  legal  technicalities,  learned 
opinions,  and  triumphantly  cited  precedents.  He  was  a  man  of 
quick  discernment  and  clear  judgment  ;  and  his  opinion  once 
formed,  and  that  sometimes  occurred  before  even  the  first  witness 
was  fully  heard,  his  decision  was  made.  Nothing  further  need 
be  said.  His  mind  was  as  unalterable  as  were  the  laws  of  the 
Medes  and  Persians.  Jury  trials  were  then  of  rare  occurrence, 
and  the  judge  decided  the  cases  that  came  before  him  ;  and 


JUDGE  ALMOND'S  COURT. 


239 


there  can  be  no  reason  to  doubt,  that  his  decisions  generally  were 
far  more  just  and  equitable  than  those  more  recently  given  in 
courts  claiming  greater  legal  knowledge,  where  learned  judges 
gravely  occupy  the  bench,  and  tampered  juries  are  influenced 
more  by  bribes  than  testimony.  On  this  day  a  case  was  tried  in 
which  a  physician  had  sued  the  captain  of  a  ship  for  medical  at- 
tendance upon  sick  sailors  during  a  voyage  around  Cape  Horn. 
The  prosecutor  claimed  five  hundred  dollars.  A  number  of  wit- 
nesses were  called  on  both  sides.  The  judge  sat  upon  a  rickety 
old  chair,  with  his  feet  perched  higher  than  his  head  upon  a  small 
mantel  over  the  fire-place,  in  which  a  few  damp  sticks  of  wood 
were  keeping  each  other  warm  by  the  aid  of  a  very  limited  sup- 
ply of  burning  coals.  His  Honor  employed  himself  in  paring  his 
corns,  or  scraping  his  nails,  while  the  "  learned  counsel "  briefly 
presented  the  case,  and  called  the  first  witness,  whom  the  judge 
instructed,  without  changing  his  position,  to  tell  all  he  knew 
about  the  matter,  in  as  few  words  and  as  quickly  as  possible, — 
at  the  same  time  charging  the  lawyers  not  to  interrupt  him  with 
questions.  This  witness  was  no  sooner  done,  and  he  had  but 
little  to  say,  when  the  counsel  called  another  ;  but  His  Honor  in- 
formed him  that  it  was  unnecessary  to  pursue  the  inquiry  fur- 
ther— the  witness  had  told  a  plain,  straightforward  story — the 
court  understood  the  merits  of  the  matter,  and  its  mind  was 
made  up.  "  But,"  says  a  lawyer,  "  you  will  at  least  hear  us 
speak  to  the  points  of  law  ? "  "  That  would  be  a  great  waste 
of  time,  which  is  very  precious,"  replied  the  judge  ;  "I  award 
the  plaintiff  one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars.  Mr.  Clerk,  what  is 
the  next  case  ?"  Thus  in  less  than  fifteen  minutes  a  case  was 
equitably  disposed  of,  which  in  an  ordinary  court  of  law  might 
have  occupied  at  least  as  many  days ;  and  in  the  course  of  the 
day,  as  much  business  was  despatched  in  the  same  summary 
manner,  as  would  occupy  most  courts  an  ordinary  quarterly 
term.  In  the  instance  related  the  counsel  for  the  plaintiff  pock- 
eted seventy-five  dollars  of  the  award,  giving  his  client  the  bal- 
ance, who  was  thus  well  paid  for  all  the  services  he  had  rendered. 
Young  lawyers,  however,  were  not  pleased  with  this  summary 
method  of  disposing  of  business.  To  these  the  opportunity  of 
making  a  speech,  the  tendency  of  which  is  usually  to  render  a 


240 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


clear  case  obscure,  though  it  doubtless  serves  to  display  the  ex- 
tent of  their  wisdom  and  intelligence,  is  of  quite  as  much  conse- 
quence as  meat  and  drink  to  other  people.  They  could  not  live 
without  it.  Hence,  Judge  Almond,  who  deprived  them  of  this 
exquisite  enjoyment,  was  no  favorite  with  them.  On  one  occa- 
sion after  a  case  had  been  decided,  in  the  usual  way,  the  defeated 
attorney  commenced  reading  aloud  from  a  book  he  held  in  his 
hand.  The  judge  abruptly  turned  round,  and  reminded  him  that 
judgment  had  been  rendered,  and  all  further  remarks  were  use- 
less. "  I  am  aware  of  that,"  said  the  sprightly  lawyer  ;  "  but  I 
thought  I  would  simply  read  a  passage  or  two  to  convince  you 
what  an  old  fool  Blackstone  was."  The  anecdote  was  not  bad, 
whether  well  applied  or  not,  and  even  though  it  lacked  origi- 
nality. 

The  greater  part  of  the  business  of  Judge  Almond's  court  was 
of  a  similar  character,  viz.,  the  settling  of  claims  against  owners 
and  masters  of  ships,  instituted  by  their  passengers  or  crews  ;  and 
as  the  decisions  were  generally  against  the  defendants,  it  was  often 
maliciously  remarked  that  the  judgments  of  the  court  were  always 
given  against  those  who  were  best  able  to  pay  the  costs.  This 
might  have  been  true,  though  not  in  the  sense  intended  ;  for  in 
these  cases,  the  parties  most  competent  to  pay  were  almost  in- 
variably the  parties  at  fault.  It  was  a  well-known  fact,  that 
during  the  first  great  rush  of  emigration  to  California,  the  most 
shameless  impositions  were  practised  upon  passengers  by  shipping 
merchants  and  their  agents.  Vessels  that  had  long  been  consid- 
ered unseaworthy  were  hastily  fitted  up,  without  proper  accom- 
modations or  provisions,  and  sent  on  a  most  dangerous  voyage, 
without  even  a  reasonable  expectation  in  some  instances  of  their 
reaching  their  place  of  destination,  with  passengers  who  had  been 
solemnly  promised  every  needed  comfort.  And,  when  at  sea, 
they  first  discovered  how  they  had  been  deceived,  and  began  to 
proclaim  their  grievances,  they  were  merely  laughed  and  scoffed 
at  by  the  brutal  officers  appointed  (because  of  their  peculiar 
qualifications  for  that  purpose)  to  carry  out  the  designs  of  their 
employers.  These  men  had  practised  similar  impositions  with 
impunity  often  before  ;  for  how  or  where  could  a  poor  sailor  or 
emigrant  passenger  obtain  satisfaction  for  wrongs  suffered  at  sea, 


FIEST  GREAT  FIRE. 


241 


when  the  courts,  even  if  appealed  to,  were  so  tardy  in  their 
movements  that  the  witnesses  disappeared  hefore  an  investigation 
could  take  place,  or  the  complainant  was  subjected  to  expenses 
which  he  had  no  possible  means  to  defray  ?  Owners  and  mas- 
ters of  vessels  never  supposed  that  in  California,  where  every 
thing  was  in  a  rude  and  unsettled  condition,  they  would  be  pun- 
ished for  offences  which  had  been  winked  at,  if  not  sanctioned, 
by  the  legal  authorities  in  the  oldest  and  best  regulated  commu- 
nities ;  hence,  they  were  more  reckless,  bold  and  insolent  than 
ever  in  sending  their  almost  worthless  ships  around  Cape  Horn. 
But  they  were  mistaken.  Suits,  well  founded,  were  constantly 
brought  against  them  by  the  passengers  and  crews  of  vessels  ar- 
riving at  San  Francisco,  and  heavy  fines  and  costs  imposed  for 
the  practice  of  mean  impositions  and  tyrannical  abuses  ;  until  at 
length,  Judge  Almond's  court  became  such  a  terror  to  merchants 
and  captains  of  ships,  that  they  would  sooner  compromise,  even 
at  a  sacrifice,  a  disputed  point  with  a  sailor  or  passenger,  than 
submit  the  case  to  the  judgment  of  His  Honor. 

December  14th. —  An  edition  of  the  "  Alta  California"  is 
published  tri-weekly  ;  the  old  weekly  issue  being  also  continued. 

December  24th. — This  morning,  about  six  o'clock,  the  awful 
cry  of  fire  was  raised  in  the  city,  and  in  a  few  hours  property 
valued  at  more  than  a  million  of  dollars  was  totally  destroyed. 
The  fire  began  in  Dennison's  Exchange,  about  the  middle  of  the 
eastern  side  of  the  plaza,  and  spreading  both  ways,  consumed 
nearly  all  that  'side  of  the  square,  and  the  whole  line  of  build- 
ings on  the  south  side  of  Washington  street,  between  Montgom- 
ery and  Kearny  streets.  This  was  the  first  of  the  great  fires 
which  devastated  San  Francisco  ;  and  it  was  speedily  to  be  fol- 
lowed by  still  more  extensive  and  disastrous  occurrences  of  a 
similar  character.  Something  of  the  kind  had  long  been  antici- 
pated by  those  who  considered  the  light,  combustible  materials 
of  which  the  whole  town  was  constructed.  That  the  flames  did 
not  spread  further  was  in  a  great  measure  owing  to  the  judicious 
steps  early  taken  by  the  municipal  authorities  in  pulling  down, 
or  blowing  up  with  gunpowder,  the  houses  at  the  extremity  of 
the  conflagration.  Scarcely  were  the  ashes  cold  when  prepara- 
tions were  made  to  erect  new  buildings  on  the  old  sites  ;  and  in 
16 


242 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


several  cases  within  a  few  days,  and  in  all,  within  a  few  weeks, 
the  place  was  covered  as  densely  as  before  with  houses  of  every 
kind.  These,  like  those  that  had  just  been  destroyed,  and  like 
nearly  all  around,  were  chiefly  composed  of  wood  and  canvas,  and 
presented  fresh  fuel  to  the  great  coming  conflagrations. 


Dennison't  Exchange,  and  l'arker  House,  before  tlie  fire,  December,  1449. 


The  first  fire  of  any  consequence  that  had  previously  oc- 
curred in  the  place  broke  out  in  January  of  this  year,  when  the 
"  Shades  Hotel"  was  destroyed.  In  June  following,  the  ship 
"  Philadelphia"  was  burned  in  the  harbor,  as  preparations  were 
being  made  for  her  sailing  to  the  Sandwich  Islands. 


CHAPTER  IX. 


1849. 

Increase  of  population — No  proper  homes. — Character  of  the  houses. — Condition  of  the  streets. — 
Employments  of  the  people. — Every  thing  in  apparent  confusion ;  still  nobody  idle,  and  much 
business  accomplished. — How  the  inhabitants  lived. — Money  rapidly  made  and  freely  spent. — 
Gambling. — Shipping  deserted. — Extravagantly  high  prices  obtained  for  every  thing. — Iients  and 
wages. — The  mines  tlio  source  of  all  the  wealth. — Destitution,  sickness  and  death.— Increase  of 
crime  —Aspect  of  the  Plaza.— Mixed  character  of  the  inhabitants. —The  Post-office. — A  pleasant 
prospect 

The  population  of  the  State,  and  of  San  Francisco  in  particular, 
had  been  largely  increasing  during  the  last  six  months.  Between 
the  1st  of  January,  1849,  and  the  30th  of  June  following,  it  was 
estimated  that  fifteen  thousand  had  been  added  to  the  population 
of  the  country  ;  of  which  number  nearly  ten  thousand  came  by 
sea,  and  landed  at  San  Francisco.  Only  about  two  hundred  of 
these  were  females.  The  next  half  year  gave  an  average  of  four 
thousand  immigrants  per  month,  by  sea  alone,  about  five  hundred 
of  whom,  in  all,  were  females  ;  and  the  whole  of  which  numbers 
landed  at  San  Francisco.  In  the  early  part  of  1849,  the  arrivals 
were  principally  from  Chili,  Mexico,  and  other  countries  on  the 
Pacific  coasts  of  America ;  but  later  in  the  year,  an  immense 
number  of  Americans  came  direct  from  the  Atlantic  States, 
around  Cape  Horn,  or  by  way  of  Panama,  while  many  foreigners 
also  arrived  from  China  and  from  various  parts  of  Europe. 
Hitherto  the  departures  were  comparatively  few.  Altogether 
nearly  forty  thousand  immigrants  landed  at  San  Francisco  during 
1849.  Besides  that  great  number,  some  three  thousand  or  four 
thousand  seamen  deserted  from  the  many  hundred  ships  lying  in 
the  bay.  Probably  two-thirds  of  all  these  proceeded  to  the 
mines,  or  to  various  parts  of  the  interior  ;  but,  on  the  other  hand, 
numerous  fortunate  diggers,  or  those  who  had  tried  gold  digging 
and  been  disappointed,  visited  town,  to  spend  their  gains,  recruit 


244 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


their  health,  or  follow  out  some  new  pursuit  there.  It  will  be 
remembered  also  that  somewhere  about  thirty  thousand  Ameri- 
can immigrants  had  reached  California  across  the  plains,  many 
of  whom  ultimately  settled  in  San  Francisco.  Therefore,  it  may 
be  reasonably  estimated,  that,  at  the  close  of  1849,  the  population 
of  the  town  numbered,  at  least,  twenty,  and  probably  nearer 


Muddy  Streets. 

twenty-five  thousand  souls.  A  very  small  proportion  of  these 
were  females— a  still  smaller  one,  children  of  either  sex  ;  while 
the  vast  majority  of  inhabitants  were  adult  males,  in  the  early 
prime  of  manhood.  This  circumstance  naturally  tended  to  give 
a  peculiar  character  to  the  aspect  of  the  place  and  habits  of  the 
people. 

There  was  no  such  thing  as  a  home  to  be  found.  Scarcely 
even  a  proper  house  could  be  seen.  Both  dwellings  and  places 
of  business  were  either  common  canvas  tents,  or  small  rough 
board  shanties,  or  frame  buildings  of  one  story.    Only  the  great 


EMPLOYMENTS  OF  THE  PEOPLE. 


245 


gambling  saloons,  the  hotels,  restaurants,  and  a  few  public  build- 
ings and  stores  had  any  pretensions  to  size,  comfort  or  elegance. 
The  site  on  which  the  town  is  built  was  then  still  covered  with 
numberless  sand-hills.  The  streets  were  therefore  uneven  and  ir- 
regular. By  the  continued  passage  of  men,  and  of  horses  and 
drays  with  building  materials  and  goods,  while  the  rainy  season 
(which  commenced  earlier  than  usual,  and  was  remarkably  severe) 
was  shedding  torrents  from  the  clouds,  the  different  thoroughfares 
were  soon  so  cut  up  as  to  become  almost,  if  not  quite  impassable. 
Indeed  both  horse,  or  mule  and  dray  were  sometimes  literally 
swallowed  up  in  the  mud,  while  their  owner  narrowly  escaped  a 
similar  fate.  The  town  authorities  caused  numberless  cart  loads 
of  brushwood  and  limbs  of  trees  to  be  cut  from  the  surrounding 
hills,  and  thrown  into  the  streets  ;  but  these  only  answered  a 
limited  and  temporary  purpose.  The  difficulty  could  not  thus 
be  remedied.  Nobody  troubled  himself  to  remove  any  rubbish 
from  the  way ;  but  inmates  of  tents  and  houses  satisfied  them- 
selves with  placing  a  few  planks,  tobacco-boxes,  bags  of  coffee, 
barrels  of  spoiled  provisions,  or  any  other  available  object,  across 
and  along  the  worst  parts  of  the  roads,  to  enable  them  safely  to 
reach  their  own  dwellings.  It  was  not  for  every  body,  however, 
to  attempt  to  navigate  these  perilous  places,  or  hope  to  keep  on 
the  narrow,  slippery,  unsteady,  and  often  interrupted  path  which 
spanned  the  unfathomed  abysses  of  mud  and  water  which  lay  on 
all  sides.  Lanterns  were  indispensable  to  pedestrians  at  night, 
and  even  in  daylight  not  a  few  would  lose  their  footing,  and  find 
it  difficult  to  extricate  themselves  from  their  unpleasant  predica- 
ments. 

In  those  miserable  apologies  for  houses,  surrounded  by  heaps 
and  patches  of  filth,  mud  and  stagnant  water,  the  strange  mixed 
population  carried  on  business,  after  a  fashion.  It  is  not  to  be 
supposed  that  people  could  or  did  manage  matters  in  the  strict 
orderly  manner  of  older  communities.  Very  few  were  following 
that  particular  business  to  which  they  had  been  bred,  or  for 
which  they  were  best  fitted  by  nature.  Every  immigrant  on 
landing  at  San  Francisco  became  a  new  man  in  his  own  estima- 
tion, and  was  prepared  to  undertake  any  thing  or  any  piece  of 
business  whatsoever.    And  truly  he  did  it  ;  but  it  was  with  a 


246  ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 

deal  of  noise,  bustle  and  unnecessary  confusion.  The  great  re- 
cognized orders  of  society  were  tumbled  topsy-turvy.  Doctors 
and  dentists  became  draymen,  or  barbers,  or  shoe-blacks  ;  law- 
yers, brokers  and  clerks,  turned  waiters,  or  auctioneers,  or  perhaps 
butchers  ;  merchants  tried  laboring  and  lumping,  while  laborers 
and  lumpers  changed  to  merchants.  The  idlest  might  be  tempt- 
ed, and  the  weakest  were  able,  to  do  something — to  drive  a  nail 
in  frame  buildings,  lead  a  burdened  mule,  keep  a  stall,  ring  a 
bell,  or  run  a  message.  Adventurers,  merchants,  lawyers,  clerks, 
t  radesmen,  mechanics,  and  every  class  in  turn  kept  lodging-houses, 
eating  and  drinking  houses,  billiard  rooms  and  gambling  saloons,  or 
single  tables  at  these  ;  they  dabbled  in  "  beach  and  water  lots," 
fifty-vara  blocks,  and  new  town  allotments  over  the  whole  coun- 
try ;  speculated  in  flour,  beef,  pork  and  potatoes  ;  in  lumber  and 
other  building  materials  ;  in  dry  goods  and  soft,  hard  goods  and 
wet  ;  bought  and  sold,  wholesale  and  retail,  and  were  ready  to 
change  their  occupation  and  embark  in  some  new  nondescript 
undertaking  after  two  minutes'  consideration.  All  things  seemed 
in  the  utmost  disorder.  The  streets  and  passages,  such  as  they 
were,  and  the  inside  of  tents  and  houses,  were  heaped  with  all 
sorts  of  goods  and  lumber.  There  seemed  no  method  in  any 
thing.  People  bustled  and  jostled  against  each  other,  bawled, 
railed  and  fought,  cursed  and  swore,  sweated  and  labored  lustily, 
and  somehow  the  work  was  done.  A  spectator  would  have  im- 
agined the  confusion  inextricable,  but  soon  had  reason  to  change 
his  opinion.  Every  body  was  busy,  and  knew  very  well  what  he 
himself  had  to  do.  Heaps  of  goods  disappeared,  as  if  by  magic, 
and  new  heaps  appeared  in  their  place.  Where  there  was  a  va- 
cant piece  of  ground  one  day,  the  next  saw  it  covered  with  half 
a  dozen  tents  or  shanties.  Horses,  mules  and  oxen  forced  a  way 
through,  across,  and  over  every  obstruction  in  the  streets  ;  and 
men  waded  and  toiled  after  them.  Hundreds  of  rude  houses  and 
tents  were  daily  in  the  course  of  erection  ;  they  nestled  between 
the  sand-hills,  covered  their  tops,  and  climbed  the  heights  to  the 
north  and  west  of  the  town. 

As  we  have  said,  there  were  no  homes  at  this  period  in  San 
Francisco,  and  time  was  too  precious  for  any  one  to  stay  within 
doors  to  cook  victuals.    Consequently  an  immense  majority  of  the 


MANNER  OF  LIVING. 


247 


people  took  their  meals  at  restaurants,  boarding-houses  and  hotels 
—the  number  of  which  was  naturally  therefore  very  great  ;  while 
many  lodged  as  well  as  boarded  at  such  places.  Many  of  these 
were  indeed  miserable  hovels,  which  showed  only  bad  fare  and 
worse  attendance,  dirt,  discomfort  and  high  prices.  A  few  others 
again  were  of  a  superior  class  ;   but,  of  course,  still  higher 


Lodging  Room. 


charges  had  to  be  made  for  the  better  accommodation.  At  best 
all  were  inconveniently  crowded,  heated  and  disagreeable.  The 
whole  population  was  constantly  moving,  and  always  visible, 
which  added  greatly  to  its  apparent  numbers.  If  only  people 
did  not  sleep  in  public,  they  at  least  worked,  eat,  and  amused 
themselves  in  crowds.  But  even  at  night,  they  lay  from  half  a 
dozen  to  two  score  in  a  room,  on  the  floor,  in  rows  of  cots,  or 
contracted  and  filthy  bunks  fastened  to  the  weather-boards  from 
floor  to  ceiling,  in  which  were  immense  swarms  of  fleas  and  other 
troublesome  vermin.    At  some  lodging-houses  and  hotels,  every 


248 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


superficial  inch — on  floor,  tables,  benches,  shelves,  and  beds,  was 
covered  with  a  portion  of  weary  humanity. 

While  wages  and  profits  were  so  high,  and  there  was  no  com- 
fort at  their  sleeping  quarters,  men  spent  money  freely  at  differ- 
ent places  of  riotous  excess,  and  were  indeed  forced  to  pass  their 
hours  of  leisure  or  recreation  at  drinking  bars,  billiard  rooms  and 
gambling  saloons.  Such  places  were  accordingly  crowded  with  a 
motley  crew,  who  drank,  swore,  and  gamed  to  their  hearts'  con- 
tent. Every  body  did  so;  and  that  circumstance  was  a  sufficient 
excuse,  if  one  were  needed,  to  the  neophyte  in  debauchery.  To 
vary  amusements,  occasionally  a  fancy-dress  ball  or  masquerade 
would  be  announced  at  high  prices.  There  the  most  extraordi- 
nary scenes  were  exhibited,  as  might  have  been  expected  where 
the  actors  and  dancers  were  chiefly  hot-headed  young  men,  flush 
of  money  and  half  frantic  with  excitement,  and  lewd  girls  freed 
from  the  necessity  of  all  moral  restraint.  A  concert  or  a  lecture 
would  at  other  times  help  to  entertain  the  weary  spirits  of  the 
town.  But  of  all  their  haunts,  the  gambling  saloons  were  the 
most  notorious  and  best  patronized. 

Gambling  was  a  peculiar  feature  of  San  Francisco  at  this 
time.  It  was  the  amusement — the  grand  occupation  of  many 
classes — apparently  the  life  and  soul  of  the  place.  There  were 
hundreds  of  gambling  saloons  in  the  town.  The  bar-room  of  every 
hotel  and  public  house  presented  its  tables  to  attract  the  idle, 
the  eager  and  covetous.  Monte,  faro,  roulette,  rondo,  rouge  et 
noir  and  vingt-un,  were  the  games  chiefly  played.  In  the  larger 
saloons,  beautiful  and  well-dressed  women  dealt  out  the  cards  or 
turned  the  roulette  wheel,  while  lascivious  pictures  hung  on  the 
walls.  A  band  of  music  and  numberless  blazing  lamps  gave  an- 
imation and  a  feeling  of  joyous  rapture  to  the  scene.  No  wonder 
the  unwary  visitor  was  tempted  and  fell,  before  he  had  time  to 
awake  from  the  pleasing  delusion.  To  make  a  fortune  in  the 
turning  of  a  card  was  delightful — the  very  mingled  hope  and  fear 
of  eventual  success  was  a  charming  excitement.  For  the  mo- 
ment, men  felt  as  great  conquerors  may  be  supposed  some- 
times to  feel  ;  they  manoeuvred  on  the  green  cloth, — the  field  of 
their  operations, — thinking  their  own  skill  was  playing  the  game, 
when  chance  alone  gave  the  residt.    At  the  end  of  a  long  even- 


GREAT  PREVALENCE  OF  GAMBLING.  249 

ing's  campaign  of  mingled  victories  and  defeats — petty  skir- 
mishes— they  would  either  draw  off  their  forces  to  renew  the 
game  next  day,  or  hazard  their  all,  thousands  of  dollars  perhaps, 
on  the  issue  of  one  great  battle,  and  a  moment  afterwards  leave 
the  table  richer  or  poorer  by  a  moderate  fortune.  Again  and 
again,  were  such  campaigns  fought,  till  the  excitement  and  in- 
tense desire  of  playing  became  chronic.  When  gTeat  sums  could 
no  longer  be  had,  small  ones  served  the  same  purpose  ;  and  were, 
in  the  end,  lost  like  the  others.  Gambling  became  a  regular 
business  ;  and  those  who  followed  it  professionally  were  really 
among;  the  richest,  most  talented  and  influential  citizens  of  the 
town. 

The  sums  staked  were  occasionally  enormous.  One  evening 
sixteen  thousand  dollars'  worth  of  gold  dust  was  laid  upon  a 
faro  table  as  a  bet.  This  was  lost  by  the  keeper  of  the  table, 
who  counted  out  the  money  to  the  winner  without  a  murmur, 
and  continued  his  business  with  a  cheerful  countenance,  and  ap- 
parently with  as  good  spirits  as  though  he  had  incurred  no  more 
than  an  ordinary  loss.  As  high  as  twenty  thousand  dollars,  it  is 
said,  have  been  risked  upon  the  turn  of  a  card.  Five  thousand, 
three  thousand,  and  one  thousand  dollars  were  repeatedly  ven- 
tured. The  ordinary  stakes,  however,  were  by  no  means  so  high 
as  these  sums — from  fifty  cents  to  five  dollars  being  the  usual 
amount ;  and  thus  the  common  day  laborer  could  lay  his  moderate 
stake  as  stylishly  as  a  lord.  It  was  only  when  the  rich  gamester 
was  getting  desperate,  or  a  half  tipsy  miner  had  just  come  from 
the  diggings  with  a  handsome  "  pile,"  that  the  larger  sums  were 
put  on  the  cloth.  Generally  speaking,  the  keepers  of  the  tables, 
or  "  bankers,"  had  no  objection  to  these  heavy  stakes  ;  they  knew 
the  game  better  than  the  player,  and  were  well  aware  of  all  the 
chances  in  their  own  favor.  But  it  was  scarcely  necessary  for  the 
professional  gambler  to  encourage  particularly  large  stakes.  The 
combined  amount  of  all  the  usual  small  ones  was  very  large ; 
while  every  two  minutes  there  was  a  new  game  formed,  and  new 
stakes  put  down.  The  extensive  saloons,  in  each  of  which 
ten  or  a  dozen  such  tables  might  be  placed,  were  continually 
crowded,  and  around  the  tables  themselves  the  players  often  stood 
in  lines  three  or  four  deep,  every  one  vieing  with  his  neighbors- 


250 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


for  the  privilege  of  reaching  the  hoard,  and  staking  his  money  as 
fast  as  the  wheel  and  ball  could  he  rolled  or  the  card  turned. 
The  professional  gamblers,  who  paid  great  rents  for  the  right 
of  placing  their  tables  in  these  saloons,  made  large  fortunes  by 
the  business.  Their  tables  were  piled  with  heaps  of  gold  and 
silver  coin,  with  bags  of  gold  dust,  and  lumps  of  the  pure  metal, 
to  tempt  the  gazer.  The  sight  of  such  treasures,  the  occasional 
success  of  players,  the  music,  the  bustle,  heat,  drink,  greed  and 
deviltry,  all  combined  to  encourage  play  to  an  extent  limited  only 
by  the  great  wealth  of  the  community.  Judges  and  clergymen, 
physicians  and  advocates,  merchants  and  clerks,  contractors, 
shopkeepers,  tradesmen,  mechanics  and  laborers,  miners  and 
farmers,  all  adventurers  in  their  kind — every  one  elbowed  his 
way  to  the  gaming-table,  and  unblushingly  threw  down  his 
golden  or  silver  stake.  The  whole  of  the  eastern  side  of  Ports- 
mouth Square,  three-fourths  of  the  northern,  and  a  portion  of 
the  southern  sides  were  occupied  by  buildings  specially  devoted 
to  gambling.  At  these  portions  of  the  plaza  were  perhaps  the 
greater  saloons,  but  all  around  the  neighborhood  there  were  num- 
berless other  places,  where  the  same  system  was  carried  on,  and 
where  the  proceedings  were  exposed  to  the  careless  look  of  every 
passer-by. 

While  such  scenes,  in  hundreds  of  distinct  places,  were  night 
and  day  being  acted  in  public,  the  better  or  richer  classes,  who  at 
first  had  openly  appeared  and  gambled  among  the  crowds  at  the 
general  saloons,  began  to  separate  and  confine  themselves  to  semi- 
private  play  in  the  rear  of  the  Parker  House,  and  at  similar 
places.  There,  if  tbe  external  excitement  of  moving  crowds  and 
music  was  wanting,  the  interest  in  the  sport  arising  from  larger 
stakes  was  correspondingly  increased,  if  that  were  possible.  The 
amounts  ventured  in  such  secluded  circles  were  immense  ;  and 
almost  surpass  belief.  Men  had  come  to  California  for  gold  ; 
and,  by  hook  or  by  crook,  gold  they  would  have.  It  was  a  fair 
and  honest  game,  they  thought,  to  hazard  one's  own  money 
against  that  of  another.  Therefore,  they  staked  and  lost — 
staked  and  won — till  in  the  end  they  were  rich  indeed,  or  penni- 
less. But  poor  or  rich,  the  speculative  spirit  continued — (there 
was  surely  something  infectious  in  the  air  !) — and  either  in  direct 


GREAT  PREVALENCE  OF  GAMBLING. 


251 


gambling,  or  in  nearly  similar  operations  in  mercantile,  land-job- 
bing, or  general  business,  the  inhabitants  of  San  Francisco,  at 
this  period  of  its  history,  seemed  to  be  one  great  horde  of  game- 
sters. There  were  exceptions  indeed,  and  some  men  scorned  to 
enter  a  gambling  saloon  or  touch  a  card,  but  these  were  too  few 
comparatively  to  be  specially  noticed  in  the  general  hubbub  and 
speculative  disposition  of  the  place. 


Parker  House  when  first  opened. 


Who  can  tell  the  joy,  the  hope,  the  triumph,  or  the  fear7 
misery  ami  ruin  of  the  busy  gamester  ?  It  is  not  avarice  alone 
that  urges  his  course — for  we  often  find  the  '  professed  gambler 
careless  of 0  money,  liberal  and 'generous  to' excess.  There  is- 
mental  excitement — personal  victory — riches,  and  consequent 
power,  honor  and  happiness  in  the  game.  Other  passions  have 
theirjnoments  of  excitement  and  ecstasy  ;  but  perhaps  few  have 
more  blissful  ones  than  the  uncontrollable  spirit  of  play.  Let 
cold-blooded,  lethargic  people,  who  condemn  the  practice — for  it 
is  still  a  pernicious  vice — consider  the  temptations  and  pleasure,  as 


252  ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 

well  as  the  evils  and  crimes  it  induces,  and  withhold  their  ^dis- 
criminating censures  against  those  who  have  fallen  victims  to  it. 
Some  countries  indulge  in  national  vices — it  may  be  intoxication 
or  gambling,  gross  superstition  or  fanaticism.  But  no  man  can 
know  all  the  peculiar  circumstances  and  temptations  that  lead  to 
wrong-doing  ;  and  no  man  is  so  personally  and  morally  pure  that 
he  is  entitled  to  throw  a  stone  at  the  offender.  We  would  not 
seek  to  excuse  the  San  Franciscans  of  those  days  for  indulging 
in  gambling  ;  but  we  think  some  palliation  might  be  found  for 
their  conduct  in  the  anomalous  circumstances  in  which  they  were 
placed,  and  much  allowance  made  for  their  temptation  and  fall. 
The  same  speculative  spirit  continues,  although  in  a  much  less 
degree.  There  are  still  many  public  gaming  tables,  open  every 
day  of  the  week,  at  nearly  all  hours  ;  but  the  stakes  are  much 
smaller  than  before,  and  the  more  respectable  classes  of  the  com- 
munity do  not  attend  such  places.  Private  play  is  likewise  still 
canied  on,  but  to  nothing  like  the  extent  of  former  years.  The 
evil  is  dying  away  ;  though  many  years  must  pass  before  it  be 
altogether  extinct.  So  long  as  San  Francisco  is  without  proper 
homes,  and  its  population  is  composed  chiefly  of  adult  males, 
while  enormous  profits  and  wages  are  usually  made  in  every  under- 
taking, so  long  will  the  only  amusements  be  public  ones,  and 
chief  among  them,  gambling.  The  richer  and  more  respectable 
classes  have  now  such  homes  and  families  to  enjoy  themselves 
among,  and  they  no  longer  gamble.  Give  an  agreeable  domestic 
circle  to  the  mechanic  and  the  laborer,  the  general  speculator,  the 
tradesman  and  the  clerk,  and  they  likewise  will  forsake  the  public 
haunts  of  dissipation. 

We  have  occasionally  alluded  to  the  desertion  of  seamen. 
At  the  time  of  which  we  write  there  were  between  three  and 
four  hundred  large  square-rigged  vessels  lying  in  the  bay,  unable 
to  leave  on  account  of  want  of  hands.  Many  of  these  vessels 
never  got  away,  but,  in  a  few  years  afterwards,  rotted  and  tum- 
bled to  pieces  where  they  were  moored.  As  stores  and  dwelling- 
houses  were  much  needed,  a  considerable  number  of  the  deserted 
ships  were  drawn  high  on  the  beach,  and  fast  imbedded  in  deep 
mud,  where  they  were  converted  into  warehouses  and  lodgings  for 
the  wants  of  the  crowded  population.    When  subsequently  the 


EXTRAORDINARY  CIRCULATION  OF  MONEY.  253 

town  was  extended  over  the  mud  flat  of  the  bay,  these  ships 
were  for  ever  closed  in  by  numberless  streets  and  regularly  built 
houses  both  of  brick  and  frame.  When,  by  and  by,  the  runaway 
seamen  returned  from  the  mines,  crews  could  be  more  easily  had, 
though  still  at  a  great  increase  of  wages  ;  and  gradually  the  de- 
tained vessels  were  enabled  to  leave  the  port,  to  make  room  for 
new  fleets. 

The  circulation  of  money, — partly  coin,  partly  gold  dust, — 
was  very  great.  Men  had  a  sublime  indifference  to  the  smaller 
pieces  of  coin,  and  talked  as  familiarly  of  dollars  as  people  else- 
where would  of  dimes.  A  copper  coin  was  a  strange  sight. 
There  was  nothing  less  received  for  any  service,  however  slight, 
than  half  a  dollar ;  for  any  article,  however  trifling,  than  a 
twenty-five  cent  piece.  The  price  of  admission  to  the  pit  of  the 
circus  was  three  dollars  ;  while  fifty-five  dollars  was  the  cost  of  a 
private  box.  Thirty  dollars  a  week,  or  eight  dollars  a  day,  was 
the  sum  asked  for  good  boarding ;  while  the  most  indifferent 
could  not  be  obtained  for  less  than  twenty  dollars  a  week.  Every 
mouthful  at  dinner  might  be  valued  at  a  dime ;  and  to  get  a 
hearty  meal  would  cost  from  two  to  five  dollars,  according  to  the 
quality  of  the  viands.  Other  things  were  in  proportion.  Wheat 
flour  and  salt  pork  sold  at  forty  dollars  a  barrel ;  potatoes  and 
brown  sugar  at  thirty-seven  and  a  half  cents  a  pound  ;  a  small 
loaf  of  bread,  such  as  might  cost  four  or  six  cents  in  the  Atlantic 
States,  brought  fifty  cents  ;  and  the  same  price  was  required  for 
a  pound  of  cheese  ;  coarse  boots,  the  only  description  for  which 
there  was  any  demand,  could  not  be  purchased  for  less  than  thirty 
to  forty  dollars  a  pair,  while  superior  ones  of  the  same  class  were 
sold  for  more  than  one  hundred  dollars.  And  truly,  when  one 
considered  the  horrible  muddy  holes  and  ragged  streets  of  the 
place,  boots  were  reasonable  at  these  rates.  It  was  about  as 
economical  to  throw  away  certain  soiled  articles  of  clothing  and 
buy  new  ones,  as  to  get  the  old  ones  cleaned,  when  people  had 
to  pay  from  twelve  to  twenty  dollars  for  the  washing  of  each 
dozen  of  articles,  large  or  small.  Laborers'  wages  were  a  dollar 
an  hour  ;  skilled  mechanics  received  from  twelve  to  twenty  dol- 
lars a  day.  The  carpenters  struck  work  because  they  were  get- 
ting only  twelve  dollars  a  day,  and  insisted  on  being  paid  sixteen. 


254 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


Their  employers  then  offered  fourteen  dollars  a  day,  for  a  limited 
time,  and  afterwards  an  increase.  Every  brick  in  a  house  was 
roughly  estimated  to  cost  a  dollar,  one  way  and  another,  before 
the  building  was  finished.  Lumber  rose  to  five  hundred  dollars 
per  thousand  feet. 

Rents  were  correspondingly  enormous.  Three  thousand  dol- 
lars a  month,  in  advance,  was  charged  for  a  single  store,  of  limited 
dimensions,  and  rudely  constructed  of  rough  boards.  A  certain 
two  story  frame  building,  known  as  the  "  Parker  House,"  and 
situated  on  Kearny  street,  facing  the  plaza,  paid  its  owners  one 
hundred  and  twenty  thousand  dollars  a  year  in  rents.  Of  this 
sum,  somewhere  about  sixty  thousand  dollars  was  paid  by  gam- 
blers, who  occupied  nearly  the  whole  of  the  second  floor.  The 
"  El  Dorado,"  a  gambling  saloon,  which  adjoined  the  Parker  House 
on  the  right,  at  the  corner  of  Washington  street,  and  which  was 
only  a  canvas  tent  of  moderate  size,  brought  at  the  rate  of  forty 
thousand  dollars  per  annum.  At  another  corner  of  the  plaza  a 
small  building,  which  might  have  made  a  stable  for  half-a-dozen 
horses,  was  possessed  by  Wright  &  Co.,  brokers,  under  the  name 
of  the  Miners'  Bank,  at  a  rent  of  seventy-five  thousand  dollars. 
The  United  States  Hotel  paid  thirty-six  thousand  dollars  ;  a 
mercantile  establishment,  for  a  one-story  building,  of  twenty  feet 
front,  paid  forty  thousand  dollars,  and  seven  thousand  dollars 
per  month  was  paid  for  the  Custom  House.  The  interest  of  bor- 
rowed money  was  rated  by  the  same  scale.  From  eight  to  fifteen 
per  cent,  per  month,  with  the  addition  of  real  security,  was  regu- 
larly given,  in  advance,  for  the  use  of  money.  And  people  paid  these 
enormous  wages,  rents  and  interests  ;  and  still  made  fortunes  to 
themselves  !  Keal  estate,  that  but  a  few  years  before  was  of  little 
more  worth  than  an  old  song,  now  brought  amazing  prices.  From 
plain  twelve  dollars  for  fifty-vara  lots,  prices  gradually  rose  to 
hundreds,  thousands  and  tens  of  thousands  of  dollars  ;  so  that 
large  holders  of  such  properties  became  on  a  sudden  millionnaires. 
Shippers  in  foreign  countries  realized  large  fortunes  at  first  by 
their  ventures  to  California  ;  and  if,  ere  long,  the  expenses  were 
so  heavy  and  the  wholesale  prices  of  goods,  by  excessive  supply 
and  competition,  dwindled  so  low  that  sometimes  they  would  not 
pay  landing  or  storage  charges,  why,  still  the  commission  agents 


EXTRAORDINARY  CIRCULATION  OF  MONEY.  255 


of  San  Francisco,  and  the  host  of  interior  merchants,  shopkeep- 
ers and  other  retail  dealers,  were  doing  a  thriving  business,  and 
accumulating  large  sums.  The  holder  of  every  office  in  the  State 
and  municipality  was  paid  generously.  There  was  no  niggardli- 
ness in  such  things.  A  religious  body,  whose  clergymen  are 
seldom  in  the  habit  of  receiving  extravagant  salaries,  took  the 


Custom  House  on  the  Plaza. 


support  of  their  minister  on  themselves,  and  voted  him  the 
princely  allowance  of  ten  thousand  dollars  per  annum !  Clerks 
and  underlings  were  treated  in  the  same  handsome  manner. 
The  great  sums,  forming  the  total  of  such  wages,  salaries  and 
profits,  were  always  rapidly  passing  from  hand  to  hand,  and  came 
and  went,  and  finally  disappeared  in  gambling-saloons  and 
billiard  rooms,  at  bars  and  in  brothels,  in  land-jobbing,  building 
and  mercantile  speculations,  in  every  kind  of  personal  profusion, 
extravagance  and  debauchery. 

The  main-spring  of  all  this  bustle  and  money-making  trade 


256 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


was  the  gold  mining.  Consider,  therefore,  the  mightily  enhanced 
prices  of  every  article  at  the  diggings  !  Gold  dust  paid  for  all 
foreign  supplies,  and  filled  the  pockets  of  every  active  and  shrewd 
man  hesides.  Millions'  worth  of  pure  gold,  in  lumps  and  dust, 
reached  San  Francisco  every  month.  The  greater  portion  was 
forwarded  to  the  Atlantic  States  and  other  distant  quarters  in 
payment  of  supplies  ;  but,  in  the  transit,  much  was  appropriated 
and  retained,  as  currency,  among  the  ever  plotting,  restless  and 
"  wide-awake  "  people  of  San  Francisco.  Future  generations  will 
see  California  a  rich  and  prosperous  country  independently  alto- 
gether of  her  mineral  wealth  ;  hut  in  those  early  days  it  was  the 
placers  alone  that  made,  and  which  are  still  making  it  what  it 
appears.  All  honor  then  to  the  sturdy  and  independent  digger, 
whose  labors  are  peopling  the  country,  cultivating  the  fields,  build- 
ing cities,  making  roads,  covering  the  ocean  and  the  bays  and  the 
rivers  of  the  land  with  steamers  and  great  ships,  and  conferring 
riches  and  happiness  not  only  on  the  growing  population  of  Cali- 
fornia itself,  that  shall  hereafter  be  numbered  by  millions  instead 
of  the  present  hundreds  of  thousands,  but  also  on  millions  of  in- 
dustrious workmen  in  every  quarter  of  the  world  ! 

While  labor  was  so  well  paid  at  this  period,  in  San  Francisco, 
it  is  a  melancholy  fact  that  there  was  much  destitution,  sickness, 
and  even  death  by  want  and  exposure  in  the  place.  Many  of  the 
immigrants  had  landed  in  a  sickly  and  emaciated  state,  ill  of  scur- 
vy and  other  diseases  which  their  long  voyage  and  hardships  had 
produced  ;  and  such  people  could  not  work.  Others  had  miscal- 
culated their  own  powers  and  inclinations,  and  the  nature  of  the 
country  they  had  come  to,  and  were  either  ashamed  or  unable  to 
perform  honest  labor  ;  while  perhaps  they  were  too  timid  or  up- 
right to  speculate  in  the  variety  of  strange  and  often  cunning  ways 
by  which  other  adventurers  made  a  living  and  fortune.  Disap- 
pointed diggers,  returning  from  the  mines  with  broken  constitu- 
tions, swelled  the  destitute  population.  They  probably  lived  in 
miserable  habitations,  sleeping  often  upon  the  bare  earth.  Around 
them  were  bustle  and  lucrative  pursuits,  while  they  alone  seemed 
neglected.  Then  they  lost  heart,  pined,  took  sick  and  died,  curs- 
ing the  country  and  its  gold,  and  the  foolish  fancies,  that  had  led 
them  to  it.    Many  committed  suicide  in  the  utter  prostration  of 


MIXED  CHARACTER  OF  THE  INHABITANTS. 


257 


physical  strength,  in  feebleness  or  disease  of  mind  and  absolute 
despair.  Public  meetings  were  held  to  consider  the  destitute  sit- 
uation of  the  poor — (strange  word  for  such  a  country  !  yet  San 
Francisco  had  its  full  share  of  the  class), — and  large  sums  were 
raised  for  their  support.  The  Orders  of  Free  Masons  and  Odd- 
Fellows,  nobly  did  their  part  in  the  charitable  work,  and  were  the 
principal  means  by  which  now,  and  at  a  later  period,  hundreds  of 
suffering:  beings  were  saved  from  a  miserable  end,  or  their  remains 
decently  interred  after  death. 

San  Francisco  was  like  the  scene  of  a  great  battle.  There 
were  victorious  warriors  braving  and  flaunting  on  all  sides,  while 
hope  swelled  the  breast  of  every  unwounded  soldier.  But,  un- 
heeded amid  the  crash  and  confusion  of  the  strife,  lay  the  wound- 
ed and  dying,  who  had  failed  or  been  suddenly  struck  down  in  the 
mel  'e.  As  in  the  case  of  other  battles,  there  were  likewise  secret 
bands  of  unmanly  ruffians,  who  attacked  and  plundered  all  sides 
alike.  These  were  the  thieves,  burglars  and  murderers  of  the 
community,  the  "  hounds  "  of  recent  times  and  their  legitimate 
successors, — a  large  and  fearful  class  indeed, — daily  increasing  in 
numbers,  boldness  and  extent  of  depredation  and  crime.  To  their 
wickedness  were  afterwards  ascribed,  some  of  the  extensive  con- 
flagrations which  so  repeatedly  laid  waste  the  most  valuable  por- 
tions of  the  growing  town  ;  and  under  cover  of  the  alarm  and  con- 
fusion produced  by  which  events,  robberies  could  be  carried  on 
with  impunity.  What  mattered  it  though  millions'  worth  of 
property  were  consumed  to  enable  the  fire-raising  villain  to  steal 
a  few  thousand  dollars  ?  He  had  still  the  few  thousand  dollars, 
and  the  universe  might  go  to  blazes  for  aught  that  he  cared.  In 
this  manner,  doubtless  reasoned  the  "  Sydney  coves,"  and  the 
other  desperate  and  criminal  adventurers  with  which  the  town  was 
now  infested.  The  "Vigilance  Committee  "  had  not  yet  arisen 
to  terrify  the  wretches  into  good  behavior. 

The  every-day  aspect  of  the  plaza  and  streets  was  of  the  most 
curious  and  interesting  kind.  Take  the  plaza,  on  a  fine  day,  for 
a  picture  of  the  people.  All  races  were  represented.  There  were 
hordes  of  long  pig-tailed,  blear-eyed,  rank-smelling  Chinese,  with 
their  yellow  faces  and  blue  garbs  ;  single  dandy  black  fellows,  of 
nearly  as  bad  an  odor,  who  strutted  as  only  the  negro  can  strut, 
17 


258 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


in  holiday  clothes  and  clean  white  shirt ;  a  few  diminutive  fiery- 
eyed  Malays,  from  the  western  archipelago,  and  some  handsome 
Kanakas  from  the  Sandwich  Islands  ;  jet-black,  straight  featured, 
Abyssinians  ;  hideously  tattooed  New  Zealanders  ;  Feejee  sailors 
and  even  the  secluded  Japanese,  short,  thick,  clumsy,  ever-bow- 
ing, jacketed  fellows ;  the  people  of  the  many  races  of  Hindoo 
land  ;  Russians  with  furs  and  sables  ;  a  stray,  turbaned,  stately 
Turk  or  two,  and  occasionally  a  half  naked  shivering  Indian  ;  mul- 
titudes of  the  Spanish  race  from  every  country  of  the  Americas, 
partly  pure,  partly  crossed  with  red  blood, — Chilians,  Peruvians 
and  Mexicans,  all  with  different  shades  of  the  same  swarthy  com- 
plexion, black-eyed  and  well-featured,  proud  of  their  beards  and 
moustaches,  their  grease,  dirt,  and  eternal  gaudy  serapes  or  darker 
cloaks  ;  Spaniards  from  the  mother  country,  more  dignified,  polite 
and  ponrpous  than  even  their  old  colonial  brethren  ;  "greasers," 
too,  like  them ;  great  numbers  of  tall,  goat-chinned,  smooth- 
cheeked,  oily-locked,  lank-visaged,  tobacco-chewing,  large-limbed 
and  featured,  rough,  care-worn,  careless  Americans  from  every 
State  of  the  Union,  dressed  independently  in  every  variety  of  garb, 
not  caring  a  fig  what  people  thought  of  them,  but  determined  to 
"  do  the  thing  handsomely,"  and  "go  ahead;"  fat,  conceited, 
comfortable  Englishmen,  who  pretended  to  compete  in  shrewdness 
with  the  subtle  Yankee — as  if  it  were  not  the  "  manifest  destiny" 
of  Jonathan,  every  where,  but  especially  on  his  own  ground,  to 
outshine  John  !  Then  there  were  bands  of  gay,  easy-principled, 
philosophical  Germans,  Italians  and  Frenchmen  of  every  cut  and 
figure,  their  faces  covered  with  hair,  and  with  strange  habiliments 
on  their  persons,  and  among  whom  might  be  particularly  remark- 
ed numbers  of  thick-lipped,  hook-nosed,  ox-eyed,  cunning,  oily 
Jews.  Among  this  vast  motley  crowd  scarcely  could  two  hats  be 
found  alike  in  material,  size  and  shape  ;  scarcely  could  two  men 
be  found  otherwise  dressed  alike.  The  long-legged  boot,  with 
every  variety  of  colored  top,  the  buckled-up  trousers,  serapes  or 
cloaks,  pea-jackets  and  broad-brimmed  or  slouched  hats  and  glazed 
caps,  were  perhaps  the  commonest  articles  of  dress.  The  fortunate 
miner  with  his  dirty  garments  and  hirsute  face,  could  be  readily 
distinguished  from  all  others.  He  cared  not  to  dress  or  cleanse 
himself  properly,  till  the  bars  and  gambling  saloons  had  been 


THE  POST-OFFICE. 


259 


duly  visited,  and  his  hard  won  gains  were  spent.  Then  did  he 
shake,  shave  and  wash  himself,  and  start  again  for  the  golden 
placers. 

The  eye  was  delighted  with  the  varieties  of  costume,  and  more 
readily  distinguished  the  wearers  ;  while  the  ear  was  only  con- 
founded with  the  babble  of  unknown,  and  to  it  harsh,  guttural 
and  meaningless  sounds  which  flowed  from  every  mouth,  and 
where  all  alike  talked  loudly,  and  many  furiously  gesticulated. 
Thus  the  people  passed  in  pairs  or  in  crowds — they  loitered,  stood 
still,  and  moved  on  again,  while  other  parties  jostled  beside  and 
around  them.  A  horse  or  a  bullock  breaking  loose  would  dash 
along  the  way,  and  make  a  momentary  struggle  and  flight  ;  but 
soon  again  the  scene  resumed  its  old  appearance.  On  two,  if  not 
three  sides  of  the  juaza,  were  the  open  doors  of  the  "  hells  "  of 
San  Francisco,  where  gamblers,  and  others  for  amusement,  passed 
out  and  in  during  the  whole  day.  On  the  other  portions  stood 
hotels,  stores  and  offices,  the  custom-house  and  courts  of  law,  all 
thronged  with  numerous  visitors.  The  little  open  space  which 
was  left  by  the  crowds  we  have  been  describing,  was  occupied  by  a 
multitude  of  nondescript  objects,  by  horses,  mules  and  oxen  drag- 
ging burdens  along,  by  cars  and  carriages  of  various  kinds,  boys 
at  play,  stalls  with  sweetmeats,  newspapers,  prints,  toys^  and  other 
trifling  articles  of  merchandise.  At  times  a  few  Californians  or 
some  foreigners  would  appear  on  prancing  steeds,  the  horses  ca- 
parisoned with  gaudy  harness  and  brightly-colored  saddle-cloths, 
while  little  bells  jingled  as  they  moved  along.  The  riders  wore 
strange  leathern  aprons  before  the  legs,  huge  spurs  on  the  heels, 
and  perhaps  had  a  cloak  picturesquely  thrown  across  their  shoul- 
ders. Occasionally,  too,  even  at  this  early  period,  the  crowds 
would  make  way  for  the  passage  of  a  richly  dressed  woman,  sweep- 
ing along,  apparently  proud  of  being  recognized  as  one  of  frail 
character,  or  several  together  of  the  same  class,  mounted  on  spirited 
horses,  and  dashing  furiously  by,  dressed  in  long  riding  skirts,  or 
what  was  quite  as  common,  in  male  attire. 

We  cannot  leave  this  part  of  our  subject  without  alluding  to 
the  scenes  that  daily  occurred  at  the  post-office,  winch  was  situa- 
ted at  the  corner  of  Pike  and  Clay  streets.  Every  body,  of  course, 
was  anxiously  expecting  letters  from  home  ;  and  every  body  has- 


260 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


tened  to  look  after  them.  The  post-office  was  hut  a  small  build- 
ing, and  could  neither  accommodate  many  assistants  and  clerks 
inside,  nor  afford  much  standing-room  to  make  inquiries  without. 
When,  therefore,  soon  after  the  arrival  of  the  mail  from  the  At- 
lantic States,  which  occurred  hut  once  a  month,  people  came  for 
their  wished-fbr  letters,  exhibitions  of  an  interesting  character 


The  Tost  Office,  corner  of  Tike  and  Clay  streets. 


were  sure  to  transpire.  To  avoid  riots  and  confusion,  several  reg- 
ular lines  were  formed  from  the  delivery  windows,  at  the  end  of 
which  applicants  for  letters  took  places  as  they  arrived.  So  anx- 
ious were  many  to  receive  their  epistles,  that  they  posted  them- 
selves in  the  evening  of  one  day  to  he  early  at  the  window  on  the 
morning  of  the  next,  standing  all  night  in  the  mud,  with  a  heavy 
rain  pouring  down  upon  their  heads.  The  lines  extended  a  great 
distance  down  Clay  street  to  the  plaza,  and  along  Pike  street,  even 
across  Sacramento  street  to  the  tents  among  the  chapparel.  Hours 


THE  POST-OFFICE. 


261 


therefore,  would  elapse,  before  it  came  to  one's  turn  to  reach  the 
window.  To  save  such  delay,  sometimes  people  would  employ 
and  handsomely  pay  others  to  preserve  places  for  them,  which  they 
would  occupy,  in  room  of  their  assistants,  when  they  were  approach- 
ing the  loop-holes  where  the  delivery  clerks  stood.  Ten  and 
twenty  dollars  were  often  paid  for  accommodation  in  this  way. 
Indeed,  many  clever  persons  made  large  sums  regularly  by  such 
work,  by  securing  good  places  in  the  line  early,  never  intending  to 
seek  letters  for  themselves,  but  only  to  sell  their  right  of  position 
to  some  richer  man  who  was  in  haste,  and  regarded  more  his  time 
than  money.  Some  of  these  eager  applicants  had  not  heard  from 
their  far  distant  homes  for  many  long  months,  and  their  anxious 
solicitude  was  even  painful.  It  was  therefore  exceedingly  distress- 
ing to  mark  the  despondency  with  which  many  would  turn  away 
upon  hearing  from  the  delivery  clerks  the  oft-repeated  and  much- 
dreaded  sentence,  "  There  is  nothing  here  for  you."  On  the  other 
hand,  it  was  equally  pleasing  to  observe  the  cheerful  and  triumph- 
ant smile,  not  unfrequently  accompanied  with  a  loud  exclamation 
of  joy,  that  would  light  up  the  countenance  of  the  successful  appli- 
cant, who  hastens  from  the  window,  and  as  soon  as  he  can  force  a 
passage  through  the  crowd,  tears  open  and  commences  to  read  the 
more  than  welcome  letter,  every  word  of  which  awakens  in  his 
mind  some  tender  reminiscence.  He  is  now  communing  with  the 
dearest  idols  of  his  heart.  He  knows  no  feelings  but  those  of 
kindness  and  affection.  The  lines  upon  which  his  eyes  are  rivet- 
ed, were  written  perhaps  by  an  absent  wife,  and  they  have  made 
him  already  a  better  man  than  he  was  an  hour  before.  She  is 
describing  the  sadness  of  the  solitude  his  absence  has  occasioned, 
and  urging  him  with  all  a  true  woman's  fondness,  to  hasten  back 
to  the  home  which  needs  but  his  presence  to  be  one  of  unmingled 
happiness.  She  tells  him  of  their  innocent  children — of  their  im- 
proving loveliness — and  how  she  has  taught  them  in  their  daily 
prayers  to  lisp  their  absent  father's  name.  Look  close  into  the 
reader's  face,  and  the  nature  of  his  emotions  will  not  be  mistaken. 
There  is  an  unusual  twitching  of  the  muscles  of  the  mouth,  a 
growing  dimness  of  the  eyes,  and  tears  are  rapidly  tracing  down 
the  furrows  of  his  sunburnt  cheeks.  He  is  too  much  absorbed  in 
his  interesting  occupation  to  know  or  care  that  he  is  an  object  of 


262 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


curious  observation.  What  matters  it  to  him  what  others  think 
of  his  apparent  weakness  ?  It  is  a  weakness  of  which  he  need  not 
be  ashamed.  He  at  length  carefully  folds  the  paper  and  carries 
it  to  his  comfortless  abode,  where  he  reads  it  over  and  over  again, 
until  by  constant  handling,  and  the  tears  that  fall  upon  it,  its 
characters  become  illegible.  That  night  does  not  find  him  in  the 
gambling-house,  nor  elsewhere  in  search  of  amusement  ;  but  in 
his  own  wretched  chamber,  he  is  silently  communing  in  spirit  with 
the  loved  ones  at  home.  Such  scenes  were  of  hourly  occurrence, 
and  tended  to  exhibit  the  better  portion  of  human  nature,  which 
neither  the  thirst  for  gold  nor  feverish  excitement  of  the  place  could 
entirely  destroy. 

Turning  from  these  busy  scenes  and  ascending  a  neighboring 
height,  the  wearied  spectator  beheld  one  of  the  most  peaceful 
prospects  and  pleasant  sights  of  the  world.  It  was  winter  by  the 
calendar  ;  but  the  winters  of  California  are  the  springs  and  early 
summers  of  less  favored  lands  in  northern  latitudes.  Beneath 
was  the  little  pandemonium  he  had  left,  where  the  devil-inspired 
worshippers  of  mammon  burrowed  in,  and  out,  and  about,  holes 
and  huts  of  canvas  and  wood  ;  but  the  noise  of  whose  never-ceas- 
ing labors  reached  not  his  ears.  Beyond  the  narrow  limits  of  the 
town  were  the  calm  waters  of  the  bay,  on  which  floated,  swan- 
like, hundreds  of  trim  and  well-proportioned  ships,  all  motionless, 
and  deserted  by  their  crews.  Farther  out  was  the  high  lying 
island  of  Yerba  Buena,  green  to  the  summit.  Beyond  it  lay  the 
mountains  of  Contra  Costa,  likewise  arrayed  in  verdant  robes,  on 
the  very  tops  of  which  flourished  groups  of  huge  redwood  trees  ; 
while  far  in  the  distance  towered  the  gray  head  of  Monte  Diablo. 
The  eye  wandered  to  the  northern  and  southern  extremities  of 
the  bay,  and  still  gazed  on  green  hills,  smooth  waters  and  pictu- 
resque islands.  It  turned  oceanward,  and  saw  the  Golden  Gate 
studded  with  deep  laden  ships  inward  bound.  The  grand 
northern  shores  of  the  strait  rose  boldly  and  brokenly  to  the 
height  of  nearly  three  thousand  feet,  while  the  lower  coast  oppo- 
site was  equally  beautiful  from  the  freshness  of  its  fields  and 
bushes,  in  the  midst  of  which,  and  in  the  most  beautiful  spot 
embraced  in  the  entire  view,  quietly  nestles  the  presidio,  now 
the  solitary  habitation  of  a  small  detachment  of  United  States 


A  PLEASANT  PROSPECT. 


263 


soldiery.  The  great  Pacific  might  he  dimly  seen  beneath  the 
dense  veil  of  mist  that  hung  miles  out  at  sea  opposite  the  Gate. 
To  the  west  and  south-west  the  spectator  next  looked,  and  ad- 
mired the  Blue  Mountain  and  the  Pass  that  sheltered  the  quiet 


The  Presidio  of  San  Francisco. 


valley  of  the  mission,  and  the  long  ridges  of  the  Sierra  San  Bru- 
no, their  green  color  sinking  into  a  faint  blue  as  they  were  seen 
more  distantly.  Overhead  was  a  sky  as  blue  and  as  beautiful  as 
imagination  could  picture  ;  the  air  was  fresh  and  balmy ;  the 
earth  beneath  one's  feet,  soft  and  fragrant  with  new  herbage  and 
flowering  shrubs  ;  while  the  life-giving  sun  shed  over  all  its  own 
radiance  and  joy.  All  was  clear  and  sharp-defined  ;  all  was  tran- 
quil and  motionless,  except  the  flight  of  innumerable  white  and 
gray-winged  gulls,  that  soared  and  fluttered  among  the  deserted 
shipping  in  the  cove  before  the  town. 


CHAPTER  X. 
1850. 

Great  sale  of  water  lots. — An  election  day. — Newspapers. — Approval  by  the  ayuntamiento  of  the  city 
charter,  and  limits  of  San  Francisco. — Squatter  difficulty  at  Eincon  Point — Political  meeting  on 
Portsmouth  Square.— The  Colton  grants.— First  county  election. — Col.  John  C.  Hayes  elected 
Sheriff.— City  Charter  adopted  by  the  State  Legislature.— First  election  under  the  City  Charter.  - 
Changes  in  the  Common  Council. 

January  3d. — A  great  sale  by  the  municipal  authorities,  of 
four  hundred  and  thirty-four  water  lots,  which  brought  $635,130. 
This  sale  had  been  ordered  by  the  ayuntamiento  by  a  resolution 
passed  on  the  3d  of  October,  1849,  in  accordance  with  a  procla- 
mation of  General  Kearny,  directing  three  months'  notice  to  have 
been  previously  given. 

January  8th. — An  election  was  held  for  members  of  the 
legislature,  alcaldes  and  ayuntamiento.  The  interest  on  these 
occasions  increased  with  the  population,  and  the  election  of  to- 
day was  the  most  exciting  that  had  yet  been  held.  The  weather 
was  exceedingly  unpleasant,  the  wind  blowing  a  gale,  and  the 
rain  pouring  down  in  torrents.  The  streets  were  covered  with 
mud  and  water  so  as  to  render  them  almost  impassable.  Still  the 
neighborhood  of  the  polls  was  crowded  during  the  entire  day  with 
men  and  boys,  zealous  as  they  well  could  be  in  their  endeavors  to 
promote  the  public  welfare.  It  is  one  of  the  glorious  conse- 
quences of  our  republican  institutions,  that  at  such  times,  so 
many  worthy  people  are  always  to  be  found,  utterly  regardless  of 
their  personal  interests,  and  so  entirely  devoted  to  the  general 
good.  Although  the  excitement  ran  unusually  high,  the  day 
passed  off  without  disturbance,  and  much  good  humor  was  ex- 
hibited by  the  conflicting  parties.  The  voters  were  numerous  ; 
every  citizen  of  the  United  States  being  entitled  to  the  elective 
franchise,  and  almost  all  who  were  here,  from  every  part  of  the 


AN  ELECTION  DAY. 


265 


world,  claimed  to  be  American  citizens.  The  way  to  the  polls, 
for  a  considerable  distance,  on  either  side,  was  completely  blocked 
up  by  roughly  dressed  men,  who  thrust  their  favorite  tickets  into 
the  hands  of  every  new  comer,  with  loud  exclamations  in  behalf 
of  the  parties  for  whom  they  were  working.  "  Here's  for  Geary, 
and  the  old  council ! "  cries  one,  "  Geary  and  the  old  council  for 
ever  !  "  "  For  ever  is  a  long  day,"  says  another  ;  "  rotation  in 
office,  is  my  doctrine.  The  old  council  has  made  money  enough. 
Let's  give  a  new  one  a  chance  at  the  public  crib  !  "  "  The  old 
ones  are  so  fat  they  can't  eat  any  more  !  "  exclaims  a  third  ;  "we 
had  better  keep  them  where  they  are  ! "  "  We  have  had  the 
old  council  long  enough  !  "  vociferates  a  stout  six-footer,  wading 
up  to  his  waist  in  the  mud  :  "  I  go  for  a  new  council,  side-ivalks, 
and  dean  streets!"  "  You  do,  do  you  ?  "  replies  a  wag  :  "  then 
I  guess  you  will  have  to  go  an  infernal  long  ways  to  find  them  ! " 
"  We  want  another  yuntermenter,"  bawls  out  a  youngster  in  a  red 
shirt  and  tarpaulin  hat,  and  resembling  a  drowned  rat  more  than 
an  independent  voter  : — "  we  want  another  yuntermenter,  and 
here's  the  ticket  for  um  !  "  "  It's  a  gutterminty  that  ye  want  ?  " 
replies  a  brawny  Irishman  ;  "  then  take  it,  and  good  luck  till  ye  ! " 
giving  the  luckless  wight  a  toss  that  sent  him  sprawling  into  the 
gutter  overhead  in  water  :  "  I  am  thinking  ye  won't  want  another 
gutterminty  soon,  any  how  ! "  With  much  difficulty  the  polling 
desk  was  reached,  where  other  scenes  no  less  amusing  were  trans- 
piring. Around  the  judges  and  inspectors  were  an  eager  and  ex- 
cited crowd,  some  endeavoring  to  vote  and  others  to  prevent  them. 
"I  challenge  that  man's  vote,"  cries  a  bystander,  as  a  simple 
Sandwich  Islander,  almost  as  dark  as  an  African,  offered  his 
ticket.  "  Then  we  must  swear  him  !  "  says  the  judge,  and  the 
usual  oath  was  administered.  "  Where  were  you  born  ?  "  was 
the  inquiry.  "  In  New  York  !  "  whispered  a  prompter,  and  the 
answer  was  given  accordingly.  "Where  did  you  come  from 
last  ?  "  "  New  York,"  was  again  the  reply.  "  Where  was  your 
father  born  ?  "  "  New  York."  "  In  what  street  did  you  five  ?  " 
"  New  York."  "  Where  is  New  York  ?  "  the  judge  next  inquired. 
This  was  too  much  for  the  poor  fellow.  He  knew  as  much  of  the 
locality  and  streets  of  the  invisible  world  as  he  did  of  New  York. 
His  prompter,  who  had  brought  him  there  to  vote,  endeavored 


266 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


to  instruct  him,  but  without  success.  His  impatient  challenger 
at  length  exclaims  :  "  Turn  him  out,  he  is  a  Kanaka  !  "  and  the 
vote  was  rejected.  Another  and  another  pressed  forward,  and 
similar  questions  and  just  as  honest  answers  were  given,  and 
many  a  vote  was  polled,  to  the  right  of  depositing  which  the 
elector  was  no  more  entitled  than  the  poor  Kanaka.  Still  the 
election  proceeded,  and  notwithstanding  the  interest  and  excite- 
ment manifested,  the  best  sort  of  feeling  was  preserved  through- 
out. The  polls  were  closed  early  in  the  evening,  and  the  judges 
announced  the  following  gentlemen  elected  to  the  offices  named. 
The  heaviest  ballot  cast  was  in  favor  of  Col.  John  W.  Geary,  who 
received  3,425  votes  : — 

State  Setiator. — David  C.  Broderick. 

Member  of  Assembly. — Samuel  J.  Clarke. 

First  Alcalde. — John  W.  Geary. 

Second  Alcalde. — Frank  Turk. 

Ayuntamiento. — A.  J.  Ellis,  Talbot  H.  Green,  Wm.  M. 
Stewart,  W.  H.  Davis,  Samuel  Brannan,  James  S.  Graham, 
Frank  Tilford,  F.  C.  Gray,  J.  Hagan,  M.  Crooks,  A.  M.  Van 
Nostrand,  and  Hugh  C.  Murray. 

January  22d. — The  "Alta  California"  is  changed  into  a 
daily  newspaper,  being  the  first  of  the  kind  that  has  appeared  in 
California.  The  weekly  issue  is  likewise  continued.  The  day 
following,  the  "Journal  of  Commerce  "was  started  as  a  daily 
paper  ;  and  about  six  weeks  later,  the  "  Pacific  News "  took  a 
similar  form.  The  "  San  Francisco  Daily  Herald "  came  into 
existence  on  the  first  of  June,  and  became  a  very  popular  journal. 
On  the  first  of  August  following,  the  "  Evening  Picayune "  also 
made  its  appearance.  The  latter  was  the  fifth  daily  but  the  first 
evening  paper.  The  "Courier"  and  the  "Balance"  followed 
soon  after,  and  subsequently  many  other  journals  have  been  de- 
veloped in  San  Francisco  and  other  parts  of  the  country.  Some 
of  these  are  still  in  existence,  while  others  after  a  very  brief  and 
sickly  career,  perished  for  want  of  support.  The  "  Placer  Times," 
which  was  extensively  circulated  in  the  mining  districts,  had  been 
commenced  at  Sacramento  in  April,  1849,  and  appeared  weekly. 
This  was  also  converted  into  a  daily  newspaper,  and  was  subse- 


POLITICAL  MEETING  ON  PORTSMOUTH  SQUARE.  267 

quently  removed  to  San  Francisco.  It  is  a  political  journal,  de- 
voted to  the  interests  of  the  democratic  cause. 

February  13th. — A  charter  for  the  city,  previously  drafted 
and  considered,  was  amended  and  approved  of  by  the  ayuntami- 
ento,  and  Messrs.  Hagan  and  Green  were  instructed  to  present  it 
to  the  representatives  of  the  city  for  adoption  by  the  legislature. 
By  the  first  section  of  the  charter  it  was  declared,  that  "  the 
limits  of  the  City  of  San  Francisco  shall  be  the  same  which 
bounded  the  pueblo  lands  and  town  of  San  Francisco  ;  and  its  mu- 
nicipal jurisdiction  shall  extend  to  said  limits,  and  over  the  wa- 
ters of  the  Bay  of  San  Francisco,  for  the  space  of  one  league 
from  the  shore,  including  the  Islands  of  Yerba  Buena,  Los  An- 
geles, and  Alcantraz." 

February  28th. — A  squatter  difficulty  occurred  at  the 
Rincon.  Most  of  the  land  here  was  held  as  United  States 
government  reserve,  and  as  such  was  leased  for  a  limited  period 
to  Mr.  Theodore  Shillaber.  Upon  attempting  to  take  possession, 
this  gentleman  found  the  leased  property  mostly  occupied  by 
"  squatters,"  the  majority  of  whom  were  from  Sydney.  These 
refused  either  to  pay  rent  or  vacate  the  land.  Captain  Keyes, 
therefore,  having  charge  of  the  presidio,  marched  to  the  Rincon 
with  a  company  of  twenty  United  States  soldiers,  and  soon  de- 
molished all  the  tents  and  shanties  that  had  been  erected  on  the 
government  grounds.  A  Mr.  White,  one  of  the  leaders  among 
the  squatters,  subsequently  brought  a  civil  action  for  damages 
against  the  captain  ;  but  the  latter  was  sustained  by  the  court, 
and  the  case  was  dismissed,  the  prosecutor  being  required  to  pay 
the  costs. 

March  9th. — Party  politics  begins  to  embrace  a  good  share 
of  public  attention,  and  among  the  seekers  after  fame  and  for- 
tune, there  is  no  scarcity  of  aspirants  for  political  preferment. 
It  is  but  lately,  however,  that  party  lines  have  been  drawn,  and 
whigs  and  democrats,  as  such,  arrayed  against  each  other  in  their 
patriotic  efforts  to  promote  the  general  welfare.  But  it  was 
found  less  difficult  to  draw  these  fines  than  to  rally  the  forces 
under  their  distinctive  self-constituted  leaders.  There  were  as 
many  officers  as  soldiers  to  enter  the  political  campaign.  At 
least,  each  party  was  divided  into  several  factions,  every  faction 


268 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


having  at  its  head,  of  course,  men  whose  claims  to  puhlic  favor 
were  superior  to  all  others.  Concerted  action  was  therefore  out 
of  the  question.  The  democrats  had  resolved  to  remedy  this 
evil,  so  destructive  of  their  party  interests,  by  uniting  or  harmo- 
nizing all  their  conflicting  elements.  To  this  end  a  mass  meet- 
ing was  held  this  afternoon  on  Portsmouth  Square.  About  one 
thousand  persons  assembled,  a  band  of  music  played  national  airs, 
and  a  large  and  splendid  ensign  waved  gracefully  over  the 
speakers'  stand,  upon  which  were  stationed  officers  duly  appointed 
to  conduct  the  proceedings  in  proper  form.  The  meeting  was 
opened  with  great  enthusiasm,  and,  for  a  time,  every  thing  gave 
promise  of  the  desired  result.  Several  addresses  were  delivered 
with  good  effect,  which  were  enthusiastically  responded  to  by  the 
admiring  listeners.  But  a  trying  moment  at  length  arrived. 
The  committee  chosen  to  draft  resolutions  expressive  of  the  feel- 
ings and  purposes  of  the  democracy,  presented  their  report,  and 
the  resolutions  were  submitted  for  passage.  These  called  forth 
the  factional  prejudices  of  the  assembly,  which  were  exhibited  in 
uproar  and  confusion.  The  chairman  was  unable  to  decide  the 
votes,  and  hence,  some  of  the  most  boisterous  determined  to  decide 
them  in  a  manner  peculiar  to  themselves.  What  they  failed  to 
accomplish  by  the  power  of  their  lungs,  they  attempted  to  effect 
by  "  the  force  of  arms."  Blows  were  liberally  bestowed  and  re- 
ceived, and  broken  heads  and  bleeding  noses  were  the  conse- 
quence. The  fight  commenced  on  the  speakers'  stand,  and  in  a 
short  time,  the  meeting  was  divided  into  a  dozen  squads,  each 
taking  an  active  part  in  the  melee.  Order  was  at  length  restored, 
and  the  mass  once  more  gathered  to  adopt  or  reject  the  resolu- 
tions. The  chairman  again  "  put  the  question,"  and  the  "  ayes  " 
rang  loudly  through  the  air,  which  were  followed  no  less  loudly 
by  the  "  noes."  It  was  impossible  to  decide  whether  the  "  ayes  " 
or  the  "  noes  "  were  in  the  ascendency.  The  holding  up  of  hands 
was  next  resorted  to.  The  "  ayes  "  were  told  to  hold  up  their 
right  hands,  and  after  them  the  "  noes  ;  "  but  many  of  both  par- 
ties seemed  to  imagine  that  in  a  matter  of  such  importance,  all 
hands  were  right,  and  consequently  held  up  all  the  hands  they 
had,  doubtless  regretting  not  having  others  for  the  purpose.  It 
was  then  suggested  that  the  "whigs"  created  all  the  difficulty. 


FIRST  COUNTY  ELECTION. 


269 


and  they  were  requested  to  withdraw.  The  whigs  accordingly 
fell  back,  leaving  about  one-half  the  assembly  behind.  Elated 
at  the  sight  of  their  own  numbers,  they  whirled  their  hats  in 
triumph  over  their  heads,  which  was  accounted  by  their  opponents 
as  a  signal  for  attack  ;  and  down  they  rushed  upon  the  retiring- 
force  in  a  perfect  torrent,  sweeping  before  them  all  who  were  not 
levelled  with  the  dust.  It  was  now  thought  expedient  to  ad- 
journ the  meeting,  which  was  effected  with  "three  cheers"  for 
the  democracy,  every  aspirant  for  the  honors,  spoils  and  profits  of 
whicb,  internally  resolving  to  support  the  party  whenever  its 
requirements  did  not  conflict  with  his  personal  interests. 

March  26th. — For  some  time  back  tbere  have  been  much 
agitation  and  discussion  on  the  subject  of  the  "  Colton  Grants." 
It  appears  that  Mr.  Horace  Hawes,  prefect  of  the  district  of  San 
Francisco,  had  chosen  to  consider  that  the  duties  and  privileges 
of  his  office  were  more  extensive  than  had  been  previously  sup- 
posed. He  had,  in  particular,  instructed  Mr  Gr.  Q.  Colton,  a 
justice  of  the  peace  in  and  for  his  district,  to  sell  and  convey 
away  the  municipal  lands,  accounting  only  to  himself  for  the 
proceeds  of  the  same.  When,  afterwards,  the  Court  of  First  In- 
stance, on  the  petition  of  the  ayuntamiento,  granted  an  injunction 
to  restrain  Mr.  Colton  from  so  acting,  Mr.  Hawes  immediately 
issued  a  mandate  annulling  the  said  injunction.  Mr.  Colton 
meanwhile  had  sold  or  otherwise  disposed  of  a  great  number  of 
town  allotments,  some  of  them  at  nominal  prices,  to  various 
parties.  The  ayuntamiento,  holding  that  they  alone  were  the 
proper  parties  to  authorize  such  sales,  thereupon  determined  this 
day  to  prefer  against  Mr.  Hawes  a  number  of  charges,  founded 
upon  these  and  other  facts,  to  the  governor  of  the  State  ;  and 
passed  a  long  string  of  resolutions  on  the  subject.  The  governor 
subsequently  suspended  Mr.  Hawes  from  performing  the  duties 
of  his  office  ;  while  the  titles  to  the  "  Colton  Grants,"  many  of 
which  had  been  signed  in  blank,  and  others  were  ante-dated, 
passed  into  the  courts  of  law,  and  were  for  years  afterwards  a 
fertile  source  of  litigation.  In  the  end,  it  is  believed  that  they 
were  altogether  found  to  be  invalid. 

April  1st. — The  first  election  for  county  officers.  The 
principal  office  to  be  filled  was  that  of  sheriff,  for  which  there 


270 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


were  three  candidates.  Col.  J.  Townes  was  the  regular  whio- 
nominee — Col.  J.  J.  Bryant  the  nominee  of  the  democratic  party 
— and  the  celebrated  "  Texan  Kanger,"  Col.  John  C.  Hayes,  was 
selected  by  the  people  as  an  independent  candidate.  It  was  soon 
apparent  that  the  contest  rested  between  the  two  last  named. 
Col.  Bryant  was  a  man  of  fortune,  and  was  determined  to  spare 
no  exertions  or  expense  to  secure  his  election.  He  was  j>roprietor 
of  the  most  extensive  and  best  conducted  hotel  in  the  place, 
known  at  that  time  as  the  "  Bryant  House,"  formerly  the 


San  Francisco  in  April  1S50,  showing  Clay  street,  opposite  Portsmouth  Square. 


"  Ward  House,"  which  was  a  great  place  of  resort  for  politicians, 
and  where  hundreds  of  the  colonel's  pretended  friends  and  real 
supporters  enjoyed,  in  no  slight  degree,  the  advantages  of  his 
generous  hospitality.  A  band  of  music  was  daily  stationed  on 
the  balcony  of  the  Bryant  House  after  the  nomination  of  its 
proprietor,  free  lunches  were  served  up  in  the  spacious  saloon,  and 
on  this  day  the  building  was  literally  covered  with  flags,  signals. 


FIRST  COUNTY  ELECTION. 


271 


and  banners  of  every  form  and  beautiful  color,  while  the  finest 
liquors  were  gratuitously  dispensed  at  the  well-stocked  bar  to  all 
who  chose  to  drink.  On  Saturday  afternoon,  March  29th,  the 
friends  of  Col.  Hayes  held  a  mass  meeting  on  the  plaza,  which 
was  a  large  and  enthusiastic  assembly.  After  several  spirited  ad- 
dresses had  been  given,  the  meeting  formed  in  procession,  and 
headed  by  a  band  of  music,  paraded  the  principal  streets,  cheer- 
ing and  being  cheered  by  multitudes  of  spectators  as  they  passed 
along.  In  the  evening;  the  democrats  also  assembled  in  the 
square,  making  a  truly  splendid  display.  The  whole  plaza  was 
covered  with  men,  horses  and  wagons,  and  was  illuminated  with 
flaming  torches  and  other  lights,  which  blazed  from  the  speakers' 
stand  and  hundreds  of  vehicles  admirably  arranged  for  effect. 
Numerous  transparencies,  banners  and  flags  added  greatly  to  the 
life  and  splendor  of  the  pageant.  Able  speakers  urged  the  claims 
of  the  democracy  in  general,  and  of  Col.  Bryant  in  particular,  to 
the  suffrages  of  the  people,  whilst,  at  regular  intervals,  cannons 
were  fired  to  give  effect  and  increase  the  excitement.  This  meet- 
ing also  ended  in  a  procession,  which  traversed  the  streets  to  a 
late  hour  of  the  night.  Early  this  morning  the  different  parties 
were  in  force  about  the  polls,  and  in  due  time  the  judges,  inspec- 
tors and  clerks  were  chosen  and  installed  in  their  respective 
offices.  The  election  was  conducted  with  more  than  usual  spirit. 
At  noon  it  was  evident  that  Col.  Hayes  was  the  people's  favorite, 
which  incited  to  increased  efforts  the  Bryant  party.  Accordingly 
they  appeared  with  another  grand  display  upon  the  plaza.  A 
procession  of  mounted  men,  and  carriages  filled  with  musicians, 
with  banners  and  flags  waving  and  floating  above  them,  occupied 
the  square,  and  were  in  a  measure,  producing  the  desired  effect. 
But  in  the  midst  of  the  excitement  thus  produced,  Col.  Hayes, 
mounted  upon  a  fiery  black  charger,  suddenly  appeared,  exhibit- 
ing some  of  the  finest  specimens  of  horsemanship  ever  witnessed. 
The  sight  of  the  hero,  as  he  sat  bare-headed  and  unattended 
upon  his  noble  animal,  took  the  people  by  surprise,  and  called 
forth  the  admiration  and  patriotism  of  the  vast  multitude  of 
spectators,  from  every  one  of  whom  shout  after  shout  rent  the 
air,  deadening  the  sounds  of  trumpets  and  drums,  and  being 
heard  far  and  wide  over  land  and  sea.    Men  crowded  around  him 


272 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


on  every  hand,  some  seizing  the  bridle,  others  clinging  to  his 
clothing  and  stirrups,  and  each  anxious  to  obtain  a  grasp  of  his 
hand.  The  noise  and  tumult  terrified  the  spirited  beast  he  strode, 
which  reared  and  plunged  among  the  enthusiastic  crowd,  though 
so  admirably  managed  as  to  do  injury  to  none  ;  when,  at  length, 
his  rider  giving  him  the  rein,  he  dashed  into  and  along  the  ad- 
joining street,  followed  and  greeted  by  loud  huzzas  at  every  step. 
This  settled  the  question.  The  cause  of  Col.  Bryant  was  aban- 
doned, and  a  vast  majority  of  votes  were  given  in  favor  of  the 
"  Texan  Ranger."    The  following  named  parties  were  elected  : — 

Sheriff. — John  C.  Hayes.  District  Attorney. — Calhoun  Benham. 

County  Judge.- — R.  N.  Morrison.        County  Clerk. — John  E.  Addison. 
County  Recorder. — J.  A.  McGlynn.    County  Assessor. — David  M.  Cliauncey. 
County  Surveyor. — Wm.  W.  Eddy.     County  Coroner. — Edward  Gallagher. 
County  Treasurer. — G.  W.  Endicott.   County  Attorney. — T.  J.  Smith. 
Clerk  of  the  Supreme  Court. — E.  H.  Tharp. 

April  15th. — The  City  Charter  passed  by  the  State  Legisla- 
ture. The  limits  of  the  city  are  now  declared  to  be  as  follows  : 
— "  The  southern  boundary  shall  be  a  line  two  miles  distant  in  a 
southerly  direction  from  the  centre  of  Portsmouth  Square,  and 
which  line  shall  be  a  parallel  to  the  street  known  as  Clay  street. 
The  western  boundary  shall  be  a  line  one  mile  and  a  half  distant 
in  a  westerly  direction  from  the  centre  of  Portsmouth  Square, 
and  which  line  shall  be  parallel  to  the  street  known  as  Kearny 
street.  The  northern  and  eastern  boundaries  shall  be  the  same 
as  the  County  of  San  Francisco."  The  city  was  to  be  divided 
into  eight  wards  by  the  first  council  appointed  by  the  charter ; 
and  for  its  government  were  to  be  elected  a  Mayor,  and  Record- 
er, a  Board  of  Aldermen  and  a  Board  of  Assistant  Aldermen, 
which  two  boards  should  be  styled  the  "  Common  Council,"  each 
consisting  of  one  member  from  each  ward.  There  was  also  to  be 
elected  by  the  city  a  Treasurer,  Comptroller,  Street  Commission- 
er, Collector  of  City  Taxes,  City  Marshal  and  City  Attorney,  and 
by  each  ward  two  Assessors.  As  at  the  time  of  the  first  election 
under  the  charter  there  were  only  four  wards,  it  was  provided 
that  two  chief  and  as  many  assistant  Aldermen  should  be  elected 
from  each,  while  the  same  number  of  Assessors  should  be  chosen. 
The  municipal  officers  were  to  hold  office  only  one  year,  and  new 


FIRST  ELECTION  UNDER  THE  CITY  CHARTER.  273 


elections  to  be  made  on  the  fourth  Monday  of  April  annually. 
The  powers  and  duties  of  the  Common  Council  and  municipal 
officers  are  minutely  laid  down  in  the  charter. 

May  1st. — This  day  the  City  Charter  was  submitted  to  the 
inhabitants  for  approval,  when  it  was  adopted  ;  and  the  first 
election  under  its  provisions  took  place.  The  following  candi- 
dates were  returned  as  elected  : — 


Mayor. — John  W.  Geary. 
Recorder. — Frank  Tilford. 
Marshal. — Malachi  Fallon. 
City  Attorney.— Thos.  H.  Holt. 


Treasurer. — Charles  G.  Scott. 
Comptroller. — Benj.  L.  Berry. 
Tax  Collector. — Wm.  M.  Irwin. 
Street  Commissioner. — Dennis  McCarthy. 


Charles  Minturn, 
F.  W.  Macondray, 
D.  Gillespie, 

A.  Bartol, 
C.  T.  Botts, 
Wm.  Sharron, 

Robert  B.  Hampton, 
Halsey  Brower, 
John  Garvey, 


Aldermen. 

A.  A.  Selover, 
Wm.  Greene, 


Assistant  Aldermen. 
John  Maynard, 
John  P.  Van  Ness, 

Assessors. 
John  H.  Gihon, 
Francis  C.  Bennett, 


C.  W.  Stuart, 
Wm.  M.  Burgoyne, 
M.  L.  Mott. 

L.  T.  Wilson, 
A.  Morris, 
Wm.  Corbett. 

John  P.  Haff. 
Beverly  Miller, 
Lewis  B.  Coffin. 


Before  the  term  of  election  expired,  several  changes  occurred 
in  the  Common  Council.  Mr.  Burgoyne  having  made  a  visit  to 
the  Atlantic  States  immediately  after  the  election,  was  never 
qualified,  and  his  place  was  declared  vacant  ;  and  Mr.  Macon- 
dray resigned  shortly  afterwards.  Their  places  were  filled  on  the 
27th  June  by  the  election  of  Moses  G.  Leonard  and  John  Mid- 
dleton.  Mr.  Maynard  resigned  June  24th,  and  soon  afterwards 
the  resignation  of  Mr.  Botts  was  accepted  ;  and  a  new  election 
to  fill  the  vacancies  thus  occasioned,  on  the  27th  July,  resulted 
in  the  choice  of  George  W.  Green  and  James  Grant.  Subse- 
quently Messrs.  Gillespie  and  Leonard  retired  from  the  Board  of 
Aldermen,  and  Mr.  Morris  from  the  Board  of  Assistants.  Their 
places  were  also  supplied  by  election  on  the  2.0th  January,  1851, 
by  W.  H.  V.  Cronise  and  D.  G.  Robinson  to  the  first,  and  George 
W.  Gibbs  to  the  second  Board.  We  are  somewhat  particular  in 
mentioning  these  changes  in  the  Boards  of  Aldermen,  since  the 
18 


274 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


affairs  of  their  salaries,  and  the  famous  medals,  hereafter  noticed, 
directed  much  attention  to  the  individual  members. 

May  4th.— The  second  great  fire  in  San  Francisco,  when 
property  to  the  value  of  nearly  four  millions  of  dollars  was  sup- 
posed to  he  destroyed.  It  began  about  four  o'clock  in  the  morn- 
ing, in  the  building  on  the  east  side  of  the  place  called  the 


Fire  of  May  4tli,  1S50. 

United  States  Exchange  ;  and  before  eleven  of  the  forenoon, 
three  immense  blocks  of  buildings,  with  a  few  trifling  exceptions, 
were  totally  destroyed.  These  were  the  blocks  lying  between 
Kearny,  Clay,  Montgomery  and  Washington  streets  ;  and  the 
two  blocks  between  Dupont,  Montgomery,  Washington  and 
Jackson  streets.  A  great  many  buildings  were  torn  down  or 
blown  up  by  gunpowder  to  stay  the  progress  of  the  flames  ;  and, 
among  others,  nearly  the  whole  erections  in  Dupont  street  were 
voluntarily  destroyed  to  prevent  the  conflagration  spreading  on 
that  side.  While  some  of  the  populace  readily  and  untiredly 
assisted  in  extinguishing  the  flames,  others  would  lend  no  hand 
at  the  work  without  being  first  well  paid  for  it.    The  police  force 


FIRST  MEETINGS  OF  THE  ALDERMEN. 


275 


1  m 


JACK  SOI 


was  very  efficient  in  preventing  pillage,  and  preserving  order 
among  the  real  workers  and  the  idlers  at  the  fire.  Circumstances 
occurred  which  led  to  the  strong  suspicion,  if  not  moral  certainty, 
that  the  fire  arose  through  the  ageucy  of  incendiaries,  and  a  re- 
ward of  five  thousand  dollars  was  offered  by  the  mayor  for  their 
detection.  Several  parties  were  apprehended  on  suspicion,  but 
no  formal  trial  took  place,  and  they  were  shortly  afterwards  lib- 
erated. As  in  the  case 
of  the  former  great  fire, 
on  the  24th  December 
last,  new  buildings  were 
begun  to  be  erected 
while  still  the  sites  of 
the  old  were  hot  with 
smoking  ashes.  While 
even  one  extremity  of  - 
the  old  tenement  was 
still  blazing,  people  were 
planning  the  nature  of 
the  new  erection,  and 


WASHINGTON  ST. 

*  Portsmouth' 
salt  ARE 


Diagram  of  the  burnt  district.  May  4th,  1S50. 


clearing  away  the  embers  and  rubbish  from  the  other  scarcely 
extinguished  end,  to  lay  the  foundation  of  the  intended  new  pile. 
In  a  wonderfully  short  time  the  whole  burned  space  was  covered 
with  new  buildings,  and  looked  as  if  no  fire  had  ever  been  there  ; 
although  it  was  generally  remarked  that  these  were  even  more 
unsubstantial  and  inflammable  than  those  which  had  just  been 
destroyed. 

May  9th. — The  two  boards  of  aldermen  severally  held  meet- 
ings for  the  first  time  at  the  new  City  Hall,  at  the  corner  of 
Kearny  and  Pacific  streets.  The  principal  business  of  the  meet- 
ings was  to  organize,  appoint  committees,  and  receive  and  read  a 
message  from  the  mayor.  This  latter  was  an  able  and  interest- 
ing document,  containing  many  truly  excellent  suggestions  in 
regard  to  the  interests  of  the  corporation.  Its  great  length  pre- 
cludes the  propriety  of  its  insertion.  As  the  following  extract, 
however,  gives  a  correct  statement  of  the  financial  condition  of 
the  city  at  this  important  period  of  its  history,  its  omission 
would  be  inexcusable  : — 


276 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


"  The  Reports  of  the  Treasurer  and  Comptroller  are  herewith  submitted. 
The  financial  condition  of  the  city  is  as  follows : — 

Amount  on  second  instalment,  of  sales  of  water  lots,  due 


April  3d,  1850,   $23,049  00 

Amount  on  third  instalment,  due  July  3d,  1850   107,602  00 

Amount  on  fourth  instalment,  due  October  3d,  1850   107,602  00 

$238,253  00 

The  Report  of  the  Comptroller,  up  to  May  8,  1850,  shows 
the  present  liabilities  of  the  city,  including  the  purchase  of 

the  City  Hall,  to  be  $199,174  19 

Excess  over  liabilities  $  39,078  81" 


In  the  course  of  this  month,  several  stringent  and  useful  or- 
dinances were  passed  by  the  common  council,  which  endeavored 
to  provide  means  for  the  better  extinguishing  of  future  fires. 
One  of  these  ordinances  declared  that  if  any  person,  during  a 
conflagration,  should  refuse  to  assist  in  extinguishing  the  flames, 
or  in  removing  goods  endangered  by  the  fire  to  a  place  of  safety, 
he  should  be  fined  in  a  sum  not  less  than  five,  and  not  exceeding- 
one  hundred  dollars.  Another  ordinance  authorized  the  mayor 
to  enter  into  contracts  for  the  digging  of  Artesian  wells,  and  for 
the  immediate  construction  of  water  reservoirs  in  various  parts  of 
the  city.  Another  ordained  every  householder  to  furnish  six 
water  buckets,  to  be  kept  always  in  readiness  for  use  during  the 
occurrence  of  future  fires.  Such  ordinances  were  all  excellent  in 
their  way,  though  unfortunately  they  were  somewhat  late  in  being 
adopted. 


CHAPTER  XI. 


1850. 

Third  great  fire. — Aldermen's  salaries. — Indignation  meetings. — Veto  message  of  the  mayor. — Ship- 
ping in  San  Francisco  Bay.— Celebration  of  the  Fourth  of  July.— The  Oregon  Liherty  Pole.— 
Custom-house  at  the  corner  of  California  and  Montgomery  streets. —Departure  from  California  of 
General  Kiley.—  Society  of  California  Pioneers. — Squatter  riots  at  Sacramento.— Suffering  immi- 
grants.— Presentation  of  Chinese  Books. — Funeral  ceremonies  on  occasion  of  the  death  of  Presi- 
dent Taylor.— A  Chinese  document 

•June  14th. — Scarcely  had  the  citizens  time  to  hreathe  after  their 
recent  exertions  at  the  fire  of  the  4th  of  May,  and  the  labors 
which  followed  in  erecting  new  buildings  in  room  of  those  de- 
stroyed, when  again  the  terrible  cry  of  fire  rang  in  their  ears. 
This  was  the  third  conflagration  to  which  the  city  had  been  sub- 
jected, and  its  ravages  exceeded  even  those  of  the  two  previous 
great  fires  united,  being  estimated  at  nearly  five  millions'  worth 
of  property.  These  successive  losses  would  surely  have  broken 
the  spirit  of  any  people  but  Americans,  and  for  a  time  indeed 
sank  even  theirs.  But  in  proportion  to  the  unusual  depression 
was  the  almost  immediate  reaction,  and  the  ruined  citizens  began 
forthwith  to  lay  the  foundations  of  new  fortunes  instead  of  those 
so  cruelly  destroyed.  The  fire,  which  arose  from  some  defect  in 
the  chimney  of  the  house  where  it  broke  out,  began  about  eight 
o'clock  in  the  morning,  in  a  bakery,  which  was  in  a  small  wooden 
back  building,  between  Sacramento  and  Clay  streets,  and  in  the 
rear  of  the  Merchants'  Hotel.  The  wind  was  high  at  the  time, 
and  the  flames  soon  spread  on  all  sides.  In  a  few  hours,  the 
whole  space  situated  between  Clay,  California  and  Kearny  streets, 
down  to  the  edge  of  the  water,  was  one  mass  of  flame  ;  and,  with 
few  exceptions,  all  the  buildings  and  goods  lying  within  these 
extensive  bounds,  were  totally  consumed.  The  individual  losses 
were  very  severe  ;  and  these  occurring  so  shortly  after  the  two 


278 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


preceding  great  fires,  had  the  effect  of  reducing  many  citizens, 
previously  wealthy,  to  poverty.  But  as  the  spider,  whose  web 
is  again  and  again  destroyed,  will  continue  to  spin  new  ones 
while  an  atom  of  material  or  a  spark  of  life  remains  in  its  body, 
so  did  the  inhabitants  set  themselves  industriously  to  work  to 
rear  new  houses  and  a  new  town.  In  the  space  of  a  few  weeks 
the  burned  districts  were  covered  over  with  other  buildings,  many 
of  which  were  erected  of  far  more  substantial  materials  than 
before.  Sad  experience  had  taught  the  people  that  although  the 
cost  of  fire-proof,  brick  structures  was  much  greater  at  first  than 
the  old  wooden  ones,  yet  in  the  end,  they  were  cheaper  and  better. 
From  this  time  forward,  we  therefore  begin  to  notice,  that  the 
street  architecture  gradually  assumed  a  new  and  grander  appear- 
ance. This  was  one  good  consequence  of  the  repeated  fires  ; 
while  another  was  the  immediate  formation  and  organization  of 
numerous  hook  and  ladder,  engine  and  hose  companies.  Many 
municipal  ordinances  regarding  these  companies  and  the  estab- 
lishment and  completion  of  wells  and  reservoirs  in  various  parts 
of  the  city,  were  likewise  the  result  of  these  successive  disasters. 

During  all  this  month,  the  community  was  kept  in  a  state  of 
excessive  excitement,  arising  from  certain  extraordinary  proceed- 
ings on  the  part  of  the  Common  Council.  The  members  had  not 
been  long  in  office,  when  they  nearly  unanimously  passed  an  ordi- 
nance providing  for  the  payment  of  certain  salaries  to  themselves 
and  the  chief  municipal  officers.  The  mayor,  recorder,  and  some 
others,  were  to  be  paid  annually  the  sum  of  ten  thousand  dollars, 
while  the  sixteen  principal  and  assistant  aldermen  were  each  to 
receive  six  thousand.  The  salaries  of  the  municipal  officials  were 
perhaps  not  more  than  were  necessary  at  the  period,  since  these 
gentlemen  had  really  much  work  to  do,  while  all  their  time  was 
supposed  to  be  passed  in  the  service  of  the  city  ;  but  it  was  con- 
sidered by  the  citizens  generally,  that  to  bestow  six  thousand  dol- 
lars a  year  upon  sixteen  private  persons,  for  only  two  evening 
meetings  in  each  week,  was  extravagant  and  ridiculous.  As  one 
of  the  speakers  at  a  subsequent  public  meeting  said,  people  in 
foreign  countries,  when  they  heard  of  such  a  thing,  would  be  apt 
to  call  it  "  a  California  lie."  More  especially  the  proposed  alder- 
manic  allowance  seemed  monstrous  and  unjust,  from  the  fact  that 


INDIGNATION  MEETINGS. 


279 


the  city  was  then  much  embarrassed  in  pecuniary  affairs,  and  that 
certain  most  obnoxious  and  heavy  taxes  were  proposed  to  be  laid 
upon  the  inhabitants. 

Many  public  meetings  of  the  citizens  were  held  on  the  sub- 
ject, at  which  resolutions  strongly  condemnatory  of  the  council's 
proceedings  were  passed.  One  of  these  meetings  took  place  on 
the  plaza  on  the  evening  of  the  5th  of  June,  and  was  the  largest 
that  had  ever  assembled  in  San  Francisco  for  any  purpose.  From 
three  to  four  thousand  people  attended.  General  John  Wilson 
was  appointed  president.  After  some  introductory  discussion, 
several  resolutions  were  adopted  by  acclamation,  the  essence  of 
which  was  this, — that  we  "  instruct  our  mayor  and  common 
council  to  abandon  the  scheme  of  high  salaries,  and  to  remodel 
the  schedule  of  oppressive  taxation,  as  shadowed  forth  by  their 
recent  action  ;  and  unless  they  are  willing  to  do  so,  to  resign  and 
give  place  to  more  patriotic  and  efficient  men."  A  committee 
of  twenty-five  were  then  appointed  to  wait  on  the  council  and 
present  a  copy  of  the  resolutions,  and  to  request  an  answer  to 
the  same.  The  gentlemen  composing  the  committee  were  Messrs. 
Wilson,  Folsom,  Crane,  Post,  Stoutenburg,  Howard,  Cooke, 
Kelly,  Yale,  Syme,  Retan,  Robinson,  Courson,  Robertson,  Dunbar, 
Leonard,  Minor,  Parcells,  Osborne,  Wells,  Duff,  Parlon,  Wake- 
man  and  Meacham. 

The  committee  named,  accordingly,  through  their  chairman, 
Captain  J.  L.  Folsom,  presented  the  resolutions  to  the  council. 
These  the  aldermen,  who  appeared  determined  to  carry  matters 
through  with  a  high  hand,  received  very  coldly,  and  ordered  them 
to  lie  indefinitely  on  the  table.  This  not  being  deemed  a  suffi- 
cient answer  by  the  committee,  another  "mass"  and  "indignation 
meeting"  was  called  by  them  for  the  evening  of  12th  June; 
which  was  held  on  the  plaza  and  was  very  numerously  attended. 
Again  General  Wilson  filled  the  chair.  The  report  of  the  com- 
mittee having  been  read,  and  the  supposed  "  insolence  of  office  " 
duly  animadverted  upon,  the  meeting,  considering  the  "  disrespect 
and  insult"  which  their  former  representatives  had  met  with, 
unanimously  reappointed  them  as  a  committee,  with  poioer  to 
increase  their  number  to  Jive  hundred,  and  instructed  them  again  to 
present  the  old  resolutions  to  the  council  in  such  form  as  they 


280 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


should  think  fit.  The  committee  thus  fortified,  afterwards  chose 
the  additional  members,  and  fixed  the  evening  of  the  14th,  when 
they  should  all  march  in  procession  to  the  place  of  meeting  of 
the  common  council,  and  there  again  submit  the  "  sovereign  will " 
of  the  people  to  the  aldermen,  and  require  their  prompt  obedience 
to  the  same.  On  that  day  the  great  conflagration  just  noticed 
took  place  ;  and  farther  action  on  the  subject  of  the  high  salaries 
and  obnoxious  taxation  ordinances  was  indefinitely  postponed. 
Popular  excitement  took  a  new  direction  in  consequence  of  the 
fire  ;  and,  excepting  in  the  columns  of  the  Herald  newspaper, 
and  among  a  few  testy  individuals,  little  more  was  said  on  the 
matter  till  some  months  afterwards,  when  the  question  was  revived. 
The  previous  meetings,  however,  had  the  effect  of  causing  the 
obnoxious  license  ordinance  to  be  withdrawn  for  a  time.  In  the 
end,  the  salaries  of  both  the  municipal  officers  and  the  common 
council  were  reduced,  the  latter  being  ultimately  fixed  at  four 
thousand  dollars. 

It  is  due  to  Col.  Geary,  mayor  of  the  city,  to  observe,  that 
from  the  beginning  he  opposed  the  payment  of  salaries  to  the 
members  of  the  Boards  of  Aldermen,  and  at  last  vetoed  the  bill 
allowing  them  four  thousand  dollars  each.  His  message,  on 
returning  the  ordinance,  unapproved,  was  a  highly  creditable 
document.  After  declaring  that  the  ordinance  in  question  was 
in  direct  opposition  to  the  wishes  of  the  people,  whose  will  had 
been  made  known  to  the  aldermen  in  the  most  emphatic  manner, 
which  he  averred  it  was  the  duty  of  the  latter  to  obey,  he  uses 
the  following  language  : — 

"  Another  view  which  presents  itself  with  great  force  to  my  mind,  in  in- 
terpreting the  executive  right  to  arrest  the  ordinance  in  question,  is  that  of 
expediency.  With  great  unanimity  a  financial  measure  has  heen  adopted  to 
provide  for  the  immediate  payment  of  the  city's  indebtedness,  by  means  of 
a  loan  of  half  a  million  of  dollars.  It  is  of  the  greatest  importance  to  the 
interests  of  the  city,  that  that  measure  should  be  made  to  succeed  at  the 
earliest  possible  moment.  In  my  deliberate  judgment  its  success  would  be 
injuriously  impeded,  if  not  entirely  defeated,  by  associating  with  the  propo- 
sition for  a  loan,  an  ordinance  to  appropriate  so  large  a  proportion  of  the 
amount  demanded  as  sixty-four  thousand  dollars,  to  the  payment  of  a  class 
of  officers  whose  services  are  usually  rendered  without  any  other  remunera- 
tion than  the  honor  conferred  by  their  fellow-citizens,  and  their  participation 
in  the  general  good  which  it  is  their  province  and  duty  to  promote.    It  could 


THE  OREGON  LIBERTY-POLE. 


281 


not  fail  to  weaken  our  public  credit  to  show  a  purpose  to  use  it  for  the  pay- 
ment of  salaries  never  contemplated  by  the  people,  especially  in  view  of  the 
admitted  necessity"  for  the  practice  of  the  most  rigid  economy,  in  order  to 
complete  by  means  of  all  the  resources  and  credit  we  possess  the  public 
works  in  progress  or  in  contemplation.  With  scarcely  a  dollar  in  the  pub- 
lic treasury — without  the  means  of  discharging  even  the  interest  falling  due 
for  the  scrip  already  issued— the  city  credit  impaired,  and  general  bankruptcy 
staring  us  in  the  face,  retrenchment  should  be  the  order  of  the  day,  rather 
than  the  opening  up  of  new  modes  of  making  enormous  and  heretofore  un- 
known expenditures." 

This  act  of  the  mayor  was  universally  and  heartily  applauded 
by  the  people,  and  received  the  highest  commendation  of  the  en- 
tire press  ;  while,  on  the  other  hand,  it  received  the  severest  cen- 
sures of  the  aldermen  themselves,  who  not  only  passed  the  ordi- 
nance by  a  legal  number  of  votes  despite  the  mayor's  veto,  but 
for  a  long  time  refused  to  grant  a  salary  to  his  honor.  The 
sudden  and  angry  burst  of  popular  feeling  on  this  subject  led, 
the  following  year,  to  a  provision  in  the  new  charter,  then  granted 
by  the  Legislature  to  the  city,  which  declared  that  henceforward 
the  members  of  the  Common  Council  should  not  be  entitled  to 
any  compensation  for  their  services. 

July  1st. — From  the  shipping  lists  published  in  the  daily 
newspapers,  it  appears  that  about  this  time  there  were  five  hun- 
dred and  twenty-six  vessels  lying  in  the  port,  the  greater  number 
of  which  were  ships  and  barques,  the  remainder  being  brigs  and 
schooners.  Besides  these,  there  were  at  least  one  hundred  large 
square-rigged  vessels  lying  at  Benicia,  Sacramento,  and  Stockton. 
Long  before  this  time  many  of  the  old  seamen  who  had  deserted 
their  ships  had  returned  from  the  mines,  and  there  was  no  diffi- 
culty in  procuring  crews  for  departing  vessels,  upon  paying  them 
the  ordinary  high  wages  of  the  time. 

J uly  4th. — Another  grand  celebration  of  independence-day. 
This  was  particularly  distinguished  by  the  erection  on  the  plaza 
of  a  magnificent  flagstaff,  or  liberty-pole,  which  Messrs.  S.  Coffin 
and  W.  W.  Chapman,  on  behalf  of  the  citizens  of  Portland, 
Oregon,  had  presented  to  the  citizens  of  San  Francisco,  and 
which  was  received  by  the  mayor,  Col.  J.  W.  Geary.  The 
length  of  this  pole  is  one  hundred  and  eleven  feet.  It  is  one 
foot  in  diameter  at  the  bottom,  tapering  regularly  to  about 


282 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


three  inches  at  the  other  end,  and  is  as  straight  as  an  arrow. 
This  is  perhaps  the  longest  and  most  faultlessly  straight  pole 
that  is  known,  although  the  presenters  apologized  that  no  longer 
one  had  been  sent,  on  account  of  the  inconvenience  of  shipping 
a  stick  of  larger  dimensions.  The  old  pole  which  used  to  stand 
on  the  plaza  from  Mexican  days,  and  upon  which  the  first  Amer- 
ican flag  was  hoisted,  had  been  removed  on  the  7th  of  June  pre- 
ceding, and  was  erected  in  front  of  the  custom-house,  at  the 
corner  of  Montgomery  and  California  streets. 


Cus  om-house,  at  the  corner  of  Montgomery  and  California  streets. 


The  custom-house,  occupied  by  Col.  James  Collier,  then  col- 
lector of  the  port,  was  a  new  four-story  brick  building,  and  the 
most  imposing  edifice  in  the  city.  It  was  destroyed  by  fire  on 
the  4th  of  May,  1851,  as  was  also  the  old  liberty-pole. 

July  15th. — General  Bennet  Riley,  late  military  governor 
of  the  territory,  left  San  Francisco  for  the  Eastern  States.  Prior 
to  his  departure  a  letter  was  addressed  him,  signed  by  the  mayor 
and  numerous  influential  citizens,  tendering  him  a  public  dinner, 
and  complimenting  him  for  the  satisfactory  manner  in  which  he 
had  performed  his  duties  as  governor  of  the  country.  Previous 
arrangements,  however,  prevented  the  general  from  accepting 


SOCIETY  OF  CALIFORNIA  PIONEERS. 


283 


this  invitation,  in  declining  which  he  uses  the  following  lan- 
guage : — "  Both  in  iny  official  and  social  relations  with  the  people 
of  California,  I  have  ever  been  treated  with  the  utmost  indul- 
gence and  kindness.  I  can  never  cease  to  feel  a  lively  interest 
in  their  happiness  and  prosperity,  and  I  now  leave  them  with 
feelings  of  deep  regret.  If  California,  by  her  mineral  wealth, 
and  the  unexampled  increase  of  her  population  and  commerce, 
has  attracted  the  attention  of  the  world,  her  dignified  course  in 
the  peculiar  and  trying  position  in  which  she  has  been  placed, 
equally  challenge  universal  admiration." 

August. — Organization  of  the  "  Society  of  California  Pio- 
neers." The  objects  of  this  society  were  declared,  in  the  words 
of  the  constitution,  to  be  "  to  cultivate  the  social  virtues  of  its 
members,  to  collect  and  preserve  information  connected  with  the 
early  settlement  and  conquest  of  the  country,  and  to  perpetuate 
the  memory  of  those  whose  sagacity,  enterprise,  and  love  of  inde- 
pendence, induced  them  to  settle  in  the  wilderness,  and  become 
the  germ  of  a  new  State."  The  society  "  shall  be  composed  of 
native  Californians  ;  foreigners  residing  in  California  previous  to 
the  conquest ;  and  natives  of  other  States  and  other  countries,  if 
citizens  of  the  United  States,  resident  here  prior  to  January  1st, 
1849,  and  their  male  descendants,  who  shall  constitute  the  first 
class  ;  and  citizens  of  the  old  States  of  the  Federal  Government 
who  shall  have  resided  in  California  prior  to  January  1st,  1850, 
and  their  male  descendants,  who  shall  constitute  the  second 
class  ;  and  honorary  members,  who  may  be  admitted  in  accord- 
ance with  what  may  be  prescribed  in  the  by-laws."  The  admis- 
sion fees,  which  are  now  (1854)  ten  dollars,  and  a  monthly  sub- 
scription of  a  dollar,  payable  half-yearly  in  advance,  "  and  all 
funds  arising  therefrom  or  by  donation,  shall  be  safely  invested, 
and  the  income  arising  therefrom  shall  be  appropriated  to  chari- 
table purposes,  exclusively  for  the  use  and  benefit  of  the  widows 
and  orphans  of  pioneer  immigrants,  members  of  this  society."  A 
list  of  the  members  in  April,  1854,  with  the  dates  of  their  respec- 
tive arrivals  in  California,  their  present  residences,  and  the  office- 
bearers of  that  year,  appear  in  the  Appendix.  Here  we  may 
only  name  the  first  office-bearers  of  the  society.  They  were  as 
follows  : — 


284 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


President : — William  D.  M.  Howard. 

Vice-Prcsiden  ts. 
Jacob  R.  Snyder,  Samuel  Brannan,  G.  Frank  Lemon. 

Recording  Secretary.  Assistant  Recording  Secretary. 

Joseph  L.  Folsom.  J.  C.  L.  Wadsworth. 

Corresponding  Secretary.  Treasurer. 
Edwin  Bryant.  Talbot  H.  Green. 

Assistant  Coi~responding  Secretaries. 
W.  C.  Parker  and  A.  J.  Grayson. 

Board  of  Directors. 

James  C.  Ward,  H.  W.  Halleck,  J.  Mead  Huxley, 

James  C.  Low,  J.  D.  Stevenson,  R.  M.  Sherman, 

Samuel  Kyburn,  James  Hall,  Henry  Gerke, 

G.  K.  Winner,  Robert  Wells,  G.  W.  Vincent, 

H.  A.  Schoolcraft,  J.  B.  Frisbie,  R.  A.  Parker, 
William  Blackburn,  John  Wilson,  W.  H.  Davis. 

August  15th. — The  city  was  thrown  into  a  state  of  excite- 
ment by  news  of  serious  riots  having  occurred  at  Sacramento 
City  on  the  preceding  day.  It  seems  that  a  great  portion  of  the 
land  covering  that  city  and  vicinity  is  held  by  grants  from  Capt. 
John  A.  Sutter,  who  claimed  under  an  old  Spanish  title.  Much 
of  this  land  had  been  squatted  upon  by  parties  who  denied  the 
legality  of  Sutter's  grants,  and  who  claimed  a  right  to  the  property 
as  pre-emptionists  or  settlers.  The  holders  of  titles  from  Sutter 
appealed  to  the  courts,  and  decisions  were  given  in  their  favor ; 
but  upon  attempting  to  possess  themselves  of  their  appropriated 
property  they  were  forcibly  resisted  by  the  squatters.  On  the 
13th  instant,  several  of  these  latter  were  arrested  for  resisting 
the  officers  of  the  law  and  the  process  of  the  court,  and  in  default 
of  bail,  two  of  them  were  held  in  custody  on  board  the  prison 
brig.  On  the  day  following  an  armed  body  of  squatters  repaired 
to  the  brig  to  release  their  companions,  where  they  were  met  by 
the  mayor,  sheriff,  and  a  posse,  who  drove  them  back  a  consider- 
able distance  into  the  city,  when  they  turned  and  fired  upon  the 
legal  authorities,  who  immediately  returned  the  fire  with  guns 
and  pistols.     Of  the  latter,  Mr.  Woodland,  city  assessor,  was 


SQUATTER  RIOTS  AT  SACRAMENTO  CITY. 


285 


killed,  and  Mayor  Bigelow,  Mr.  Harper,  assistant  postmaster, 
and  several  others  were  wounded.  Mahloney,  the  leader  of  the 
squatters,  was  shot  dead  from  his  horse.  Several  others  of  the 
same  party  were  killed,  and  a  number  severely  wounded.  On 
the  same  day,  other  disturbances  occurred  at  Brighton,  six  miles 
south  of  the  city,  when  Sheriff  Joseph  McKinney  was  killed,  and 


Sacramento  City 


several  of  his  posse  were  wounded  ;  three  of  the  squatters  were 
also  killed,  and  a  number  taken  prisoners.  Immediately  upon 
receiving  intelligence  of  these  lamentable  occurrences  Mayor 
Geary  issued  a  proclamation,  calling  upon  "  the  citizens  of  San 
Francisco  to  meet  at  the  earliest  possible  period,  form  companies, 
and  hold  themselves  in  readiness  to  answer  such  calls  as  may 
necessarily  be  made  upon  them."  Soon  the  "  California  Guard,'' 
Captain  Howard,  numbering  eighty  men,  and  "  Protection  Fire 
Company,  No.  2,"  Captain  McCormick,  between  forty  and  fifty 
men,  properly  equipped  and  armed  with  muskets,  reported  them- 
selves ready  for  service.  This  force,  under  the  command  of  Col. 
Geary,  departed  at  12  o'clock  for  the  scene  of  the  riots  in  the 


286 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


steamboat  Senator,  which,  with  characteristic  decision,  prompt- 
ness, and  public  spirit,  had  been  placed  at  their  disposal  by  Mr. 
Charles  Minturn.  Their  departure  was  witnessed  and  loudly 
cheered  by  a  great  multitude  of  citizens,  who  had  hastily  gathered 
upon  the  wharves.  They  arrived  at  Sacramento  about  11  o'clock 
in  the  evening.  In  the  mean  time  order  was  partially  restored, 
and  happily  their  actual  services  were  not  required.  They  were 
kindly  received  by  the  authorities  and  citizens,  and  hospitably 
entertained  until  the  17th  instant,  when  they  returned  to  their 
homes.  Before  leaving  Sacramento  they  were  presented  with 
highly  complimentary  and  laudatory  resolutions  and  votes  of 
thanks  from  the  Boards  of  Aldermen  and  Military  Department 
of  the  State  for  the  tender  of  their  ready  and  efficient  aid.  This 
prompt  action  on  the  part  of  the  mayor  and  citizens  of  San 
Francisco,  doubtless,  had  a  tendency  not  only  to  assist  in  pre- 
serving the  restored  peace  of  their  sister  city,  but  to  prevent  the 
occurrence  of  similar  disturbances  in  other  portions  of  the  State. 
Be  this  as  it  may,  it  was  deserving  of  the  praise  it  received,  and 
was  an  example  worthy  of  being  followed. 

August  21st. — Mayor  Geary  published  a  brief  address  to 
the  citizens  in  all  the  morning  papers,  informing  them  that  news 
had  been  received  of  the  "  destitution,  distress,  and  extreme 
suffering  of  the  immigrants  to  California  by  the  overland  route  ; " 
and  that  a  committee  had  been  selected  for  the  purpose  of  call- 
ing upon  them  during  the  day  for  means  of  relief  for  the  suffer- 
ers. The  committee  consisted  of  John  W.  Geary,  E.  E.  Dun- 
bar, E.  C.  Kemble,  Talbot  H.  Green,  Henry  M.  Naglee,  W.  H. 
Parker,  Wm.  Sharron,  and  David  C.  Broderick.  It  was  also 
stated  by  J.  Neely  Johnson,  Esq.,  Agent  for  the  Sacramento 
Relief  Association,  who  had  recently  returned  from  an  expedi- 
dition  of  relief  to  the  immigrants,  that  "  it  was  supposed  that 
60,000  emigrants  started  across  the  plains  by  the  Northern,  or 
'Southern  Pass'  route.  On  the  18th  June,  39,000  had  been 
registered  at  Fort  Laramie.  Of  this  entire  number  probably 
20,000  had  arrived.  Of  the  remaining  number,  10,000  would 
probably  arrive  this  side  of  the  Desert,  without  teams,  money, 
or  provisions  ;  10,000  more  with  their  teams  so  much  worn  down 
as  to  require  additional  assistance  to  enable  them  to  cross  the 


PRESENTATION  OF  BOOKS  TO  THE  CHINESE.  287 

mountains."  Mr.  Johnson  described  the  condition  of  some 
whom  he  had  met  on  his  expedition  as  destitute,  sick,  and 
wretched  in  the  extreme,  and  showed  the  necessity  of  speedy 
means  being  taken  to  save  the  immigrants  from  starving,  or 
otherwise  fearfully  perishing  before  they  could  terminate  their 
journey.    These  appeals  were  promptly  responded  to  by  the 


Emigrant  Train. 


citizens.  Before  night  the  committee  had  collected  an  immense 
quantity  of  provisions,  and  about  $6000  in  cash,  which  was  for- 
warded without  delay  to  meet  the  wants  of  the  sufferers. 

August  28th. — A  novel  and  interesting  ceremony  took  place 
tins  afternoon  in  Portsmouth  Square.  Mayor  Geary,  Vice-Con- 
sul Frederick  A.  Wood  worth,  Rev.  Albert  Williams,  and  other 
members  of  a  committee  appointed  for  the  purpose,  assembled 
on  the  platform,  to  present  the  Chinese  residents  with  certain 
religious  tracts,  papers,  and  books,  printed  in  Chinese  characters. 
The  "  China  boys,"  as  they  are  pleased  to  be  called,  having 


288 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


formed  themselves  in  procession,  marched  to  the  square,  and  ar- 
ranged themselves  in  a  circle  upon  the  platform.  They  were 
clothed  richly  in  their  native  costume,  and  made  a  fine  and  pleas- 
ing appearance.  Here  the  presentation  took  place,  and  addresses 
were  made  by  each  of  the  gentlemen  above  named,  which  were 
interpreted  by  As-sing,  one  of  the  Chinese.  The  mayor,  on  this 
occasion,  extended  to  them  an  invitation  to  take  part  in  the 
funeral  ceremonies  that  were  to  occur  on  the  following  day. 

August  29th. — The  death  of  President  Taylor  was  com- 
memorated by  a  funeral  procession.  The  military  and  fire  com- 
panies, Masonic  and  Odd-Fellows'  Lodges,  a  variety  of  benevo- 
lent and  other  associations,  the  clergy,  officers  of  the  army  and 
navy,  consuls  and  representatives  of  foreign  governments,  the 
councils  and  various  municipal  and  State  officers,  a  great  number 
of  private  citizens,  and  a  large  company  of  Chinese  residents, 
took  part  in  the  imposing  ceremonies.  Hon.  John  B.  Weller 
acted  as  Grand  Marshal.  The  procession  moved  through  the 
streets  to  Portsmouth  Square,  where  an  appropriate  prayer  was 
made  by  Rev.  Augustus  Fitch,  and  an  eloquent  eulogy  pro- 
nounced by  Hon.  Elcan  Heydenfeldt.  On  the  following  day  the 
Chinese,  who  henceforward  took  considerable  interest  in  public 
affairs,  where  any  ceremony  of  a  festival  or  imposing  nature  was 
concerned,  presented  the  mayor  with  the  following  document, 
written  in  Chinese  characters  : — 

"  San  Francisco.  Augmt  30th,  1850. 
l:  To  Hon.  John  W.  Geary,  Mayor  of  the  City  of  San  Francisco  : — 

"Sir: — The  "China  Boys"  wish  to  thank  you  for  the  kind  mark  of  at- 
tention you  bestowed  upon  them  in  extending  to  them  an  invitation  to  join 
with  the  citizens  of  San  Francisco  in  doing  honor  to  the  memory  of  the  late 
President  of  the  United  States,  General  Zachary  Taylor.  The  China  Boys 
feel  proud  of  the  distinction  you  have  shown  them,  and  will  always  endeavor 
to  merit  your  good  opinion  and  the  good  opinion  of  the  citizens  of  their  adopted 
country.  The  China  Boys  are  fully  sensible  of  the  great  loss  this  country  has 
sustained  in  the  death  of  its  chieftain  and  ruler,  and  mourn  with  you  in  sor- 
row. Strangers  as  they  are  among  you,  they  kindly  appreciate  the  many  kind- 
nesses received  at  your  hands,  and  again  beg  leave,  with  grateful  hearts,  to 
thank  you. 

"  As-sing, 

"  A-HE, 

"  In  behalf  of  the  China  Boys." 


CHAPTER  XII. 
1850. 

The  first  City  Directory  published.— Monetary  crisis.— Fourth  great  fire.— Death  of  Captain  Bezer 
Simmons.— The  wharves.— Celebration  on  occasion  of  the  admission  of  California  into  the  Union 
of  American  States.— Explosion  of  the  steamer  Sagamore.— City  Hospital  burned.— Improvements 
in  the  city.— Plank  road  to  the  Mission  Dolores.— Death  of  the  mayor  of  Sacramento.— Thanks- 
giving Day.— Fire  in  Sacramento  street 

September. — The  first  "  Directory "  of  the  city  was  published 
this  month  by  Charles  P.  Kimball.  It  was  a  duodecimo  pam- 
phlet of  one  hundred  and  thirty-six  pages,  and  contained  about 
twenty-five  hundred  names. 

September  7th. — There  have  been  during  the  last  few  days 
a  monetary  crisis  and  great  run  upon  the  banks  ;  when  one  of 
them,  Mr.  Henry  M.  Naglee's,  suspended  payment  to-day.  Dur- 
ing the  troublous  and  exciting  winter  of  1849-50,  speculation 
had  gone  beyond  all  bounds  both  in  every  kind  of  merchandise 
and  in  real  estate.  When  the  reaction  came,  prices  fell  nearly  as 
much  below  the  prime  cost  of  goods  as  previously  they  had  been 
above  it,  and  in  many  cases  great  quantities  of  valuable  merchan- 
dise could  be  had  at  nominal  rates.  Real  estate,  when  forced  on 
the  market,  often  did  not  fetch  a  tenth  of  its  recent  value.  Add- 
ed to  this  sudden  collapse  of  prices,  three  great  fires  had  helped 
to  ruin  many,  and  had  affected  indeed  every  inhabitant  of  the 
city  in  some  measure  prejudicially.  Thus  a  general  financial 
embarrassment  ensued,  and  numerous  bankruptcies  of  people  pre- 
viously reputed  wealthy  followed.  Some  of  the  most  extensive 
firms  of  the  city  were  compelled  to  assign  their  property  for  the 
benefit  of  their  creditors.  On  a  sudden  a  panic  seized  those  who 
held  deposits  in  the  different  banks,  and  an  immediate  "  run " 
was  made  on  these  establishments.  Messrs.  Burgoyne  &  Co., 
19 


290 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


J ames  King  of  William,  and  Wells  &  Co.,  nobly  met  the  unex- 
pected demand,  and  kept  their  doors  open  during  unusual  and 
extra  hours  to  accommodate  the  half  frantic  dejwsitors. 

September  17th. — About  four  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  this 
day,  fire  broke  out  in  the  "  Philadelphia  House,"  on  the  north 
side  of  Jackson  street,  near  to  the  Washington  market.  It  was 
the  fourth  great  conflagration  in  the  city.  The  principal  portions 
of  the  different  building  squares  lying  between  Dupont,  Mont- 
gomery, Washington  and  Pacific  streets  were  overrun  by  the 
flames.  The  buildings  erected  on  these  quarters  were  chiefly  of 
wood,  and  generally  one  story  only  in  height ;  so  that,  although 
the  space  over  which  the  fire  extended  was  very  great,  much  less 
proportionate  damage  was  sustained  than  on  the  occasions  of  the 
preceding  great  fires.  The  loss  was  estimated  to  be  from  a  quar- 
ter to  half  a  million  of  dollars.  The  newly  organized  fire  compa- 
nies were  of  much  service  in  staying  the  progress  of  the  confla- 
gration, and  would  have  been  of  still  more  had  there  not  been  a 
short  supply  of  water.  It  was  evident,  however,  that  the  want 
of  a  proper  head  or  engineering  chief  sadly  hindered  the  harmo- 
nious action  not  only  of  these  and  the  hook  and  ladder  compa- 
nies, but  of  every  person  who  volunteered  help  in  extinguishing 
the  flames.  As  usual,  the  burned  space  was  so  soon  afterwards 
covered  with  buildings  that  in  a  few  weeks  all  external  traces  of 
the  disaster  disappeared.  It  was  remarked  at  this  time  that 
there  were  certain  unlucky  individuals  whose  properties  had 
been  consumed  on  each  occasion  of  the  four  great  fires — all  with- 
in nine  months  !  Many  had  suffered  twice  and  thrice  by  these 
successive  calamities.  This  surely  was  enough  to  try  the  pa- 
tience of  a  modern  J ob,  and  drive  the  bravest  to  despair.  But 
in  a  common  calamity,  however  great,  there  is  such  sympathy 
and  consolation,  that  the  mind  readily  recovers  its  equanimity. 
People  were  almost  beginning  to  consider  that  such  conflagra- 
tions could  not  be  avoided,  but  were  surely  sent  either  as  a  pun- 
ishment for  their  wickedness  or  as  a  necessary  drawback  upon  the 
otherwise  great  profits  of  general  business.  So  those  burned  out 
just  set  themselves  doggedly  to  work  again,  and  soon  reared  up 
new  and  grander  habitations  for  themselves.  Happily  indeed 
does  the  Phoenix  appear  on  the  corporation  seal,  since,  like  it, 


CONSTRUCTION  OF  WHARVES. 


291 


the  city  was  continually  reviving  and  springing  from  its  own 
ashes  a  fairer  and  more  substantial  thing  than  before. 

September  26th. — Captain  Bezer  Simmons,  the  senior  part- 
ner of  the  well-known  house  of  Simmons,  Hutchinson  &  Co.,  died 
this  day.  He  was  among  the  most  respected  citizens  of  San 
Francisco,  and  the  earliest  business  men  of  the  place.  His  name 
appears  on  several  occasions  in  these  "  Annals,"  in  connection 
with  subjects  of  public  interest.  Captain  Simmons  was  a  native 
of  Woodstock,  Vt.  Some  years  previous  to  the  cession  of  Cali- 
fornia to  the  American  Government  he  was  engaged  in  trading 
along  the  coast  of  Lower  California,  and  in  1848,  purchased  pro- 
perty in  San  Francisco,  where  he  settled,  and  soon  afterwards  en- 
gaged in  extensive  and  successful  business  operations.  In  April, 
1849,  he  was  sorely  afflicted  by  the  death  of  his  wife,  (who  was 
the  sister  of  Frederick  Billings,  of  the  law  firm  of  Halleck,  Peachy 
&  Billings,)  and  before  the  close  of  the  year,  he  received  intelligence 
of  the  death  of  his  mother  and  a  brother  to  whom  he  was  strong- 
ly  attached.  In  January,  1851,  he  repaired  to  Woodstock,  with 
the  remains  of  his  wife,  to  bury  them  in  her  native  town.  On 
his  return  he  learned  that  his  business  was  in  an  alarming  con- 
dition,  and  soon  after  the  firm  was  declared  insolvent.  Beino- 
exceedingly  sensitive,  this  rapid  succession  of  misfortunes  and 
afflictions  were  thought  to  aggravate  an  indisposition  under  which 
he  had  been  for  some  time  suffering,  and  which  consequently  ter- 
minated his  life.  His  death  was  considered  almost  a  public 
calamity,  and  his  body  was  attended  to  the  grave  by  an  immense 
concourse  of  the  best  portion  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  city. 

October  22d. — To  show  the  rapid  progress  of  the  city  in 
one  direction,  we  shall  give  a  short  notice  of  the  state  of  the 
wharves  in  the  bay  about  this  time. 

Central  Wharf. — So  early  as  the  autumn  of  1848  the 
want  of  a  good  ship  wharf  was  seriously  felt,  and  different 
schemes  were,  in  the  following  winter  and  spring  months,  pro- 
jected to  supply  the  deficiency.  It  was  not,  however,  till  May 
of  1849,  that  any  active  steps  were  taken  in  the  matter.  At 
that  time  a  proper  wharf  association  was  formed,  which  raised 
considerable  capital,  and  began  operations.  By  December  of 
the  same  year,  eight  hundred  feet  of  the  wharf  was  finished. 


292 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FKANCISCO. 


In  the  fire  of  June,  1850,  a  considerable  portion  was  consumed, 
but  the  part  destroyed  was  promptly  repaired — even  while  the 
smoke  of  the  ruins  around  continued  to  ascend.  In  August  fol- 
lowing, measures  were  taken  to  continue  the  work  ;  and  at  the 
date  of  this  notice,  it  extended  so  much  as  two  thousand  feet 
into  the  bay.  This  wharf  had  already  cost  $180,000  ;  and  was 
of  the  greatest  service  to  the  shipping  of  the  port.  Large  vessels 
could  lay  alongside  and  discharge  at  any  state  of  the  tide. 

Market  Street  Wharf  commenced  at  the  foot  of  Market 
street,  and  had  already  run  out  six  hundred  feet  into  the  bay. 

California  Street  Wharf  was  four  hundred  feet  long  and 
thirty-two  feet  wide. 

Howison's  Pier  was  eleven  hundred  feet  in  length,  by  forty 
feet  in  width — the  depth  of  water,  at  full  tide,  being  fourteen 
feet  at  the  extremity. 

Sacramento  Street  Wharf  was  eight  hundred  feet  in 
length. 

Clay  Street  Wharf  was  nine  hundred  feet  in  length,  by 
forty  feet  in  width  ;  and  in  another  month  was  extended  to  eigh- 
teen hundred  feet. 

Washington  Street  Wharf  was  two  hundred  and  seventy- 
five  feet  long. 

Jackson  Street  Wharf  was  five  hundred  and  fifty-two 
feet  in  length,  with  thirteen  feet  depth  of  water. 

Pacific  Street  Wharf  was  already  five  hundred  and  twen- 
ty-five feet  long,  and  sixty  feet  wide. 

Broadway  Wharf  was  two  hundred  and  fifty  feet  long,  and 
forty  feet  wide. 

Cunningham's  Wharf  was  three  hundred  and  seventy-five 
feet  long,  and  thirty-three  feet  wide,  having  a  T  at  its  end  three 
hundred  and  thirty  feet  long,  by  thirty  feet  wide.  It  had  twen- 
ty-five feet  depth  of  water  at  the  cross  line. 

Law's  Wharf,  at  the  foot  of  Green  street,  was  likewise  in 
the  course  of  formation  ;  and  a  wharf,  to  be  seventeen  hundred 
feet  in  length,  was  immediately  about  to  be  undertaken  by  the 
city,  on  the  north  beach. 

The  cost  of  these  various  wharves  already  amounted  to  nearly 
a  million  and  a  half  of  dollars ;  and  they  provided  artificial 


ADMISSION  OF  CALIFORNIA  INTO  THE  UNION.  293 

-'lorotighfares  to  the  extent  of  almost  two  miles.  A  few  of  them 
were  the  property  of  the  corporation  ;  but  the  greater  number 
were  owned  by  private  companies  or  by  individuals,  who  drew 
large  returns  from  them.  There  is  little  trace  left  of  these 
works,  for  the  water  space  along  their  sides  is  now  covered  with 
houses,  while  the  wharves  themselves  have  become  public  streets, 
their  future  extensions  forming  the  existing  wharves  and  piers  of 
the  city.  This  gradual  march  across  the  deep  waters  of  the  bay  is 
a  peculiar  feature  in  the  progress  of  the  city,  and  serves  to  liken  it 
to  those  other  queens  of  the  sea,  Venice  and  Amsterdam,  and  per- 
haps also  to  St.  Petersburgh.  But  where  the  latter  have  canals 
for  streets,  and  solid  earth  now  beneath  their  first  pile-founded 
buildings,  San  Francisco,  over  a  great  portion  of  its  business  and 
most  valuable  districts,  has  still  only  a  vast  body  of  tidal  water, 
beneath  both  the  plank-covered  streets  and  the  pile-founded 
houses  themselves.  Year  by  year,  however,  this  strange  watery 
abyss  is  being  filled  up  by  the  removal  of  the  sand  hills  behind, 
which  may  be  said  to  be  taken  up  and  cast  bodily  into  the  deep. 
When  the  original  wharves  were  erected  they  proved  of  the  ut- 
most benefit  to  the  commerce  and  prosperity  of  the  city  ;  and 
their  extent,  as  detailed  above,  shows  in  a  striking  manner  the 
energy  and  enterprise  of  the  people  who  had  constructed  them  in 
so  short  a  space  of  time. 

October  29th. — This  day  was  set  apart  to  celebrate  the  ad- 
mission of  California  into  the  Union.  When,  on  the  18th  in- 
stant, the  mail  steamer  "  Oregon  "  was  entering  the  bay,  she  fired 
repeated  preconcerted  signal  guns  which  warned  the  citizens  of 
the  glorious  news.  Immediately  the  whole  of  the  inhabitants 
were  afoot,  and  grew  half  wild  with  excitement  until  they  heard 
definitely  that  the  tidings  were  as  they  had  expected.  Business 
of  almost  every  description  was  instantly  suspended,  the  courts 
adjourned  in  the  midst  of  their  work,  and  men  rushed  from  every 
house  into  the  streets  and  towards  the  wharves,  to  hail  the  har- 
binger of  the  welcome  news.  When  the  steamer  rounded 
Clark's  Point  and  came  in  front  of  the  city,  her  masts  literally 
covered  with  flags  and  signals,  a  universal  shout  arose  from  ten 
thousand  voices  on  the  wharves,  in  the  streets,  upon  the  hills, 
house-tops,  and  the  world  of  shipping  in  the  bay.    Again  and 


294 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


again  were  huzzas  repeated,  adding  more  and  more  every  moment 
to  the  intense  excitement  and  unprecedented  enthusiasm.  Every 
public  place  was  soon  crowded  with  eager  seekers  after  the  par- 
ticulars of  the  news,  and  the  first  papers  issued  an  hour  after  the 
appearance  of  the  Oregon  were  sold  by  the  newsboys  at  from 
one  to  five  dollars  each.  The  enthusiasm  increased  as  the  day 
advanced.  Flags  of  every  nation  were  run  up  on  a  thousand 
masts  and  peaks  and  staffs,  and  a  couple  of  large  guns  placed 
upon  the  plaza  were  constantly  discharged.  At  night  every  pub- 
lic thoroughfare  was  crowded  with  the  rejoicing  populace.  Al- 
most every  large  building,  all  the  public  saloons  and  places  of 
amusement  were  brilliantly  illuminated — music  from  a  hundred 
bands  assisted  the  excitement — numerous  balls  and  parties  were 
hastily  got  up — bonfires  blazed  upon  the  hills,  and  rockets  were 
incessantly  thrown  into  the  air,  until  the  dawn  of  the  following 
day.  Many  difficulties  had  occurred  to  delay  this  happy  event, 
and  the  people  had  become  sick  at  heart  with  the  "  hope  de- 
ferred "  of  calling  themselves,  and  of  being  in  reality  citizens  of 
the  great  American  Union.  It  is  only  necessary  to  state  here, 
without  going  into  particulars,  that  the  delay  had  arisen  from  the 
jealousy  of  the  proslavery  party  in  Congress,  at  a  time  when 
they  and  the  abolitionists  were  nicely  balanced  in  number,  to  ad- 
mit an  additional  free  State  into  the  Union,  whereby  so  many 
more  votes  would  be  given  against  the  peculiar  and  obnoxious 
(i  domestic  institution  "  of  the  South.  Several  compromises  had 
been  occasionally  attempted  to  be  effected  by  statesmen  of  each 
great  party,  but  without  success.  In  the  end,  however,  the  bill 
for  the  admission  of  California  passed  through  Congress  by  large 
majorities. 

Such  an  occasion  beyond  all  others  demanded  a  proper  celebra- 
tion at  San  Francisco  ;  and  the  citizens,  accordingly,  one  and  all, 
united  to  make  the  day  memorable.  On  the  29th  instant,  a  pro- 
cession of  the  various  public  bodies  and  inhabitants  of  the  city, 
with  appropriate  banners,  devices,  music  and  the  like,  marched 
through  the  principal  streets  to  the  plaza.  The  Chinese  turned 
out  in  large  numbers  on  this  occasion,  and  formed  a  striking  fea- 
ture in  the  ceremonies  of  the  day.  The  Honorable  Nathaniel 
Bennett,  of  the  Supreme  Court,  delivered  a  suitable  oration  to  the 


CITY  IMPROVEMENTS. 


295 


people  on  the  plaza,  and  an  ode,  composed  for  the  occasion  by  Mrs. 
Wills,  was  sung  by  a  full  choir.  During  the  day  repeated  dis- 
charges of  fire-arms  and  a  proper  salute  from  great  guns  carried 
off  some  of  the  popular  excitement,  while  the  shipping  displayed 
innumerable  flags.  In  the  evening,  public  bonfires  and  fireworks 
were  exhibited  from  Telegraph  Hill,  Rincon  Point,  and  the  islands 
in  the  bay.  The  houses  were  likewise  brilliantly  illuminated,  and 
the  rejoicings  were  every  where  loudly  continued  during  the  night. 
Some  five  hundred  gentlemen  and  three  hundred  ladies  met  at 
the  grandest  public  ball  that  had  yet  been  witnessed  in  the  city, 
and  danced  and  made  merry,  till  daylight,  in  the  pride  and  joy 
of  their  hearts  that  California  was  truly  now  the  thirty-first  State 
of  the  Union. 

On  this  day  (October  29th),  the  steamer  "  Sagamore  "  explo- 
ded, when  about  to  leave  the  wharf  for  Stockton.  Thirty  or  forty 
persons  were  killed. 

October  31st. — Destruction  by  fire  of  the  City  Hospital,  which 
was  situated  at  the  head  of  Clay  street,  and  owned  by  Dr.  Peter 
Smith.  This  was  supposed  to  have  been  the  work  of  an  incen- 
diary. The  fire  broke  out  in  an  adjoining  house,  which  was  also 
consumed.  Several  of  the  patients  were  severely  burned,  and  it 
was  only  by  the  most  strenuous  exertions  of  the  firemen  and  citi- 
zens that  they  were  saved  at  all. 

November. — We  have  already  noticed  the  progress  that  had 
been  made  in  the  erection  of  wharves,  and  we  may  now  direct  at- 
tention to  the  important  steps  that  had  been  taken  in  grading, 
planking  and  otherwise  improving  the  streets  of  the  city.  During 
the  summer  of  this  year,  the  care  of  the  mayor  and  common  coun- 
cil had  been  particularly  turned  towards  the  improvements  of  the 
communications  through  the  town,  and  many  ordinances  had  been 
passed  with  that  view.  Considerable  hills  had  consequently  been 
cut  down  and  immense  hollows  filled  up.  Great  quantities  of 
rock  and  sand  were  removed,  from  places  where  they  were  only 
nuisances,  to  other  quarters  where  they  became  of  use  in  remov- 
ing the  natural  irregularities  of  the  ground,  and  making  all  smooth 
and  level.  Piles  were  driven  deep  in  the  earth  where  needed,  the 
principal  streets  were  substantially  planked,  and  commodious  sew- 
ers formed.    The  cost  of  these  improvements  was  very  great,  it 


296  ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 

being  estimated  that  nearly  half  a  million  of  dollars  would  be  re- 
quired this  year  to  complete  those  now  in  operation.  The  city 
paid  about  one-third  of  that  amount,  and  raised  the  remainder  by 
assessment  upon  the  parties  whose  properties  faced  the  streets 
which  were  altered.  To  show  the  extent  of  these  improvements, 
we  give  the  following  lists  of  the  streets  in  which  they  were  now 
being  executed.  Those  running  north  and  south  were  as  fol- 
lows : — 

Battery  street  between  Market  and  California — graded  and  planked. 


Sansome    "  "  Bush  and  Broadway,  " 

Montgomery  "  California       "  "  and  sewer. 

Kearny  "  "            "  "  " 

Dupont  "  Sacramento    "  "  " 

Stockton  "  Clay  and  Water,  8 

Ohio  "  Broadway  and  Pacific,  " 

Taylor  "  Lombard  and  Water,  " 

Those  running  east  and  west  were  as  follows  : 

Bush  street,  between  Battery  and  Montgomery — graded  and  planked. 

California  "  bulkhead            "  "      and  sewer. 

Sacramento  "  Sansome  and  Dupont,  "  " 

Clay  "  bulkhead  and  Stockton,          "  " 

Washington  "  "          Dupont,  "  " 

Jackson  "  "               "  "  " 

Pacific  "  Kearny            "  "  « 

Broadway  "  Water  and  Ohio,  " 

Francisco  "  "           Stockton,  " 


Thus  the  municipal  authorities  were  taking  precautions  to  re- 
move, before  the  rainy  season  commenced,  as  many  as  possible  of 
the  obstacles,  which,  during  the  preceding  winter,  had  rendered 
the  streets  nearly  impassable. 

November  18th. — This  day  an  ordinance  regarding  the  plank- 
road  to  the  Mission  Dolores,  and  which  had  previously  been  car- 
ried in  the  Board  of  Assistant  Aldermen  by  a  two-third  vote, 
passed  the  Board  of  Aldermen  by  a  constitutional  majority,  not- 
withstanding certain  objections  of  the  mayor  and  his  consequent 
veto.  The  mission,  which  is  situated  two  and  a  quarter  miles 
from  the  plaza,  was  a  place  of  common  resort  for  the  citizens,  but 
the  road  to  it  being  sandy,  was  difficult  of  travel,  especially  for 
vehicles.    Owing  to  this  cause,  the  cost  of  carriage  was  very  great. 


MISSION  PLANK-ROAD. 


297 


A  load  of  hay,  for  instance,  moved  from  the  mission  to  the  city, 
cost  as  much  as  fifteen  or  twenty  dollars.  The  same  way  likewise 
led  to  San  Jose,  the  capital  of  the  State.  It  was  therefore  of  con- 
siderable public  importance  that  this  road  should  be  speedily  im- 
proved. In  the  summer  of  this  year,  Colonel  Charles  L.  Wilson 
conceived  the  plan  of  laying  a  plank-road  from  Kearny  street  to 
the  mission,  and  presented  a  proposition  to  that  effect  to  the  Com- 
mon Council.  He  offered  to  build  the  road,  which,  at  that  time, 
was  considered  a  tremendous  enterprise,  in  consequence  of  the 
high  price  of  lumber  and  labor,  on  condition  that  he  was  allowed 
to  collect  certain  rates  of  toll  from  those  using  it,  and  that  he 
should  have  the  exclusive  right  of  the  way  for  the  term  of  ten 
years,  at  the  expiring  of  which  time  the  entire  improvements  were 
to  revert  to  the  city.  An  ordinance  to  grant  Col.  Wilson  the  pri- 
vileges he  asked,  readily  passed  one  of  the  boards  of  aldermen, 
but  it  was  a  long  while  before  it  obtained  the  concurrence  of  the 
other  ;  and  not  even  then  until  it  was  so  modified  that  seven  years 
only  were  allowed  the  projector  for  the  use  of  the  road,  and  but 
five  months  granted  him  for  completion  of  the  work.  The  im- 
portance of  the  undertaking  was  admitted  on  all  sides  ;  and  the 
chief  opposition  to  it  was  based  upon  the  assumption  that  the  city 
should  rather  make  it  at  its  own  expense  and  reap  the  large  pro- 
fits which  it  was  supposed  would  be  the  result.  This,  however, 
at  that  period,  was  impossible,  the  city  being  upwards  of  a  million 
and  a  half  of  dollars  in  debt,  and  without  the  slightest  prospect 
of  being  able  for  years  to  defray  its  unavoidable  current  ex- 
penses. 

Having  obtained  the  consent  of  the  council,  Col.  Wilson  next 
met  with  a  formidable  obstacle  in  rather  an  unexpected  quarter. 
The  mayor,  after  retaining  the  ordinance  the  full  length  of  time 
allowed  him,  returned  it  unapproved. ,  Notwithstanding,  the  coun- 
cil again  adopted  it  with  almost  a  unanimous  vote.  Still,  the 
veto  of  the  mayor  affected  the  enterprise  unfavorably  to  a  consid- 
erable extent.  Several  parties,  who  had  previously  engaged  to 
furnish  funds  for  the  work,  now  became  alarmed  as  to  the  legality 
of  the  council's  procedure,  and  withheld  their  promised  aid.  Col. 
Wilson  was  therefore  left  alone,  to  abandon  altogether  his  weighty 
project,  or  to  carry  it  on  unassisted.    He  determined  upon  the  lat- 


298  ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 

ter  course,  and  although  without  any  definite  idea  of  the  source 
from  whence  the  means  were  to  he  obtained,  commenced  the  work. 
Having  proceeded  far  enough  to  give  a  guarantee  for  the  comple- 
tion of  the  project,  he  visited  the  capital,  and  ohtained  from  the 


Beach  of  Verba  Baena  Cove,  Winter  of  1849-ftO,  from  Central  Wharl  to  Happy  Valley. 

legislature  an  act  confirming  the  ordinance  of  the  city  council. 
This  renewed  confidence  in  the  measure.  A  half  interest  in  the 
undertaking  was  immediately  sold,  and  funds  were  thus  ohtained 
for  carrying  it  on.  Upon  the  very  last  day  allowed  under  the  or- 
dinance for  completion  of  the  work,  loaded  wagons  passed  on  the 
road  from  the  mission  to  the  town. 

This  plank-road  has  proved  of  the  greatest  service  to  San  Fran- 
cisco, and  the  property  through  which  it  passes  has  increased  im- 
mensely in  value  for  huilding  purposes.  Formerly  that  property 
was  at  times  nearly  inaccessible,  and  on  all  occasions  was  very 
difficult  and  troublesome  to  reach  ;  while  it  is  now  of  compara- 
tively easy  access.  Since  the  formation  of  this  plank-way,  another 
road  of  the  same  kind  has  likewise  been  formed  to  the  mission, 
upon  similar  terms  granted  by  the  council  to  the  projectors  ;  and 
both  are  believed  to  have  proved  highly  lucrative  schemes  to  their 
spirited  proprietors. 


ANOTHER  FIRE. 


299 


November  27th. — Hon.  Harden  Bigelow,  Mayor  of  Sacramen- 
to City,  died  this  morning  at  the  Union  Hotel.  He  had  taken 
an  active  part  in  suppressing  the  squatter  riots  at  Sacramento, 
when  he  received  a  gun-shot  wound  which  required  the  amputa- 
tion of  an  arm.  The  operation  was  performed  by  Dr.  John  Hast- 
ings, by  whose  advice  Mr.  Bigelow  was  removed  to  San  Francisco, 
believing  the  climate  of  that  city  would  conduce  toward  effecting 
a  more  rapid  recovery  from  the  effects  of  the  injury.  While  here 
he  was  attacked  with  cholera,  which  caused  his  death.  His 
body  was  conveyed  to  the  steamboat  New  World,  to  be  taken  to 
Sacramento  for  burial,  by  an  escort  composed  of  the  California 
Guard,  the  mayor,  members  of  the  Common  Council,  heads  of 
departments  of  the  city,  and  the  Society  of  California  Pioneers. 
Mayor  Geary  delivered  a  very  appropriate  address  on  the  occasion, 
in  which  the  many  excellent  traits  in  the  character  of  the  deceas- 
ed were  depicted  in  a  most  affecting  manner. 

November  30th. — A  thanksgiving-day  for  the  admission  of 
California  into  the  Union. 

December  14th. — On  the  evening  of  this  day  a  fire  broke  out 
in  an  iron  building  on  Sacramento  street,  below  Montgomery  street. 
Several  large  stores  and  much  valuable  goods  were  destroyed. 
The  total  damage  was  estimated  at  about  a  million  of  dollars. 
Elsewhere  such  a  fire  might  well  be  called  a  great  one  ;  but  it  was 
not  so  reckoned  in  the  "  Annals  of  San  Francisco." 


CHAPTER  XIII. 
1850. 

Population  in  1850.— City  improvements.— Grading  and  planking  streets.— Wharves,  steamers,  man- 
ufactures.— Supply  and  demand  for  goods. — Mines  yielding  abundantly. — Expresses  established. — 
Moral  progress. — Better  state  of  things.— Cholera. — California  admitted  to  the  Union. — City  Char- 
ter granted. — First  Common  Council  — The  gold  medals  for  Aldermen.— Corruption  of  officials. — 
Colton  Grants. — Leidesdorff  Estate. — City  finances. — Outrages  and  fires. — The  prisons  and  police. 
— Lynch  Law  agitated. 

In  the  course  of  the  year  1850,  upwards  of  thirty-six  thousand 
persons  arrived  by  sea  in  San  Francisco.  Of  these  fully  one-half 
came  direct  from  foreign  ports,  while  many  of  those  that  crossed  the 
Isthmus  of  Panama  were  likewise  from  foreign  countries.  By  far 
the  greater  number  of  immigrants  were  adult  males,  as  might 
have  been  anticipated.  The  most  of  these  persons  hastened  at 
once  to  the  mines,  only  staying  a  few  days,  or  at  most  a  week  or 
two,  in  town,  to  recruit  their  strength  and  make  preparation  for  the 
digger's  toil.  Perhaps  two  thousand  females,  many  of  whom  were 
of  base  character  and  loose  practices,  were  also  added  this  year  to 
the  permanent  population,  if  that  can  be  called  permanent  which 
dwelt  at  least  a  twelvemonth  in  the  city.  The  immigration  across 
the  plains  and  by  land  generally  into  the  State  was  also,  as  in  the 
preceding  year,  veiy  large.  Great  numbers  of  all  these  sea  and 
land  immigrants,  after  they  had  been  some  months  at  the  mines, 
and  made  perhaps  a  few  thousand  dollars,  returned  by  way  of  San 
Francisco,  to  their  former  homes.  Many  others,  altogether  disap- 
pointed with  or  unfit  for  the  country,  went  hastily  back  to  the 
places  from  whence  they  had  come.  Thus  vessels  leaving  the  bay, 
and  especially  the  steamers,  were  nearly  as  well  filled  with  passen- 
gers as  when  they  had  first  arrived.  This  constant  migration  to 
and  from  the  State  gave  a  wonderful  animation  to  the  streets 


IMPROVEMENTS  OF  THE  CITY. 


301 


of  the  town.  Many  of  the  incomers  remained  in  the  place,  and 
the  regular  population  continued  to  increase.  At  the  close  of  this 
year,  the  inhabitants  probahly  numbered  between  twenty-five  and 
thirty  thousand.  The  Chinese  had  not  yet  arrived  in  any  great 
numbers,  but  the  Chilenos  and  other  people  of  Spanish- American 
extraction  continued  very  numerous. 

The  year  1850  saw  a  wonderful  improvement  in  the  aspect  of 
San  Francisco.  Notwithstanding  the  conflagrations  which  had 
so  often  laid  in  ruins  large  portions  of  the  city,  or  perhaps  rather 
to  some  extent  in  consequence  of  them,  the  buildings  in  the  busi- 
ness quarters  were  now  remarkable  for  their  size,  beauty  and  soli- 
dity. The  tents  and  shanties  of  last  year  had  totally  disappeared 
from  the  centre  of  the  town,  while  many  of  the  old  frame  build- 
ings that  had  not  been  destroyed  by  fire  were  replaced  by  others 
of  a  larger  and  stronger  kind,  if  not  by  extensive  fire-proof  brick 
structures.  It  is  true  that  in  the  outskirts  there  were  still  numer- 
ous frail  and  unsubstantial  habitations  left,  while,  farther  away 
many  more  of  the  same  kind  were  being  weekly  and  daily  added  ; 
but  as  population  and  the  value  of  real  estate  and  household  pro- 
perty gradually  increased,  these  temporary  erections  began  to  give 
place  to  more  solid  and  comfortable  buildings.  Though  labor  still 
commanded  high  prices,  during  a  great  part  of  the  year,  most 
kinds  of  building  materials  could  be  obtained  at  comparatively  low 
rates,  probably  at  an  average  of  one-fourth  or  one-sixth  of  the 
prices  of  the  preceding  season. 

While  houses  were  thus  changing  for  the  better,  an  equal 
improvement  was  taking  place  in  the  character  of  the  streets.  If 
nature  had  given  to  San  Francisco  magnificent  water  privileges, 
she  had  certainly  been  very  chary  in  bestowing  upon  it  land  ones. 
The  site,  immediately  available  for  building  operations,  was  ex- 
ceedingly small,  and  it  was  only  by  the  expenditure  of  a  vast 
amount  of  labor  that  additional  space  could  be  obtained  for  the 
necessary  extension  of  the  town.  The  land  around  was  very 
hilly  and  irregular,  which  had  all  to  be  made  smooth  and  plain 
before  proper  streets  could  be  designed  and  convenient  houses 
built.  Fortunately  the  obstructing  hills  were  composed  chiefly 
of  sand  and  easily  removed.  The  original  tents,  shanties  and 
houses  had  just  been  placed  upon  the  old  uneven  surface,  high  up 


302 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


or  low  dow  n  as  it  happened  ;  but  it  was  soon  found,  that  if  the 
city  was  ever  intended  by  its  inhabitants  to  grow  to  greatness, 
some  method  must  be  observed  in  bringing  them  more  upon  a 
straight  line,  with  ready  access  between  all  parts  of  the  place. 
Very  expensive  works  were  therefore  ordered  by  the  town  council, 
to  establish  a  regular  and  convenient  grade  to  the  streets,  while 
these  were  in  many  places  substantially  planked,  and  in  some, 
instances  had  sewers  constructed  along  them.  During  the  sum- 
mer of  1850,  such  alterations  had  been  proceeded  with  to  a  con- 
siderable extent,  and  now,  when  the  winter  and  rainy  season 
approached,  their  utility  was  seen  and  appreciated  by  all. 

Other  material  improvements  were  keeping  pace  with  those 
of  the  houses  and  streets.  Numerous  well  appointed  wharves 
were  run  out  into  the  deep  waters  of  the  bay,  at  which  the  largest 
vessels  could  lay  alongside  and  discharge.  Better  regulations 
were  continually  being  adopted  by  the  harbor  masters  to  facilitate 
the  shipping  interests.  In  the  year  just  passed  six  hundred  and 
fifty-six  sea- going  vessels  had  arrived  and  discharged  at  the  port. 
Of  these  five  hundred  and  ninety-eight  were  American,  and  fifty- 
eight  of  different  foreign  countries.  The  public  offices  of  the 
city  and  State  were  removed  to  more  commodious  and  accessible 
buildings.  The  towns  around  the  shores  of  the  bay  and  those 
situated  on  the  Sacramento  and  San  Joaquin  Rivers  could  now 
be  easily,  rapidly  and  cheaply  reached,  by  means  of  numerous 
large,  strong  and  beautiful  steamboats.  All  along  the  outer 
coasts,  magnificent  steamships  regularly  carried  the  mails  and 
passengers.  In  San  Francisco  itself,  many  workshops  and  man- 
ufactories began  to  be  established  ;  and,  if  few  articles  of  trade 
were  manufactured  from  the  beginning  out  of  raw  materials,  at 
least  extensive  repairs  could  always  be  now  made  upon  them. 
The  important  suburb  of  "  Happy  Valley,"  on  the  southern  side 
of  the  town,  became  quite  a  hive  of  manufacturing  industry, 
where  there  were  many  large  works  for  the  building  and  repairing 
of  steam  and  sailing  vessels,  foundries,  lumber-yards,  docks,  flour- 
mills  and  workshops  of  various  kinds.  Labor  of  every  description 
was  highly  paid,  and  generally  all  branches  of  the  community  had 
reason  to  be  satisfied  with  their  profits. 

The  enormous  gains  of  the  preceding  year  had  tempted  those 


GENERAL  VIEW  OF  THE  CITY. 


303 


who  partook  of  them  to  largely  increase  their  shipments  for  1850, 
while  others,  determined  to  share  in  the  golden  spoil,  hastened  to 
send  additional  goods  to  what  was  a  limited  market  at  best.  The  in- 
creased supply  of  merchandise  soon  affected  the  market,  and  prices 
in  the  spring  of  1850  fell  very  considerably.  There  was  a  slight 
subsequent  reaction  in  the  course  of  the  year,  but  towards  the 
close,  markets  became  more  depressed  than  ever,  and  much  em- 
barrassment ensued  to  the  mercantile  class.  This  fall  in  prices, 
as  well  as  the  natural  depreciation  in  the  value  of  real  estate 
from  the  former  excessive  rates,  and  the  losses  sustained  by  the 
many  great  fires,  led  to  a  monetary  crisis,  when  a  great  number 
of  merchants,  real  estate  jobbers  and  others  became  bankrupt. 
One  particular  consequence  of  the  excessive  supply  of  goods  was 
the  sudden  extraordinary  increase  of  auctioneering  business. 
When  markets  began  to  fall,  and  merchants  found  that  their  im- 
portations could  not  afford  to  pay  storage  and  other  charges,  and 
still  more,  when  commission  agents  desired  to  realize  their  ad- 
vances, or  were  urged  by  foreign  correspondents  to  sell  at  any 
price,  then  whole  shiploads  of  merchandise  were  rattled  off  with 
a  crack  of  the  auctioneer's  hammer.  It  seemed  to  be  of  little 
moment  at  what  rate  so  that  somehow  the  matter  was  fixed,  ac- 
counts could  be  adjusted,  and  the  distant  sufferer  made  aware  of 
the  net  amount  of  his  loss.  This  was  still  farther  the  case 
during  the  succeeding  year.  The  auction  business  was  mean- 
while becoming  one  of  great  importance,  which  it  continued  to 
be,  and  is  now,  in  San  Francisco.  That  system  of  disposing  of 
goods  possesses  many  advantages,  among  which  are  speedy  returns, 
and  in  the  case  of  brisk  demand,  perhaps  also  better  prices 
than  can  be  obtained  otherwise,  but,  at  a  period  of  glut,  it  fearfully 
sacrifices  the  interests  of  the  luckless  absent  proprietor  of  unsaleable 
merchandise.  In  1850,  and  still  more  in  1851,  these  things  could 
not  well  be  helped  by  any  party.  Still,  however  great  individual 
losses  and  sufferings  might  be,  the  general  interests  of  the  place 
were  all  this  while  steadily  advancing  ;  and  this  was  only  one  of 
the  severe  ordeals  through  which  every  great  city  in  its  unexpected 
oiigin  and  speedy  progress  might  be  expected  to  pass. 

The  mines  were  yielding  larger  returns  than  ever,  the  country 
was  being  rapidly  peopled,  agriculture  was  beginning  to  be  followed 


304 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


to  a  considerable  extent,  towns  were  in  course  of  erection,  and 
magnificent  structures  built  on  all  the  land.  San  Francisco  was 
the  great  centre  from  whence  all  these  changes  and  improvements 
originated,  and  naturally  kept  to  itself  a  large  proportion  of  them. 
Steam  and  stage  "  expresses  " — the  invariable  concomitants  of 
American  progress — were  established  over  the  whole  country  and 
to  the  Atlantic  States,  and  letters,  newspapers  and  packages  were 
conveyed  with  speed  and  safety  at  moderate  rates.  A  powerful 
press  diffused  general  information,  and  from  the  pulpits  of  many 
able  churches  flowed  religious  and  moral  consolation.  These  are 
the  marks  of  high  civilization,  and  they  were  strikingly  stamped 
upon  San  Francisco.  Some  of  the  first  immigrants  had  sent  for 
their  wives  and  families,  and  a  few  of  those  who  had  come  later 
brought  them  in  their  train.  The  u  household  gods  "  were  set  up 
in  many  a  dwelling,  and  the  inmates  could  now  worship  and  enjoy 
their  blessings  together.  Instead  of  the  old  scenes  of  terrible 
confusion  which  we  have  described  as  existing  at  the  close  of  1849, 
the  city,  only  one  twelvemonth  later,  presented  an  orderly,  decent 
and  busy  aspect,  with  moderately  clean  and  regular  streets,  houses 
of  fair  proportions,  prices  of  provisions  and  goods  reasonable, 
markets  supplied  with  every  luxury  for  the  table,  convenient 
wharves  for  shipping,  "  expresses "  by  sea  and  land,  a  dozen 
churches,  half-a-dozen  banking  establishments,  several  theatres, 
well-filled  book  and  music  stores,  six  or  seven  daily  newspapers, 
magnificent  hotels  and  restaurants,  handsome  public  carriages  for 
the  rich  and  ostentatious,  and  with  almost  every  luxury,  conve- 
nience and  necessary,  mental  and  corporeal,  that  old  cities  in  long 
peopled  and  civilized  countries  could  boast  of.  The  earliest  citi- 
zens formed  themselves  into  the  "  Society  of  California  Pioneers," 
and  numerous  associations  were  organized  for  municipal  and  de- 
fensive, literary,  charitable,  musical,  social  and  similar  purposes, 
just  as  we  find  in  the  old  established  communities.  Most  of  the 
inhabitants  certainly  seemed  to  live  purely  to  heap  more  dollars 
to  their  existing  store  ;  but  it  was  not  altogether  so.  Rays  of 
refinement  were  shooting  through  the  sordid  mass,  and  gradually 
turning  it  towards  a  feeling  that  there  was  something  higher, 
happier  and  better  than  mere  money  gathering.  But  while  this 
ennobling  leaven  was  silently  and  slowly  at  work  among  the  busy 


aldermen's  medals. 


305 


multitudes,  the  great  apparent  characteristics  of  the  place  con- 
tinued to  be  its  material  progress  and  the  incessant  stir  and  in- 
dustry of  the  people.  The  town  had  been  severely  tried  in  the 
conflagrations  which  so  repeatedly  destroyed  large  portions  of  the 
most  valuable  districts  ;  but  nothing  could  daunt  the  energy  and 
enterprise  of  the  inhabitants.  These  losses  and  all  the  natural 
obstacles  of  the  site  were  successively  overcome,  and  the  city 
grew  daily  more  grand  and  rich. 

Cholera  visited  San  Francisco  in  the  fall  of  this  year ;  but 
its  ravages  were  slight.  The  greatest  number  of  deaths  in  any 
one  day  did  not  exceed  ten  or  twelve.  The  epidemic  began  in 
October,  was  at  its  height  in  November,  and  disappeared  by  the 
close  of  the  year.  Notwithstanding  the  filth  and  rubbish  which 
naturally  collected  around  the  scene  of  so  many  busy  operations 
by  a  vast  population  which  had  hitherto  adopted  no  proper  means 
to  preserve  cleanliness  and  purity  of  atmosphere,  the  health  of 
the  place  was  wonderfully  preserved  ;  and  neither  by  cholera, 
which  alights  and  is  most  deadly  on  the  filthiest  spots  of  a 
country,  nor  by  other  diseases,  did  a  disproportionate  or  unusual 
number  of  deaths  occur.  This  is  high  testimony  to  the  extreme 
salubrity  of  the  climate.  The  winter  of  1850-51  was  a  remark- 
ably dry  and  pleasant  one,  a  striking  contrast  to  the  dreary 
winter  of  1849-50. 

In  the  course  of  1850,  two  great  political  changes  had  taken 
place  :  California  had  been  admitted  into  the  Union,  and  a  city 
charter,  previously  approved  of  by  the  inhabitants,  had  been 
granted  to  San  Francisco  by  the  State  Legislature.  The  latter 
was  much  improved  and  re-granted  in  the  following  year.  In 
the  Appendix  we  give  copies  of  the  State  Constitution  and  of  the 
amended  City  Charter.  By  these  events,  the  hands  of  both  the 
general  and  local  authorities  were  greatly  strengthened,  and  the 
foundations  of  a  firm  government  fairly  laid. 

The  first  common  council  of  San  Francisco,  under  the  char- 
ter, had  certainly  a  considerable  deal  to  do,  and  perhaps  did  it 
well  enough ;  but  their  appropriation  of  a  large  portion  of  the 
city  funds  to  themselves,  by  the  name  of  salaries,  met  with  much 
opposition  from  the  citizens,  which  had  at  least  the  effect  of  re- 
ducing the  amount  one-third.  At  a  later  date  of  the  year,  the 
20 


306 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


aldermen  were  said  to  have  mysteriously  voted  to  themselves  a 
gold  medal,  of  the  value  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars,  sup- 
posed to  be  for  those  public  and  extra  services  which  were  not 

covered  by  the  salaries  of 
six  or  four  thousand  dol- 
lars, nor  by  the  very  many 
fine  opportunities  for  cor- 
poration jobbery.  But 
general  curiosity  being 
excited  on  the  subject, 
and  prying  inquiries  made 
as  to  the  when  and  how, 
the  why  and  the  where- 
fore, these  medals  were 
earned,  voted  and  paid 
for,  the  council  boards 
suddenly  found  it  conve- 
nient to  pretend  utter  ig- 
norance of  the  whole  mat- 
ter, and  to  quietly  pay  for 
the  medals  themselves,  to 
put  into  the  melting  pot. 
The  truth  of  the  matter 
seems  to  have  been  that 
one  of  the  sub-committees 
appointed  to  make  ar- 
rangements for  the  public 
I  festival  of  the  29th  Octo- 
ber, to  celebrate  the  ad- 
mission of  California  into 
the  Union,  had  wilfully 
or  ignorantly  overstepped 
their  duties,  and,  assum- 

Aldermen's  Medal.  jng   the   glad   Consent  of 

their  brethren,  had  ordered  these  medals,  on  pretence  of  suitably 
decorating  the  aldermen  for  the  occasion.  But  unluckily  the 
medals  were  not,  and  could  not  have  been  procured  in  time  for 
that  celebration.    The  whole  affair  became  an  excellent  joke,  al- 


CAUSES  OF  LITIGATION. 


307 


though  a  somewhat  bitter  one  against  the  goaded  council.  To 
perpetuate  the  memory  of  those  happy,  or  unhappy  times  for 
our  "  city  fathers,"  we  give  illustrations  of  the  wonderful  medal. 
It  will  he  noticed  that  a  blank  is  left  in  the  inscription  for  the 
name  of  the  worthy  recipient. 

All  human  institutions  are  subject  to  abuse,  and  especially  in 
the  youth  of  a  quickly  growing  community,  where  every  member 
is  heart  and  soul  occupied  in  providing  only  for  himself.  Many 
charges  have  been  made  and  more  insinuated,  as  to  the  corrupt, 
careless,  and  extravagant  behavior  of  most  of  the  officials,  since 
the  fall  of  Mexican  power,  down  even  to  1854,  in  the  adminis- 
tration of  the  revenues  and  properties,  both  of  the  State  of  Cal- 
ifornia and  of  the  City  of  San  Francisco.  In  a  country  and 
place  like  these,  where  hitherto  gold  has  been  pretty  generally  the 
only  thing  supposed  to  be  worth  living  for,  one  cannot  avoid  be- 
lieving that  many  of  these  charges  and  insinuations  were  true  ; 
and  yet  the  occupants  of  office  might  otherwise  have  been  "  in- 
different honest "  men,  and,  after  all,  perhaps  quite  as  good  as 
their  clamant  neighbors.  When  any  transaction  of  a  particularly 
glaring,  base  or  improper  nature  was  found  out,  public  opinion 
was  sure  to  rise  in  rebellion  and  shame  the  rogues  to  common 
decency  at  least.  Much  popular  feeling  was,  at  one  period  of 
1850,  expended  at  "  mass  "  and  "  indignation  "  meetings  against 
the  municipal  authorities  ;  but,  by  and  by,  the  community,  who 
could  not  afford  the  pecuniary  loss  of  such  gratis  excitement  and 
attention,  settled  down  into  comparative  calmness  and  indiffer- 
ence. 

The  "  Colton  Grants  "  and  the  "  Leidesdorff  Estate,"  proved 
the  means  of  much  litigation  in  the  courts  of  law,  and  from  the 
great  extent  of  pecuniary  interest  involved,  and  the  variety  of 
parties  interested,  these  legal  matters  became  of  exceeding  pub- 
lic importance,  and  merit  a  passing  allusion.  We  have  already 
noticed  the  death  of  Mr.  Leidesdorff  on  the  18th  May,  1848. 
Circumstances  had  led  that  gentleman  to  become  a  Mexican 
citizen  about  the  year  1844,  whereby  he  was  enabled  to  hold,  as 
he  afterwards  acquired,  real  estate  to  a  large  extent  in  Yerba 
Buena  and  its  neighborhood,  now  San  Francisco.  From  the 
great  immigration  which  subsequently  took  place,  this  property 


308 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


suddenly  became  of  immense  value.  Mr.  Leidesdorff  was  re- 
puted to  have  died  some  fifty  thousand  dollars  in  debt,  and  yet 
within  two  years  afterwards  his  estate  was  worth  nearly  a  million. 
This  indeed  was  a  prize  worth  contending  for.  The  very  admin- 
istration of  its  revenues,  at  San  Francisco  charges,  was  the  means 
of  making  annual  fortunes  to  lucky  agents.  Hence  the  legal 
strife,  and  perhaps  the  imputing  and  bandying  of  improper  mo- 
tives among  the  judges  and  parties  chiefly  interested.  The 
Leidesdorff  estate  was  subsequently  claimed  by  the  State  of  Cal- 
ifornia, on  the  ground  that  Mr.  Leidesdorff  had  died  intestate, 
leaving  only  alien,  though  legitimate  relatives,  whereby  his  pro- 
perty escheated  to  the  State.  In  the  spring  of  1854,  measures 
were  about  to  be  taken  by  the  Legislature  to  make  that  claim 
effectual. 

The  financial  condition  of  the  city  continued  in  a  very  bad 
state.  Large  sums  of  money  were  raised  on  scrip  and  loan  war- 
rants, for  the  purposes  of  municipal  improvements  and  to  defray 
the  ordinary  expenses,  which  there  seemed  no  apparent  means  of 
soon  redeeming.  It  is  true  the  city  possessed  considerable  pro- 
perty, but  it  was  not  yet  time  to  sell  it  to  advantage,  while  the 
pressure  of  taxation  was  beginning  to  be  heavily  felt  by  the  in- 
habitants. The  interest  payable  for  public  loans,  as  likewise  in 
the  case  of  private  accommodation  of  the  kind,  was  exceedingly 
great,  the  ordinary  rates  varying  from  five  to  eight  per  cent,  per 
month.  When  private  parties  borrowed,  they  had  generally  to 
give  real  security  for  the  amount,  and  to  pay  these  high  rates  of 
interest  monthly  in  advance. 

The  social  and  moral  state  of  general  society  had  meanwhile 
improved  but  little.  Gambling  indeed  was  not  pursued,  at  least 
openly,  by  the  more  respectable  classes,  and  among  all  it  was 
much  diminished  in  intensity.  The  common  council  had  like- 
wise passed  ordinances  which  effectually  prevented  the  public  fol- 
lowing of  the  avocation  on  Sunday.  But  notwithstanding  this 
tribute  to  religious  decency,  and  check  against  one  branch  of 
profligacy,  crime  was  increasing,  and  the  boldness  and  number  of 
the  criminals  became  very  alarming.  All  manner  of  burglaries, 
robberies  and  thefts  were  of  daily  occurrence.  So  were  personal 
assaults  of  an  aggravated  nature  ;  while  murders  were  repeatedly 


INCREASE  OF  CRIME. 


309 


taking  place.  A  great  many  attempts  at  incendiarism  had  been 
detected,  although  the  charge  seldom  or  never  could  be  fairly 
brought  home  to  individuals.    If,  however,  there  were  some  legal 


San  Francisco,  Winter  of  1S49-50,  showing  Montgomery  street  North  from  California  street 
For  same  view  in  ls54,  see  Frontispiece. 


uncertainty  on  the  subject,  which  prevented  convictions,  no  moral 
doubt  existed  but  that  there  was  an  active  and  numerous  band 
of  desperadoes  existing  in  the  city,  who  added  to  many  other 
crimes  that  of  wilful  fire-raising.  They  did  not  display  banners 
and  march  in  procession  through  the  streets  to  the  music  of  drum 
and  fife,  like  the  old  "  hounds,"  but  nevertheless  they  seemed  to 
be  as  thoroughly  organized  and  to  support  each  other  when  ne- 
cessary, as  that  notorious  gang  of  villains.  Besides  the  numerous 
real  cases,  false  alarms  of  fire  were  still  more  frequently  raised  ; 
and  during  the  attendant  confusion  many  depredations  were 
committed.  Hundreds  of  the  loafer  and  rowdy  class  haunted  the 
town,  who  had  no  visible  means  of  support,  and  whose  lives 
showed  only  one  continued  scene  of  vice,  crime  and  violence. 
There  seemed  a  wide-spread  combination  among  the  rogues  to 
divide  systematically  the  different  branches  and  gains  of  their  un- 


310 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


hallowed  profession  ;  and  from  petty  theft  and  swindling  up  to 
highway  robbery  and  murder,  the  actors  seemed  to  be  perfect 
adepts  in  their  several  parts.  The  prisons  were  full ;  but  they 
could  not  hold  a  tithe  of  the  offenders.  The  police  were  few  and 
not  very  highly  paid,  and  they  could  not  pretend  to  cope  with  the 
more  daring  rascals,  who  defied  all  their  efforts  at  captuve  and 
conviction.  False  swearing  at  trials,  by  trusty  and  unblushing 
comrades,  confounded  the  few  prosecutions  and  ensured  ultimate 
escape  to  the  most  guilty. 

People,  at  last,  began  to  talk  among  themselves  of  the  urgent 
necessity  of  again  adopting  Lynch  law,  since  the  tedious  and  un- 
certain measures  of  the  authorities  did  not  seem  to  have  the 
effect  of  terrifying  and  putting  down  the  disturbers  of  the  public- 
peace.  Even  a  portion  of  the  newspaper  press  boldly  advocated 
such  doctrines  ;  considering  that  the  present  alarming  juncture 
of  events  formed  such  an  exceptional  case  as  to  require  a  depart' 
uie  from  the  ordinary  course  of  administering  justice.  As  the 
successive  conflagrations  had  developed  a  large  volunteer  force  to 
watch  over  the  safety  of  the  town  from  fire,  so  the  continued  in- 
crease of  open  and  daring  crime  was  certain  in  the  end  to  induce 
the  establishment  of  a  great  police  that  would  not  be  trifled  with, 
but  would  uproot,  by  some  sure  and  terrible  means,  villainy  and 
villains  wherever  they  could  be  found.  Already  the  necessity  of 
such  a  police  was  recognized,  and  it  only  wanted  a  few  more  glar- 
ing cases  of  outrage,  spoil  and  murder,  to  give  it  a  sudden  being 
and  irresistible  strength. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 


1851. 

The  Gold  Bluffs  and  Pacific  Mining  Company.— The  oxcitement  at  the  City  Hall  in  February,  1851. 
—Attempt  to  Lynch  Burdue  and  Windred.— Their  subsequent  escape.— Burning  of  the  steamers 
Hartford  and  Santa  Clara. 


Januaky. — San  Francisco  has  been  startled  "from  its  propriety" 
by  news  from  the  celebrated  "  Gold  Bluffs ; "  and  during  the 
greater  part  of  this  month  has  dreamed  unutterable  things  of 
black  sand,  and  gray  sand,  and  cargoes  of  gold.  A  band  of  pio- 
neers and  prospecters  had  recently  proceeded  in  the  Ghesajyeake 
steamer  northwards  to  the  Klamath  River,  near  which,  on  the  sea 
shore,  they  fancied  they  had  found  the  richest  and  most  extra- 
ordinary gold  field  that  had  ever  been  known.  The  sands  of  the 
sea,  for  a  broad  space  several  miles  in  length,  beneath  cliffs  some 
hundred  feet  high,  appeared  to  be  literally  composed  in  one  half, 
at  least,  of  the  pure  metal.  Millions  of  diggers  for  ages  to  come 
could  not  exhaust  that  grand  deposit.  Already  a  few  miners  had 
collected  about  the  spot ;  but  these  were  so  amazed  and  lost  in 
the  midst  of  the  surrounding  treasure  that  they  knew  not  what 
to  do.  Like  the  ass  with  its  superabundance  of  hay,  they  could 
not  resolve  to  begin  any  thing.  No  man  could  well  carry  more 
than  seventy-five  or  a  hundred  pounds  weight  upon  his  back  for 
any  great  distance,  and  with  that  quantity  of  pure  gold  it  was 
ridiculous,  so  it  was,  to  be  content,  when  numberless  tons  lay 
about.  So  these  men — there  were  just  nineteen  of  them — (the 
tellers  of  the  story  were  very  particular  in  some  facts), — had  re- 
solved to  wait  till  the  spring,  when  they  would  freight  and  fill  a 
ship  with  the  wealth  which  they  were  then  jealously  watching 
over.  Let  us  not  be  misunderstood,  or  supposed  altogether  jest- 
ing.   A  brilliant  reporter  for  the  Alta  California  says — "  The 


312 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


gold  is  mixed  with  the  black  sand  in  proportions  of  from  ten  cents 
to  ten  dollars  the  pound.  At  times,  when  the  surf  is  high,  the 
gold  is  not  easily  discovered,  but  in  the  spring  of  the  year,  after 
a  succession  of  calms,  the  entire  beach  is  covered  with  bright  and 
yellow  gold.  Mr.  Collins,  the  secretary  of  the  Pacific  Mining 
Company,  measured  a  patch  of  gold  and  sand,  and  estimates  it 
will  yield  to  each  member  of  the  comjjany  the  snug  little  sum  of 
$43,000,000  [say,  forty-three  millions  of  dollars  !]  and  the  esti- 
mate is  formed  upon  a  calculation  that  the  sand  holds  out  to  be 
one  tenth  as  rich  as  observation  warrants  them  in  supposing." 
No  digging  even  was  required,  since  one  had  only  to  stoop  a  little 
and  raise  as  much  as  he  wished  of  the  stuff — half  gold,  half  sand, 
from  the  surface  of  the  beach. 

Back  the  adventurers  hastened  to  San  Francisco,  where  they 
had  long  been  impatiently  expected. ;  and  the  glorious  news  ran 
like  wild-fire  among  the  people.  General  John  Wilson  and  Mr. 
John  A.  Collins,  both  of  whom  had  been  among  the  number  of 
discoverers,  frankly  testified  to  the  truth  of  these  wonderful  state- 
ments. The  beach,  they  said,  for  a  great  distance,  was  literally 
strewed  with  pure  gold.  It  was  found  in  the  greatest  quantity 
in  a  certain  kind  of  "  black  sand,"  although  the  "  gray  sand," 
which  was  rather  more  abundant,  contained  likewise  a  large  pro- 
portion of  the  same  black-colored  stuff  with  its  special  share  of 
gold.  "  Mr.  Collins,"  says  the  poetic  reporter,  "  saw  a  man  [one 
of  the  nineteen,  no  doubt,]  who  had  accumulated  fifty  thousand 
pounds,  or  fifty  thousand  tons — he  did  not  recollect  which — of 
the  richest  kind  of  black  sand." 

Such  intelligence  astounded  the  community.  In  a  few  days 
eight  vessels  were  announced  as  about  to  sail  for  this  extraordinary 
region.  The  magic  phrase  "  Gold  Bluffs  ! "  "  Gold  Bluffs  ! ! " 
every  where  startled  the  most  apathetic,  and  roused  him  as  with 
a  galvanic  shock.  "  Gold  Bluffs  ! !  ! "  filled  the  columns  of 
newspapers  among  the  shipping  advertisements ;  they  covered, 
on  huge  posters,  the  blank  walls  of  houses  at  the  corners  of  the 
streets ;  they  were  in  every  man's  mouth.  A  company  was 
formed  called  the  "Pacific  Mining  Company,"  the  shares  of 
which  instantly  rose  to  a  handsome  premium.  There  seemed 
no   douut   of  their   incalculable    gains,  since   they  showed 


THE  GOLD  BLUFFS. 


313 


numerous  samples  of  the  wondrous  "  black  sand,"  where  the 
golden  particles  lay  and  shone  mildly,  as  stars  in  the  milky  way, 
innumerable.  The  company  had  already,  by  the  greatest  good 
fortune,  secured  a  considerable  number  of  miners'  claims,  em- 
bracing indeed  the  entire  beach  beneath  the  "  Bluffs,"  so  that  all 
was  clear  for  immediate  operations.  We  have  seen  the  intelli- 
gent secretary's  calculations  on  the  subject.  No  wonder  people 
raved,  and  either  invested  a  few  thousand  dollars  in  shares  of  this 
company,  or  sold  or  forsook  their  all,  and  made  sail  for  the  Gold 
Bluffs.  The  ancient  excitement  of  Mississippi  and  South  Sea 
schemes  was  a  bagatelle  in  comparison  with  that  which  now 
stirred  San  Francisco,  used  though  it  had  been  to  all  manner  of 
rumors  of  placers,  and  gigantic  "  pockets  "  of  gold.  The  skepti- 
cism of  envious  un-" progressive"  people  was  happily  ridiculed, 
and  the  press  compared  the  ocean  to  a  mighty  cradle  that  had 
been  rocking  and  washing  up  gold  from  the  bottom  of  the  sea 
for  unknown  ages,  and  had  chanced  to  throw  it  in  tons  and  ship- 
loads beneath  the  hitherto  undiscovered  Gold  Bluffs.  It  was  tru- 
ly great  news  for  San  Francisco. 

The  first  damper  to  the  hot  blast  that  raged  through  the 
town,  and  from  whence  it  spread  and  fired  up  distant  countries, 
— until  the  arrival  of  the  next  mail, — was  intelligence  from  the 
earliest  miners,  that  they  found  it  very  difficult  to  separate  first 
the  black  sand  from  the  gray,  and  next  the  gold  itself  from  the 
black  sand,  the  particles  of  the  precious  metal  being  so  remarka- 
bly fine.  A  little  later,  it  was  found  that  the  innumerable 
"patches"  of  black  sand  began  most  unaccountably  to  disap- 
pear. Heavy  seas  came  and  swept  them  right  away ;  and  though 
it  was  hoped  that  heavier  seas  might  soon  bring  them  back  again, 
the  people  got  tired  of  waiting  for  that  event,  and  hastily  fled 
from  the  place,  ashamed  of  their  own  hopes  and  credulity,  and 
cursing  the  cruel  wags  that  had  exhibited  in  San  Francisco  sealed 
phials  of  dingy  sand  largely  mixed  with  brass  filings. 

But  we  cannot  pursue  this  pleasantry  farther.  Much  serious 
loss  was  suffered  by  the  Gold  Bluffs  piece  of  business.  The  un- 
fortunate "Pacific  Mining  Company"  had  bought  the  Chesa- 
peake at  a  cost  for  boat  and  repairs  of  twenty  thousand  dollars, 
had  run  her  up  the  coast  several  trips  at  the  loss  of  as  many 


314 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


thousands  more,  and  afterwards,  when  she  had  been  injured  in  a 
storm,  were  glad  to  sell  her  for  about  two  thousand  dollars.  If, 
however,  the  shareholders,  or  any  single  adventurer  lost  much 
money — why,  they  had  at  one  time  the  most  brilliant  hopes  im- 
aginable of  immense  riches  ;  and  these  were  surely  some  com- 
pensation. For  what,  after  all,  is  life  without  hope  ?  There 
was  considerable  gold  at  the  Bluffs,  but  it  turned  out  in  the  end 
to  cost  more  trouble  to  gather  than  it  was  worth.  Hence  the 
place  was  abandoned,  except  by  a  few  still  hopeful  individuals, 
after  a  few  months'  trial.  Since  the  whole  affair  formed  a  very 
striking,  though  latterly  a  ridiculous  event  in  the  progress  of  San 
Francisco,  we  could  not  refuse  it  a  place  in  these  "  Annals." 

February. — After  the  affair  of  the  "  Hounds,"  in  1849,  the 
citizens  left  the  execution  of  the  laws  against  criminals  in  the 
hands  of  the  constituted  authorities.  Either  the  laws,  however, 
or  the  authorities,  or  something  else  soon  went  wrong,  and  crime 
fearfully  increased.  At  length,  not  only  were  the  people  serious- 
ly inclined  to  believe  that  they  must  take  the  law  back  to  them- 
selves and  issue  it  in  a  new  form,  but  the  public  journals  .dis- 
cussed the  matter  gravely  and  argumentatively,  and  urged  the 
instant  appointment  of  "  volunteer  police/'  or  "  regulators,"  who 
would  supply  the  place  of  an  inefficient  executive  and  judicature. 
Hitherto  there  had  been  no  organization  for  the  purpose  men- 
tioned, although  occasional  mobs  had  ducked  or  whipped  offend- 
ers caught  in  the  act  of  crime. 

On  the  19th  of  this  month,  about  eight  o'clock  in  the  eve- 
ning, two  men  entered  the  store  of  0.  J.  Jansen  &  Co.,  and,  pro- 
fessing to  be  purchasers,  asked  to  see  some  blankets.  Mr.  Jan- 
sen, who  was  alone  in  the  store,  was  in  the  act  of  producing  the 
articles,  when  he  was  violently  struck  with  a  slung  shot,  and  fell 
insensible  on  the  floor.  While  in  that  state  he  seems  to  have 
been  farther  maltreated,  and  was  probably  considered  by  the 
ruffians  as  dead.  These  robbed  the  premises  of  two  thousand 
dollars,  and  immediately  fled.  The  whole  circumstances  of  the 
outrage  were  of  the  most  daring  character,  and  the  knowledge 
of  them  caused  much  excitement  among  the  people.  The  next 
day  a  man  was  arrested,  believed  to  be  one  James  Stuart,  but 
who  gave  his  name  as  Thomas  Burdue,  on  the  charge  of  having 


BURDUE  AND  WINDRED  EXCITEMENT. 


315 


murdered  Mr.  Moore,  the  Sheriff  of  Auburn,  and  of  having 
robbed  him  of  four  thousand  dollars.  Stuart  had  been  confined 
in  the  jail  of  Sacramento  to  await  his  trial,  but  had  escaped  two 
months  before.  Circumstances  meanwhile  had  raised  a  suspicion 
that  this  man  Stuart,  alias  Burdue,  had  had  something  to  do 
with  the  attack  on  Mr.  Jansen  ;  and  accordingly  he,  and  another 


The  City  Dau,  February  22d,  1851. 


person  of  the  name  of  Windred,  who  had  been  apprehended  on 
suspicion  of  the  same  offence,  were,  on  the  21st,  confronted  with 
the  wounded  man.  Jansen  at  once  recognized  Stuart  and  also 
Windred,  although  with  some  faint  doubt  of  the  identity  of  the 
latter,  as  being  the  two  persons  who  had  committed  the  assault 
and  the  robbery.  These  circumstances  being  known,  the  citizens, 
in  a  state  of  the  greatest  excitement,  gathered,  on  the  following 
day  (Saturday,  22d  February),  around  the  City  Hall,  where  the 
examination  of  the  prisoners  was  going  on.  Upwards  of  five 
thousand  people  thus  collected.  This  was  not  a  mob,  but  the 
peojile,  in  the  highest  sense  of  the  term.    They  wanted  only  a 


316 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


leader  to  advise  and  guide  them  to  any  undertaking  that  pro- 
mised relief  from  the  awful  state  of  social  terror  and  danger  to 
which  they  were  reduced.  Handbills  were  extensively  circulated 
among  the  multitude,  which  were  to  the  following  effect : — 

"CITIZENS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 

"  The  series  of  murders  and  robberies  that  have  been  committed  in  this 
city,  seems  to  leave  us  entirely  in  a  state  of  anarchy.  '  When  thieves  are 
left  without  control  to  rob  and  kill,  then  doth  the  honest  traveller  fear  each 
bush  a  thief.'  Law,  it  appears,  is  but  a  nonentity  to  be  scoffed  at ;  redress  can 
be  had  for  aggression  but  through  the  never  failing  remedy  so  admirably  laid 
down  in  the  code  of  Judge  Lynch.  Not  that  we  should  admire  this  process 
for  redress,  but  that  it  seems  to  be  inevitably  necessary. 

"  Are  we  to  be  robbed  and  assassinated  in  our  domiciles,  and  the  law  to 
let  our  aggressors  perambulate  the  streets  merely  because  they  have  furnished 
straw  bail  1  If  so, '  let  each  man  be  his  own  executioner.'  '  Fie  upon  your 
laws  ! '    They  have  no  force. 

"  All  those  who  would  rid  our  city  of  its  robbers  and  murderers,  will 
assemble  on  Sunday  at  two  o'clock  on  the  plaza." 

While  the  examination  of  the  prisoners  was  progressing,  a 
shout  arose  among  the  assembled  multitude,  "  Now  is  the  time  ; " 
and  many  rushed  into  the  court  room  to  seize  the  accused  out  of 
the  hands  of  the  authorities.  This  attempt  was  successfully  re- 
sisted. The  "  Washington  Guards,"  who  had  been  secretly  sta- 
tioned in  an  adjoining  room,  through  the  foresight  of  the  recorder, 
who  had  anticipated  some  outbreak  of  this  nature,  now  rushed, 
under  the  command  of  Capt.  A.  Bartol,  into  the  court-hall,  and 
soon  cleared  it  of  its  noisy  occupants,  while  the  prisoners  were 
hurried  through  a  back  door  into  the  cells  beneath.  During  the 
whole  day  the  excitement  continued,  and  many  of  the  spectators 
remained  about  the  place,  though  the  greater  number  gradually 
dispersed,  chiefly  through  the  persuasions  of  some  parties  who 
thought  like  themselves.  Towards  dusk  the  people  again  assem- 
bled around  the  City  Hall  in  greater  numbers  than  before,  when, 
after  some  speeches,  the  following  gentlemen  were  appointed  a 
committee  to  consult  with  the  authorities  and  guard  the  prison- 
ers till  the  next  day,  viz. :  Messrs.  W.  D.  M.  Howard,  Samuel 
Brannan,  A.  J.  Ellis,  H.  F.  Teschemacker,  W.  H.  Jones,  B. 
Kay,  (x.  A  King,  A.  H.  Sibley,  J.  L.  Folsom,  F.  W.  Macondray, 
Ralph  Dorr,  Theodore  Payne,  Talbot  H.  Green,  and  J.  B.  Huie. 


BURDUE  AND  WINDRED  EXCITEMENT.  317 

This  committee  the  same  evening  met  in  the  recorder's  room, 
and  discussed  the  position  of  affairs,  and  what  was  next  to  be 
done.  To  show  the  temper,  not  of  this  committee,  for  they  were 
moderate  and  cautious  in  their  proceedings,  but  of  the  general 
public  on  the  occasion,  we  may  quote  a  short  speech  by  Mr. 
Brannan,  who  seems  to  have  been  always  for  stringing  up  and 
hanging  every  rogue  outright,  on  the  shortest  possible  grace. 
His  language  was  certainly  to  the  point,  and  quite  accorded  with 
the  sentiments  of  a  great  majority  of  the  vast  multitude  that 
was  anxiously  waiting  without.  One  of  the  committee  having 
proposed  that  the  citizens  should  choose  a  jury  to  try  the  prison- 
ers, Mr.  Brannan  said  : — 

"  I  am  very  much  surprised  to  hear  people  talk  about  grand  ju- 
ries, or  recorders,  or  mayors.  I'm  tired  of  such  talk.  These  men 
are  murderers,  I  say,  as  well  as  thieves.  I  know  it,  and  I  will 
die  or  see  them  hung  by  the  neck.  I'm  opposed  to  any  farce  in 
this  business.  We  had  enough  of  that  eighteen  months  ago 
[alluding  to  the  affair  of  the  "  hounds,"]  when  we  allowed  ourselves 
to  be  the  tools  of  these  judges,  who  sentenced  convicts  to  be  sent 
to  the  United  States.  We  are  the  mayor  and  the  recorder,  the 
hangman  and  the  laws.  The  law  and  the  courts  never  yet  hung  a 
man  in  California  ;  and  every  morning  we  are  reading  fresh  ac- 
counts of  murders  and  robberies.  I  want  no  technicalities. 
Such  things  are  devised  to  shield  the  guilty." 

The  rest  of  the  committee  did  not  exactly  think  with  Mr. 
Brannan,  and  after  appointing  a  patrol  of  twenty  citizens  to 
watch  over  the  prisoners,  a  majority  of  them  adopted  a  resolution 
by  Captain  Howard,  that  they  should  adjourn  to  the  following 
day,  on  the  plaza,  to  report  the  proceedings  to  the  people. 

Next  day  (Sunday),  about  eight  thousand  people  collected 
round  the  court-house.  Mayor  Geary,  and  others  on  the  part  of 
the  authorities  then  addressed  them,  advising  coolness  and  mod- 
eration, and  suggesting  that  a  committee  of  twelve  of  their 
number  should  be  appointed  to  sit  as  a  jury  along  with  the  pre- 
siding justice  on  the  trial  to  take  place  the  following  day,  the 
verdict  of  which  jury  should  be  final.  Other  counsels,  however, 
prevailed  ;  and  on  the  motion  of  Mr.  Wm.  T.  Coleman,  a  com- 
mittee of  twelve  was  appointed,  to  retire  and  consider  the  best 


318 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


course  of  action  to  be  adopted.  Almost  immediately  afterwards 
this  committee  returned  and  reported,  that  the  trial  should  he 
conducted  by  and  among  themselves — that  if  the  legal  courts 
choose  to  assist  in  the  business,  they  were  welcome  and  invited  to 
do  so  ;  but  if  not,  that  counsel  should  be  assigned  to  the  prison- 
ers, a  public  prosecutor  appointed,  and  the  trials  immediately 
commenced.  This  was  all  accordingly  done.  The  public  au- 
thorities having  declined  to  interfere  farther  in  the  matter,  and 
being  powerless  before  so  numerous  a  body,  retired  from  the  con- 
test. 

At  two  o'clock  of  the  same  day,  the  committee  and  a  great 
number  of  citizens  assembled  in  the  recorder's  room,  while  out- 
side, in  Kearny  and  Pacific  streets,  an  immense  multitude  had 
collected.  The  following  parties  were  then  empanneled  as  a  jury, 
viz.  :— R.  S.  Watson,  S.  J.  L.  Smiley,  W.  E.  Stoutenburg,  J.  L. 
Riddle,  George  Endicott,  D.  K.  Minor,  George  A.  Hudson, 
David  Page,  Jas.  H.  Robinson,  J.  E.  Schenck,  S.  J.  Thompson 
and  I.  C.  Pelton.  J.  R.  Spence  was  appointed  to  preside  on  the 
bench,  and  H.  R.  Bowie  and  C.  L.  Ross  were  named  associate 
judges.  J.  E.  Townes  was  selected  to  officiate  as  sheriff,  and 
W.  A.  Jones  as  judge's  clerk.  Mr.  Coleman  was  chosen  public 
prosecutor,  and  Judge  Shattuck  and  Hall  McAllister  were  ap- 
pointed counsel  for  the  prisoners.  We  are  particular  in  giving 
the  names  of  these  gentlemen,  since  they  show  the  high  charac- 
ter and  social  standing  of  the  parties  who  were  concerned  in  this 
movement  against  the  legal  and  municipal  authorities.  As  we 
said  before,  the  crowd  was  not  a  mob,  but  emphatically  the  'people. 
After  evidence  was  led  for  the  prosecution,  an  impartial  charge 
was  given  by  Mr.  Spence.  The  jury  then  retired,  and  were  ab- 
sent a  considerable  time,  as  they  seemed  unable  to  agree  upon  a 
verdict.  Seeing  there  were  no  signs  of  being  able  to  come  to  a 
speedy  agreement,  they  returned  to  the  court,  and  their  foreman 
reported  that  nine  were  for  conviction,  and  three  had  doubts. 
Much  disappointment  and  agitation  was  now  manifested  by  the 
people,  who  had  considered  the  prisoners  clearly  guilty  on  the 
testimony.  Loud  cries  burst  from  all  quarters  of  "  Hang  them, 
any  how  !  A  majority  rules  !  "  After  some  time  order  was  re- 
stored, and  the  jury  were  discharged.    It  was  now  midnight,  and 


BURDUE  AND  WINDRED  EXCITEMENT. 


319 


the  numbers  present  were  considerably  diminished.  The  same 
excitement,  however,  prevailed,  and  it  required  all  the  efforts  of 
the  cooler  and  wiser  portion  of  the  assembly  to  preserve  peace 
and  decorum  to  the  end.  Addresses  were  spoken  to  this  effect 
by  Mr.  Smyth  Clarke,  Dr.  Rabe  and  Mr.  Hutton.  The  latter 
gentleman  was  now  chosen  chairman,  and  the  meeting  adjourned 
to  the  outside  of  the  building.  At  last — twenty  minutes  to  one 
o'clock  on  Monday  morning, — the  question  was  put  from  the 
chair,  that  they  should  indefinitely  adjourn,  which  being  answered 
affirmatively,  the  crowd  quietly  dispersed. 

During  this  excitement,  it  is  proper  to  remark,  that  the 
mayor  had  collected  together  not  only  the  regular  police  of  the 
city,  but  an  additional  volunteer  force  of  about  two  hundred  and 
fifty  citizens,  and  had  determined  that  no  injury  should  be  done 
the  prisoners  until  they  were  legally  tried  and  found  guilty  of  the 
alleged  crime.  In  the  mean  time,  parties  were  organized,  who 
were  resolved  to  seize  the  prisoners  at  all  events,  and  hang  them 
at  the  nearest  convenient  place,  without  regard  either  to  decency 
or  justice ;  and  to  carry  out  this  object  several  attempts  were 
made  to  break  into  the  station-house  where  the  prisoners  were 
confined  ;  but  these  were  successfully  resisted  by  the  strong  and 
determined  force  which  the  foresight  of  the  mayor  had  gathered 
and  with  which  the  City  Hall  was  surrounded. 

The  occasion  of  this  outbreak  was  the  greatest  that  hitherto 
ever  agitated  San  Francisco,  and  the  exciting  scenes  of  Satur- 
day and  Sunday  will  be  long  remembered  by  the  citizens 
of  the  period.  For  thirty-six  hours  the  whole  town  had 
been  in  an  uproar,  and  during  a  great  part  of  that  time  many 
thousands  of  persons  had  been  gathered  in  the  court-room  or  in 
the  streets  outside.  For  months  their  patience  had  been  severely 
tried  by  the  knowledge  that  crimes  of  the  most  atrocious  descrip- 
tion— murders,  burglaries,  thefts,  fire-raisings  and  violent  assaults, 
had  been  of  daily  occurrence,  and  that  few  or  no  adequate  pun- 
ishments had  been  inflicted  by  the  courts  on  the  perpetrators. 
On  this  occasion  the  long  suppressed  ire  against  the  supineness 
of  the  authorities  burst  forth,  and  the  people  were  determined  to 
make  an  example  of  those  whom  they  believed  guilty  of  the 
shocking  assault  upon  Mr.  Jansen  and  the  robbery  of  his  store. 


320 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


They  were  indeed  deceived  in  regard  to  the  true  criminals,  and 
might  have  hanged  innocent  men.  But  the  good  sense  of  their 
temporary  leaders,  and  a  return  to  dispassionate  reflection,  hin- 
dered the  execution  of  the  sentence  of  death,  which  the  general 
multitude  wished  to  pronounce. 

We  may  here  shortly  state  the  further  incidents  connected 
with  the  prisoners  in  relation  to  this  matter.  After  being  tried 
by  the  people,  as  above  mentioned,  when  no  unanimous  verdict 
could  be  obtained,  they  were  handed  over  to  the  proper  authori- 
ties, by  whom  they  were  put  a  second  time  upon  trial,  for  the 
same  offence,  according  to  the  ordinary  legal  forms.  On  this  oc- 
casion both  prisoners  were  found  guilty,  and  sentenced  to  four- 
teen years'  imprisonment,  being  the  highest  penalty  which  the 
law  could  inflict  for  the  imputed  offence.  Windred  shortly  after- 
wards escaped  by  cutting  a  hole  through  the  floor  of  his  prison. 
Stuart,  alias  Burdue,  was  sent  to  Marysville,  to  stand  his  trial 
for  the  murder  of  Mr.  Moore,  already  noticed.  He  was  found 
guilty  for  this  crime  also,  and  was  sentenced  to  be  hanged.  This 
was  in  the  course  of  the  summer.  Meanwhile,  the  Vigilance 
Committee,  which  had  been  recently  organized,  had  contrived  to 
lay  hands  on  the  true  Stuart,  who  turned  out  not  only  to  have 
been  the  murderer  of  Mr.  Moore,  but  also  one  of  those  who 
had  assaulted  and  robbed  Mr.  Jansen.  Stuart  was  subsequently 
hanged  by  the  people  for  these  and  other  crimes,  as  detailed  in 
our  chapter  on  the  Vigilance  Committee.  It  was  satisfactorily 
shown  that  neither  Burdue  nor  Windred  had  ever  had  the  slight- 
est connection  with  any  of  the  offences  for  which  they  were 
charged.  The  whole  affair  was  a  most  curious  case  of  mistaken 
identity.  Burdue  was  at  different  places,  and  by  different  juries, 
twice  convicted,  and  twice  in  the  most  imminent  risk  of  death 
for  the  commission  of  offences  of  which  he  was  perfectly  inno- 
cent !  The  luckless  man  was  sent  back  to  San  Francisco,  where 
his  sentence  of  imprisonment  was  annulled,  and  himself  released. 
A  handsome  subscription  was  raised  among  the  citizens  to  com- 
pensate in  some  measure  for  his  repeated  sufferings.  What  be- 
came of  him  ultimately  we  know  not  ;  but  doubtless,  in  his  cups, 
he  will  wax  eloquent,  and  have  strange  stories  to  tell  of  his 
"  hair-breadth  'scapes."    Shortly  after  receiving  the  subscription 


TWO  STEAMERS  BURNED. 


321 


from  the  citizens,  he  was  seen  on  Long  Wharf  playing  at 
"French  Monte,"  and  lustily  bawling  to  the  passers-by — "  The 
ace  !  the  ace  ! — a  hundred  dollars  to  him  who  will  tell  the  ace  ! 
— The  ace  ! — The  ace  ! — who  will  name  the  ace  of  spades  ?  A 
hundred  dollars  to  any  man  who  will  tell  the  ace  ! " 

March  3d. — The  steamers  Hartford  and  Santa  Clara  were 
burned  this  morning  at  Long  Wharf. 


21 


CHAPTER  XV. 


1851. 

Judge  Farsons  and  the  case  of  William  Walker  for  contempt  of  Court — Act  of  Legislature  ceding 
Beach  and  Water  Lots  to  the  City  of  San  Francisco. — Act  to  re-incorporate  the  city.— New  city 
limits.— First  election  of  municipal  officers  under  revised  charter. — Act  passed  to  fund  the  State 
debt. — Act  to  establish  State  Marine  Hospital.— Act  to  fund  the  floating  debt.— Indebtedness  of 
the  city. — Municipal  officers  trafficking  in  city  scrip.— Fifth  great  fire. 

March  9th. — An  "indignation"  meeting,  at  which  there 
were  several  thousand  persons  present,  was  held  to-day  on  the 
plaza,  to  consider  the  conduct  of  J udge  Levi  Parsons,  of  the  Dis- 
trict Court,  towards  Mr.  William  Walker,  one  of  the  editors  of 
the  Daily  Herald.  It  appears  that  for  some  time  before  this 
date  the  general  public  press  had  been  endeavoring  to  rouse  the 
community  to  a  full  knowledge  of  the  increasing  and  alarming 
state  of  crime,  and,  in  doing  so,  had  taken  repeated  occasion  to 
criticise  severely  the  "masterly  inactivity"  of  the  judicature  in 
trying  and  punishing  criminals.  This  appears  to  have  displeased 
Judge  Parsons,  and  he  thereupon,  in  an  address  to  the  grand  ju- 
ry, chose  to  style  the  press  a  "nuisance,"  and  insinuated  that  the 
jury  might  offer  some  presentment  on  the  subject.  The  grand 
jury,  however,  did  not  gratify  his  wishes.  His  honor's  observa- 
tions became  a  new  text  for  the  now  offended  press  ;  and,  among 
other  unpleasant  things,  they  began  to  take  grave  exceptions  to 
his  knowledge  and  application  of  the  law  as  regarded  grand  and 
petit  juries.  The  Herald,  in  an  article  headed  "  The  Press  a 
Nuisance,"  was  especially  severe  in  its  strictures.  A  few  mem- 
bers of  the  bar  next  began  to  make  some  feeble  movement  to 
soothe  their  brother  on  the  bench  ;  but  their  affected  indignation 
only  provoked  laughter  and  made  matters  worse.  Judge  Parsons 
thereupon — some  days  after  the  obnoxious  article  had  been  pub- 
lished, issued  an  order  from  his  own  court  to  bring  before  him 


JUDGE  PARSONS  AND  WILLIAM  WALKER. 


323 


Mr.  Walker,  the  acknowledged  or  reputed  author  of  the  article 
in  question.  Mr.  Walker  accordingly  appeared,  and  was  duly 
convicted  by  his  honor, — who  was  plaintiff,  judge  and  jury  in  the 
case, — of  contempt  of  court,  fined  five  hundred  dollars,  and  or- 
dered to  be  kept  in  safe  custody  until  the  amount  was  paid. 
The  offender  having  declined  to  pay  the  fine,  refusing  to  recog- 
nize his  honor's  jurisdiction  in  and  summary  settlement  of  the 
matter,  was  forthwith  imprisoned  for  an  indefinite  time. 

These  circumstances  being  extensively  made  known,  produced 
great  excitement  in  the  city.  One  and  all  of  the  press  were 
doivn — to  use  an  expressive  vulgarism — -upon  his  honor  ;  and 
as  the  people  considered  that  the  cause  of  the  press  was  substan- 
tially their  own,  they  resolved  to  make  a  "  demonstration  "  on 
the  subject.  An  "  indignation  "  meeting  accordingly  was  held, 
as  above  mentioned,  at  which  resolutions  were  passed  approving 
of  Walker's  conduct,  and  requesting  Parsons  to  resign  his  judicial 
situation  as  no  longer  fit  to  hold  it.  A  committee  was  then 
formed  to  transmit  these  resolutions  to  the  latter.  At  the  same 
time,  the  senators  and  representatives  of  the  district  were  re- 
quested to  propose  articles  of  impeachment  against  the  offending 
judge.  The  meeting  next  in  a  body, — some  four  thousand 
strong, — paid  a  personal  visit  of  condolence  and  sympathy  to 
Mr.  Walker  in  prison. 

Meanwhile,  the  matter  was  carried  by  a  writ  of  habeas  corpus 
into  the  Superior  Court,  by  which  Mr.  Walker  was  discharged. 
It  was  held  that  Judge  Parsons  had  abused  his  position,  and 
that  while  the  ordinary  tribunals  were  open  to  him,  if  he  consid- 
ered that  Mr.  Walker  had  committed  a  libel,  he  had  no  right  to 
cite  and  punish  summarily  that  gentleman  for  any  alleged  con- 
tempt, that  might  be  inferred  from  the  published  statements  and 
remarks  in  a  newspaper.  The  contrary  doctrine  would  be  de- 
structive of  the  freedom  of  the  press,  and  was  opposed  to  the 
universally  recognized  principles  of  the  constitution.  This  judg- 
ment was  considered  a  great  popular  triumph.  In  the  mean 
time,  the  question  was  farther  discussed  before  the  Legislature  ; 
and,  on  the  26th  instant,  a  committee  of  the  Assembly,  upon  the 
memorial  of  Walker,  "  convinced  that  Judge  Parsons  had  been 
guilty  of  gross  tyranny  and  oppression  in  the  imprisonment  of 


324 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


the  memorialist,"  recommended  the  impeachment  of  the  former. 
The  majority  of  a  select  committee,  however,  afterwards  appoint- 
ed to  inquire  into  the  charges  against  Parsons,  having  reported 
that  these,  "and  the  testimony  given  in  support  of  them,  do 
not  show  sufficient  grounds  for  impeachment,"  the  matter  was 
dropped. 

At  the  period  of  which  we  write,  the  tribunals  of  justice  were 
considered  altogether  insufficient  for  those  dangerous  times,  and 
many  of  the  individuals  connected  with  them  as  both  incapable 
and  corrupt.  The  public  looked  chiefly  to  the  press  for  advice 
and  information  as  to  their  rights  and  duties,  and  had  resolved 
that  it  should  not  be  gagged  and  put  down  "  by  illegal  orders, 
attachments,  fines  and  imprisonments  for  imaginary  contempts 
against  courts  which  cannot  be  reduced  much  lower  than  they 
have  reduced  themselves."  So  said  the  resolutions  of  the  "  indig- 
nation "  meeting  of  the  9th  instant ;  and  this  language  was  gene- 
rally applauded. 

March  26th. — An  act  passed  by  the  Legislature,  ceding,  for 
the  period  of  ninety-nine  years,  all  the  right  and  interest  which 
the  State  of  California  had  in  those  parts  of  the  city  called  the 
Beach  and  Water  Lots,  provided  that  twenty-five  per  cent,  of  all 
moneys  thereafter  arising  in  any  way  from  the  sale,  or  other  dis- 
position of  the  said  property,  should  be  paid  over  by  the  city  to 
the  State.  The  same  act  confirmed,  also  for  ninety-nine  years, 
all  sales  that  had  previously  been  made,  in  virtue  of  General 
Kearny's  grant  to  the  city,  by  the  ayuntamiento,  or  town  or 
city  council,  or  by  any  alcalde  of  the  city,  the  last  having  been 
confirmed  by  the  said  ayuntamiento,  or  town  or  city  council, 
and  the  deeds  of  these  sales  having  been  duly  registered  in  the 
proper  books  of  records.  This  was  a  very  important  act,  and 
tended,  in  some  great  degree,  to  ease  the  minds  of  legal  posses- 
sors of  city  property.  Owing  to  certain  late  conflicting  decisions 
of  different  judges,  in  regard  to  real  estate,  considerable  doubt 
had  been  cast  upon  the  titles  to  almost  every  lot  of  vacant  ground 
within  the  municipal  bounds,  and  squatters  had  been  thereby 
mightily  encouraged  to  invade  and  secure  for  themselves  the  first 
and  best  unoccupied  land  they  saw.  This  led  to  much  confusion 
and  even  bloodshed  among  the  contending  claimants,  and  retard- 


ACT  TO  RE-INCORPORATE  THE  CITY. 


325 


ed  for  a  considerable  time  the  permanent  improvement  of  the 
city.  The  "  Colton  grants,"  of  recent  notoriety,  likewise  in- 
creased the  general  uncertainty  in  regard  to  titles.  The  above- 
mentioned  act  of  the  Legislature  was  therefore  considered  a  great 
benefit,  coming  when  it  did,  in  regard  to  at  least  the  "  Beach 
and  Water  Lots,"  about  the  titles  to  which  there  could  be  no 
dispute. 

An  act  was  passed  by  the  Legislature  on  the  1st  of  May  fol- 
lowing, by  which  the  right  of  the  State  to  these  lots  was  for  ever 
relinquished  to  the  city,  provided  only  that  the  latter  should  con- 
firm the  grants  of  all  lots  within  certain  specified  limits  originally 
made  by  justices  of  the  peace.  As  this  provision  was  intended 
to  sanction  some  of  the  obnoxious  "  Colton  grants,"  the  common 
council  did  not  consider  it  for  the  interest  of  the  city  to  accept 
the  State's  relinquishment  upon  such  terms,  and  accordingly  the 
last-mentioned  act  became  inoperative.  The  boards  of  alder- 
men, however,  who  happened,  it  might  be  said,  to  be  somewhat 
accidentally  in  office  during  1852,  attempted  to  force  the  pro- 
visions of  this  most  obnoxious  act  upon  the  citizens,  but  were 
successfully  opposed  by  the  veto  of  Mayor  Harris  and  the  general 
cry  of  public  indignation.  The  act  itself  was,  on  the  12th  of 
March,  1852,  repealed  by  the  Legislature,  just  in  time  to  prevent 
some  of  the  usual  jobbery. 

April  15th. — Act  passed  by  the  Legislature  to  re-incorporate 
San  Francisco.  The  limits  were  enlarged,  and  the  city  was 
thereafter  to  be  bounded  as  follows  : — "  On  the  south,  by  a  line 
parallel  with  Clay  street,  two  and  a  half  miles  distant,  in  a  south- 
erly direction,  from  the  centre  of  Portsmouth  Square  ;  on  the 
west,  by  a  line  parallel  with  Kearny  street,  two  miles  distant,  in 
a  westerly  direction,  from  the  centre  of  Portsmouth  Square.  Its 
northern  and  eastern  boundaries  shall  be  co-incident  with  those 
of  the  county  of  San  Francisco."  As  a  copy  of  this  act,  which 
is  the  existing  charter  of  the  city,  is  given  in  the  Appendix,  it  is 
unnecessary  here  to  particularize  its  provisions.  Nearly  the  same 
variety  and  number  of  municipal  officers  are  appointed  to  be 
chosen  annually  under  it  as  under  the  charter,  already  noticed, 
of  1850,  and  which  latter  act  was  declared  to  be  now  repealed. 

April  28th. — The  first  election  of  municipal  officers  under 


326 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


the  amended  city  charter  took  place  to-day.  Considerable  excite- 
ment had  been  manifested  by  the  candidates  and  their  friends, 
and  several  torch-light  meetings  and  processions,  with  other 
popular  demonstrations,  had  been  going  on  for  some  time  previ- 
ous. The  total  number  of  votes  polled  was  nearly  six  thousand. 
The  parties  elected  were  as  follows  :— 

Mayor. — Charles  J.  Brenham.  Recorder. — R.  H.  Waller. 

Comptroller. — George  A.  Hudson.        Treasurer. — R.  H.  Sinton. 
Marshal. — Robert  G.  Crozier.  Tax  Collector. — Thos.  D.  Greene. 

City  Attorney. — Frank  M.  Pixley.        Street  Commissioner: — Wm.  Divier. 
Recorder's  Clerk. — Jas.  G.  Pearson.     County  Judge. — Wm.  H.  Clark. 

Public  Administrator. — David  T.  Bagley. 

City  Assessors. — W.  C.  Norris,  George  Frank  Lemon. 

Aldermen. 

E.  L.  Morgan,       C.  L.  Ross,  A.  C.  Labatt,  C.  M.  K.  Paulison, 

Ralph  Dorr.         James  Grant,       George  Endicott,       William  Greene. 

Assistant  Aldermen. 
Henry  A.  Meiggs,        W.  W.  Parker,        T.  H.  Selby,        W.  D.  Connell, 
Jos.  Galloway,  J.  F.  Atwill,  Jas.  Graves,        Q.  S.  Sparks. 

April  29th. — Act  passed  by  the  Legislature  to  fund  the  debt 
of  the  State.  Bonds  to  the  extent  of  $700,000  to  be  issued  by 
the  treasurer,  in  lieu  of  scrip  or  other  obligations  of  indebtedness 
held  by  parties  against  the  State.  One-half  of  the  sum  men- 
tioned is  declared  payable  in  New  York  upon  the  first  day  of . 
March,  1855,  and  the  other  half,  also  in  the  city  named,  upon 
the  first  day  of  March,  1861.  Interest  (payable  either  in  New 
York  or  at  the  office  of  the  treasurer)  to  run  upon  the  bonds  at 
the  rate  of  seven  per  cent,  per  annum.  Henceforward  all  State 
taxes  to  be  paid  only  in  the  legal  currency  of  the  United  States, 
or  in  gold  dust  at  the  rate  of  sixteen  dollars  an  ounce,  excepting 
as  mentioned  in  the  act.  Various  declarations  are  also  made 
for  providing  the  interest,  and  as  to  the  formation  of  a  sinking 
fund  to  redeem  the  bonds,  for  payment  of  the  principal  and  in- 
terest of  which  are  pledged  "  the  faith  and  credit  of  the  State  of 
California." 

April  30th. — Act  passed  by  the  Legislature  establishing  a 
State  Marine  Hospital  at  San  Francisco  ;  and,  on  1st  May,  an- 
other act  passed  to  provide  a  revenue  for  the  same.    As  both  of 


ACT  TO  FUND  THE  CITY  DEBT. 


327 


these  acts  were  amended  in  the  succeeding  session,  they  will  be 
noticed  among  the  events  of  1852. 

May  1st. — Act  passed  by  the  Legislature,  "to  authorize  the 
funding  of  the  floating  debt  of  the  city  of  San  Francisco,  and  to 
provide  for  the  payment  of  the  same."  Peculiar  circumstances, 
such  as  the  necessity  of  grading  and  improving  the  public  streets, 
building  certain  wharves,  the  purchase  of  expensive  premises  for 
corporate  purposes,  the  monstrous  salaries  claimed  by  the  boards 
of  aldermen  and  other  municipal  authorities,  the  heavy  outlay 
attending  the  hospital,  fire  and  police  departments,  contingent 
expenses  to  a  very  large  amount,  printing,  ( — $41,905  20  for 
only  nineteen  months  ! — )  surveying  and  numberless  other 
charges,  had  involved  the  city  in  an  enormous  gross  amount  of 
indebtedness.  By  the  Comptroller's  Report,  the  total  expenditure 
of  the  city  from  the  1st  August,  1849,  to  the  30th  November, 
1850,  was  $1,450,122  57 ;  and  in  the  three  following  months  a 
further  expenditure  was  created  of  $562,617  53.  In  the  space 
of  nineteen  months,  therefore,  the  total  expenditure  was  upwards 
of  two  millions  of  dollars.  But  as  neither  the  property  of  the 
city,  which  had  already  been  sold  to  a  great  extent,  nor  its  ordi- 
nary revenues,  were  adequate  to  defray  this  immense  sum,  the 
municipal  authorities  had  been  for  a  considerable  period  obliged 
to  issue  scrip,  in  immediate  satisfaction  or  acknowledgment  of 
the  corporation  debts.  This  scrip,  as  the  city  got  farther  in- 
volved and  could  only  make  payment  of  its  new  obligations  in  the 
same  kind  of  paper,  soon  became  much  depreciated,  and  was  lite- 
rally in  common  sale  at  from  fifty  to  seventy  per  cent,  dis- 
count. Meanwhile,  nobody  would  do  any  business  for  the  city 
on  the  same  terms  as  they  would  for  other  parties,  so  long  as 
they  were  to  be  paid  in  this  depreciated  scrip.  The  natural  con- 
sequence was  that  the  municipal  officers  had  just  virtually  to  pay, 
or  rather  give  their  promise  to  pay,  twice  or  thrice  the  amounts 
they  would  have  needed  to  lay  out,  if  the  city  had  been  solvent, 
with  cash  in  hand  to  meet  all  obligations.  This  circumstance 
therefore  still  farther  added  to  the  enormous  weight  of  debt. 

Truly  the  city  seems  to  have  been  long  considered  fair  game 
for  every  one  who  had  spirit,  skill,  and  corruption  enough  to  prey 
upon  its  means.     The  officials  complained  that  their  salaries 


328  ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 

were  paid  in  depreciated  scrip.  That  was  true,  and  hard  enough 
upon  many  ;  but,  on  the  other  hand,  certain  leading  office-hold- 
ers made  a  fine  thing  of  this  same  depreciation.  They  contrived 
to  purchase  vast  quantities  of  corporation  paper  at  one-third  of 
its  nominal  value,  which  they  turned  over,  in  their  several  depart- 
ments, to  the  city  at  par.  In  various  ways  they  trafficked  in 
this  scrip,  and  always  to  their  own  great  advantage.  The  tax- 
collector,  for  instance,  refused  to  receive  scrip  in  payment  of 
license  duties  and  other  city  taxes,  on  one  ground  or  other,  that 
it  was  not  yet  due,  and  the  like,  while  instead  of  paying  into  the 
city  treasurer  the  cash  which  was  actually  received,  he  only  handed 
over  his  own  comparatively  worthless  paper,  purchased  with  the 
city's  cash  for  that  express  purpose.  The  comptroller  and  trea- 
surer were  likewise  parties  concerned  in  this  species  of  specula- 
tion. Considerable  fortunes  were  thus  gained  by  sundry  officials, 
who  could  u finesse,"  and  make  money  in  any  state  of  the  corpo- 
ration exchequer.  Doubtless  they  quietly  and  gaily  said  to 
themselves,  as  the  public  thought,  that  "  it  was  an  ill-wind  that 
blew  nobody  good."  In  those  days — so  recent,  yet  in  the  history 
of  San  Francisco  so  virtually  remote — jobbing  and  peculation 
were  rank,  and  seemed  the  rule  in  the  city  government.  Public 
honesty  and  conscientious  attention  to  the  interests  of  the  com- 
munity were  solitary  exceptions.  To  such  an  extent  did  nefa- 
rious speculations  in  city  paper  prevail  among  people  high  in 
office,  that  the  Legislature  was  at  last  compelled  to  interfere, 
and  declare  it  a  penal  offence  for  any  municipal  officer  to  buy 
scrip  or  to  traffic  in  it  in  any  manner  of  way. 

Meanwhile  the  scrip  was  bearing  interest  at  the  rate  of  three 
per  cent,  per  month  !  On  the  1st  day  of  March,  1851,  the  total 
liabilities  of  the  city  were  $1,099,557  56.  At  this  time,  the 
whole  corporation  property,  if  forced  to  a  public  sale,  would  not 
have  brought  one-third  of  that  amount  ;  while,  if  interest  were 
to  continue  to  run  on  the  debt  at  the  heavy  rate  just  mentioned, 
the  ordinary  revenues  would  have  fallen  lamentably  short  of 
meeting  it,  after  defraying  the  current  expenses.  In  these  cir- 
cumstances, the  act  above  mentioned  was  passed  by  the  Legis- 
lature. 

By  this  act  certain  commissioners  were  appointed  to  manage 


FIFTH  GREAT  FIRE. 


329 


the  proposed  "funded  debt,"  who  were  empowered  to  issue  stock, 
bearing  interest  at  the  rate  of  ten  per  cent,  per  annum,  payable 
half-yearly,  in  lieu  of  scrip  to  a  similar  amount,  which  might  be  pre- 
sented by  holders  of  the  same  within  a  specified  time.  This  funded 
debt  was  to  be  redeemed  wholly  within  twenty  years,  and  partic- 
ular obligations  were  laid  on  the  city  that  the  sums  necessary  to 
be  raised  to  pay  the  half-yearly  interest,  and  ultimately  the 
principal,  should  be  solely  applied  to  these  purposes.  Fifty 
thousand  dollars,  over  and  above  the  amount  required  to  pay  the 
interest  on  the  stock,  were  to  be  levied  annually,  which  sum  was 
to  be  made  use  of  by  the  commissioners,  under  certain  restric- 
tions, in  buying  up,  and  so  gradually  reducing  the  amount  of  the 
city  liabilities.  As  the  stock  thus  created  was  considered  to  be 
an  undoubted  security  for  the  amounts  it  represented,  which  the 
old  scrip  was  not,  and  as  the  former  soon  bore  a  higher  market 
value  than  such  scrip,  the  holders  of  the  latter  generally  took 
occasion  to  convert  their  floating  into  the  funded  debt.  The 
small  amount  of  scrip  never  presented  for  conversion  into  stock 
within  the  specified  time,  and  which  was  chiefly  held  by  parties 
at  a  distance,  was  subsequently  paid  in  full  by  the  city.  In 
1852,  a  great  financial  operation  of  a  similar  nature  took  place, 
by  which  the  then  floating  debt  of  the  county  of  San  Francisco 
was  converted  into  a  seven  per  cent,  stock.  This  will  be  more 
particularly  noticed  in  its  chronological  order. 

May  4th. — The  anniversary  of  the  second  great  fire  was  sig- 
nalized by  the  fifth,  the  ravages  of  which  perhaps  exceeded,  in 
gross  amount,  those  of  all  the  fires  together  that  had  previously 
taken  place  in  the  city.  For  eight  months  the  inhabitants  had 
enjoyed  comparative  immunity  from  conflagration.  Although 
single  houses  had  caught  fire,  and  been  consumed,  it  was  not  be- 
lieved that  such  a  dreadful  calamity  could  come  as  that  which 
now  happened.  A  considerable  number  of  buildings,  which  were 
supposed  fire-proof,  had  been  erected  in  the  course  of  the  preced- 
ing year,  the  solid  walls  of  which,  it  was  thought,  would  afford 
protection  from  the  indefinite  spreading  of  the  flames,  when  fire 
should  unhappily  break  out  in  any  particular  building.  But  all 
calculations  and  hopes  on  this  subject  were  mocked  and  broken. 
The  brick  walls  that  had  been  so  confidently  relied  upon  crum- 


330 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


bled  in  pieces  before  the  furious  flames  ;  the  thick  iron  shutters 
grew  red  hot  and  warped,  and  only  increased  the  danger  and  in- 
sured final  destruction  to  every  thing  within  them.  Men  went 
for  shelter  into  these  fancied  fire-proof  brick  and  iron-bound 
structures,  and  when  they  sought  to  come  forth  again,  to  escape 
the  heated  air  that  was  destroying  them  as  by  a  close  fire,  they 


Fire  of  May  4th,  1851. 


found,  0  horror  !  that  the  metal  shutters  and  doors  had  expanded 
by  the  heat,  and  could  not  be  opened  !  So,  in  these  huge,  sealed 
furnaces,  several  perished  miserably.  Many  more  persons  lost 
their  lives  in  other  portions  of  the  burned  district,  partly  by  the 
flames,  and  partly  by  the  tottering  walls  falling  on  and  crushing 
them. 

The  fire  began  a  few  minutes  past  eleven  o'clock  on  the  night 
of  Saturday,  the  3d  of  May,  in  a  paint,  or  upholstery  store,  on 
the  south  side  of  the  plaza.  As  particular  care  seems  to  have 
been  observed  in  this  establishment  to  extinguish  all  lights  and 
fires,  the  sad  work  was  likely  commenced  by  an  incendiary.  The 
wind  blowing  strongly  from  the  north-west,  the  conflagration 
proceeded  in  the  direction  of  Kearny  street,  and  soon  swept 


FIFTH  GREAT  FIRE.  331 

before  it  all  of  the  houses  on  some  entire  blocks.  Then  the 
breeze  suddenly  shifted,  and  blew  from  the  south,  carrying  the 
fire  backwards  to  the  north  and  east.  In  a  few  hours  the  whole 
business  part  of  the  city  was  one  entire  mass  of  flame  !  The 
wind  that  would  have  been  considered  high,  though  no  fire  had 
existed,  was  now  raised  to  a  hurricane  by  the  action  of  the  flames, 
that  greedily  sucked  in  the  fresh  air.  The  hollows  beneath  the 
planked  streets  were  like  great  blow-pipes,  that  stirred  the  fire  to 
fearful  activity.  Through  such  strange  channels,  too,  which 
themselves  became  as  dry  and  inflammable  as  tinder,  the  flames 
were  communicated  from  street  to  street,  and  in  an  amazingly 
short  time  the  whole  surface,  over  a  wide  region,  glowed,  crackled, 
and  blazed,  one  immense  fiery  field.  The  reflection  from  the  sky 
of  this  terrific  conflagration  was  said  to  have  been  visible  at  Mon- 
terey, nearly  a  hundred  miles  off !  where  it  filled  the  super- 
stitious and  timid  with  dismay  and  irrepressible  terror.  On  all 
sides  in  the  doomed  city  there  was  heard  the  fierce  roar,  as  of 
many  storms,  that  drowned  the  shouts  of  men  and  the  shrieks  of 
women.  The  firemen  jjlied  their  engines  vigorously,  and  sent 
showers  of  water  on  the  wild  flames,  that  only  served  to  increase 
their  fury.  As  the  solid  stream  of  some  lofty  cataract  is  scat- 
tered into  spray  and  thin  mist  long  before  it  reaches  the  earth  in 
the  chasm  beneath,  so  were  the  jets  from  the  fire-engines  dissi- 
pated into  clouds  of  mere  steam  which  never  fell  upon  or  could 
not  extinguish  the  hot  centre  of  the  resistless  element.  Houses 
were  blown  up,  but  the  fire  leaped  lightly  across  the  gaps,  and 
pursued  its  terrible  course.  It  ran  along  the  planked  streets, 
and  from  block  to  block,  almost  as  if  they  were  but  a  train  of 
gunpowder.  The  short  space  of  ten  hours,  from  the  commence- 
ment of  the  fire,  saw  from  fifteen  hundred  to  two  thousand 
houses  completely  ruined.  In  the  end,  the  absolute  want  of  fur- 
ther fuel  to  consume  was  the  chief  cause  of  the  conflagration 
ceasing.  Eighteen  entire  squares,  with  portions  of  five  or  six 
others,  were  devastated,  and,  with  fewer  than  twenty  exceptions, 
all  the  houses  and  property  of  every  description  were  totally  de- 
stroyed. Only  five  of  the  brick  buildings  on  Montgomery  street 
escaped  destruction,  and  ten  or  twelve  in  other  localities.  The 
burned  district  extended  about  three-fourths  of  a  mile  from  north 


332  ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 

to  south,  and  one-third  of  a  mile  from  east  to  west.  In  this  space 
was  comprehended  the  most  valuable  part  of  the  city,  and  where 
the  most  precious  goods  and  merchandise  were  stored.  All  was 
destroyed  !  The  damage  was  moderately  estimated  at  from  ten 
to  twelve  millions  of  dollars. 


San  Francisco  after  the  fire  of  May  4th,  1S51. 


In  this  conflagration  some  of  the  old  store-ships  that  had 
been  hauled  high  upon  the  beach,  and  gradually  closed  in  by  the 
streets  growing  over  the  bay,  were  consumed.  Of  these  was  the 
old  "  Niantic."  This  vessel  had  long  lain  fixed  at  the  corner  of 
Clay  and  Sansome  streets,  where  the  hotel,  which  bears  its  name, 
was  afterwards  erected.  The  "Apollo"  and  "  General  Harrison" 
were  also  burned.  Among  the  incidents  of  the  fire,  it  may  be 
mentioned  that  Dewitt  &  Harrison  saved  their  warehouse  by  using 
vinegar  in  the  absence  of  water,  eighty  thousand  gallons  of  the 
former  fluid  having  been  employed  by  them  in  protecting  the 
building.  By  breaking  up  the  wharves,  and  so  cutting  off  the 
connection  with  the  burning  masses,  the  immense  amount  of  val- 
uable shipping  in  the  harbor  was  saved,  which  at  one  time  was  in 
the  most  imminent  peril. 


FIFTH  GREAT  FIEE.  333 

San  Francisco  had  never  before  suffered  so  severe  a  blow,  and 
doubts  were  entertained  by  the  ignorant  that  she  could  possibly 
recover  from  its  effects.  Such  doubts  were  vain.  The  bay  was 
still  there,  and  the  people,  were  also  there  ;  the  placers  of  the 
State  were  not  yet  exhausted,  and  its  soil  was  as  fertile  and  in- 
viting as  ever.  The  frightful  calamity,  no  doubt,  would  retard 
the  triumphant  progress  of  the  city — but  only  for  a  time.  Sour, 
pseudo-religious  folk  on  the  shores  of  the  Atlantic,  might 
mutter  of  Sodom  and  Gomorrah,  and  prate  the  idlest  nonsense, 
while  envious  speculators  in  cities  of  California  itself,  that 
would  fain  rival  the  glories  of  its  grand  port,  might  preach 
till  doomsday  of  the  continual  strong  winds  that  prevailed  in 
the  latter  place,  and  which  were  certain,  so  they  said,  among 
thousands  of  wooden  houses,  to  fan  the  veriest  spark  into  a  con- 
flagration, again  and  again.  The  citizens  of  San  Francisco  were 
content  only  to  curse  and  vow  vengeance  on  the  incendiaries  that 
kindled  the  fire,  and  resolved  to  be  better  prepared  in  future  to 
resist  its  spreading  ravages.  After  the  first  short  burst  of  sorrow, 
the  ruined  inhabitants,  many  of  whom  had  been  burned  out  time 
after  time  by  the  successive  fires,  began  again,  like  the  often  per- 
secuted spider  with  its  new  web,  to  create  still  another  town  and 
another  fortune.  While  the  city  lay  one  vast  black  and  still 
smoking  tract,  preparations  were  made  to  erect  new  buildings. 
These  were  generally  at  first  formed  of  wood,  low  in  height, 
limited  in  extent,  and  slightly  constructed  ;  but,  before  long, 
such  rough,  slim,  temporary  structures,  began  to  give  place  to 
the  present  magnificent  buildings  that  decorate  our  streets.  But 
one  other  great  fire  was  to  come. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 


1851. 

T.  Butler  King  removing  tho  custom-house  deposits. — Frank  Ball's  song,  and  custom-house  appoint- 
ment.— Dr.  Robinson's  rhymes. — Incendiarism. — The  case  of  Lewis,  charged  with  arson. — The 
facilities  with  which  criminals  escaped  from  punishment — The  Vigilance  Committee. — Contracts 
of  Mr.  Merrifield  and  the  Mountain  Lake  Water  Company  to  supply  the  city  with  water. 

Mat  28th. — The  custom-house,  at  the  corner  of  Montgomery 
and  California  streets,  having  been  destroyed  by  the  fire  of  the 
4th  instant,  another  building  was  speedily  fitted  up  for  the  same 
purposes  at  the  corner  of  Kearny  and  Washington  streets.  The 
treasure,  amounting  to  upwards  of  a  million  of  dollars,  had  been 
preserved  in  a  large  safe  (which  had  escaped  damage  from  the 
fire)  in  the  old  building.  To-day  the  removal  of  this  treasure  to 
the  new  custom-house  took  place  ;  and  the  manner  of  doing  so 
created  some  little  excitement  and  much  laughter  in  the  town, 
from  the  excessive  care  and  military  display  which  the  collector 
thought  fit  to  adopt  on  the  occasion.  Some  thirty  gigantic, 
thick-bearded  fellows,  who  were  armed  with  carbines,  revolvers 
and  sabres,  surrounded  the  cars  containing  the  specie,  while  the 
Honorable  T.  Butler  King  stood  aloft  on  a  pile  of  ruins  with  a 
huge  "  Colt"  in  one  hand  and  a  bludgeon  in  the  other,  marshal- 
ling his  men  and  money  "  the  way  that  they  should  go."  The 
extraordinary  procession  proceeded  slowly  along  Montgomery  street 
to  the  new  custom-house,  Mr.  King,  marching,  like  a  proud  drum- 
major,  at  the  head  of  his  miniature  grand  army.  The  people, 
meanwhile,  looked  on  with  astonishment,  and  with  some  grief, 
that  their  city  should  be  considered  so  lawless  and  wicked  a  place 
as  to  require  so  formidable  a  force  even  to  guard  millions  of  trea- 
sure in  broad  daylight,  and  along  one  or  two  of  the  principal 
streets,  where  there  were  continually  present  thousands  of  the 


REMOVAL  OF  THE  CUSTOM-HOUSE  TREASURE.  335 


most  respectable  inhabitants.  But  immediately  the  farcical  na- 
ture of  the  whole  exhibition  struck  the  most  phlegmatic,  and 
peals  of  laughter  and  cries  of  ironical  applause  accompanied  the 
brave  defenders  of  "  Uncle  Yarn's''  interests  to  the  end  of  their 
perilous  march.  It  was  felt  that  there  was  but  one  thing  wanted 
to  make  the  show  complete — half-a-dozen  great  guns  from  the 
presidio. 

In  the  absence  of  other  matters  of  local  importance,  this 
bloodless  achievement  formed  the  subject  of  a  humorous  song, 
composed  by  a  young  man  of  the  town,  and  which  he  sang  in 
one  or  more  of  the  public  saloons,  on  many  occasions,  "  with 
much  applause."  The  thing  had  a  run,  and  served  to  fill  the 
clever  author's  purse.  He  had  a  large  number  of  copies  litho- 
graphed, on  which  was  a  caricature  print  of  the  procession,  and 
these  he  disposed  of  at  a  dollar  apiece.  In  a  single  night  he 
sold  five  hundred  copies  at  this  rate.  As  the  tune  to  which  the 
song  was  set  was  a  popular  and  easy  one,  soon  the  town  rang 
with  the  story  of  "  The  King's  Campaign."  But  besides  this 
effusion,  there  immediately  appeared  innumerable  paragraphs, 
squibs,  jests,  good  sayings  in  social  circles  and  the  public  jour- 
nals. It  is  one  of  the  penalties  which  people  must  pay  for  their 
superiority  in  place  over  their  neighbors  that  their  actions  are 
pretty  severely  criticised,  and,  when  occasion  serves,  ridiculed. 
It  was  so  here  "  with  a  will,"  and  to  Collector  King's  great  mor- 
tification. "  Uneasy  lies  the  head  that  wears  a  crown."  But 
kings  and  collectors  have  potent  remedies  for  the  many  evils 
that  beset  them.  Frank  Ball,  the  writer  of  the  song  in  ques- 
tion, was  shortly  afterwards  sent  for  by  the  collector,  and  favored 
with  a  private  interview.  Ordinary  men  might  have  "  beat 
about  the  bush,"  or  employed  a  friend  in  the  little  transaction 
which  followed  ;  but  the  Hon.  T.  Butler  King,  with  the  same 
dauntless  face  which  he  showed  on  occasion  of  the  treasure  re- 
moval, bluntly  began  conversation  with  the  anxious  poet,  by  ask- 
ing whether  he  would  not  like  to  have  a  desirable  post  in  the  cus- 
toms. Mr.  Ball,  gasping  with  surprise,  mumbled,  "  Yes,  surely  ! " 
"  Then,  Sir,  it  is  yours,"  said  the  collector,  gravely.  In  gratitude 
Mr.  Ball  could  do  no  less  than  stop  singing  his  famous  song, 
which  was  doubtless  what  his  honorable  and  doughty  chief  ex- 


336 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


pected.  Cerberus  was  sopped.  This  anecdote  would  be  incom- 
plete unless  we  told  that  certain  underlings  attached  to  the  cus- 
tom-house, struck  with  a  new  light,  began  forthwith  to  chant  the 
obnoxious  stanzas.  Unluckily  they  had  mistaken  the  game,  for 
the  fact  reaching  the  ears  of  the  collector,  one  of  them,  caught 
in  the  act,  was  instantly,  though  quietly,  dismissed  from  the  ser- 
vice.   It  was  a  pretty  illustration  of  the  fable  of  "  The  Man, 


Caricature. 


There  are  so  many  serious  matters — murders,  suicides,  larce- 
nies, grand  and  petty  burglaries,  assaults,  fires,  and  the  dismal- 
like in  these  "  Annals,"  that  we  are  glad,  and  so  too  may  the 
reader  be,  to  have  an  opportunity  such  as  this  of  introducing  a 
facetious  subject,  which  once  delighted  the  San  Franciscans. 
We,  therefore,  give  an  illustration  of  the  caricature  above  al- 
luded to,  and  the  song  itself :  — 


REMOVAL  OF  THE  CUSTOM-HOUSE  TREASURE. 


337 


"the  king's  campaign;  or,  removal  of  the  deposits. 

"  Come,  listen  a  minute,  a  song  I'll  sing, 
Which  I  rather  calculate  will  bring 
Much  glory,  and  all  that  sort  of  thing, 
On  the  head  of  our  brave  Collector  King. 
Ri  tu  di  nu,  Ri  tu  di  raw, 
Ri  tu  di  nu  di.  na. 

"  Our  well-beloved  President 
This  famous  politician  sent, 
Though  I  guess  we  could  our  money  have  spent 
Without  aid  from  the  general  government. 
Iii  tu  di  nu,  <$c. 

"  In  process  of  time  this  hero  bold 
Had  collected  lots  of  silver  and  gold, 
Which  he  stuck  away  in  a  spacious  hole, 
Except  what  little  his  officers  stole. 
Hi  tu  di  nu,  rf-c. 

"  But  there  came  a  terrible  fire  one  night, 
Which  put  his  place  in  an  awful  plight, 
And  'twould  have  been  a  heart-rending  sight. 
If  the  money  had  not  been  all  right. 
Hi  tu  di  nu,  tfc. 

"  Then  he  put  his  officers  on  the  ground, 
And  told  'em  the  specie  vault  to  surround, 
And  if  any  '  Sydney  Cove'  came  round, 
To  pick  up  a  cudgel  and  knock  him  down. 
Hi  tu  di  nu,  $c. 

"  But  the  money  had  to  be  moved  away, 
So  he  summoned  his  fighting  men  one  day, 
And  fixed  'em  all  in  marching  array, 
Like  a  lot  of  mules  hitched  on  to  a  dray. 
Ri  tu  di  nu,  <$c. 

"  Then  he  mounted  a  brick  and  made  a  speech, 
And  unto  them  this  way  did  preach, — 
'  Oh,  feller-sogers,  I  beseech 
You  to  keep  this  cash  from  the  people's  reach. 
Ri  tu  di  nu,  tf-c. 

"  '  For,'  said  he,  '  'tis  well  convinced  I  am, 
That  the  people's  honesty's  all  a  sham, 

22 


338 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


And  that  no  one  here  is  worth  a  d — n, 
But  the  officers  of  Uncle  Sam.' 
Ri  tu  di  nu,  <%c. 

"  Then  he  drew  his  revolver,  and  told  'em  to  start, 
Bat  be  sure  to  keep  their  eyes  on  the  cart, 
And  not  to  be  at  all  faint  of  heart, 
But  to  tread  right  up,  and  try  to  look  smart. 
Ri  tu  di  nu,  <$c. 

"  Then  each  man  grasped  his  sword  and  gun, 
The  babies  squalled  and  the  women  run, 
And  all  agreed  that  the  King  was  one 
Of  the  greatest  warriors  under  the  sun. 

Ri  tu  di  nu,  Ri  tn  di  nu, 

Ri  tu  di  nu  di  na." 

They  were  a  wild,  perverse  race,  the  San  Franciscans  in  those 
days,  taking  much  delight  in  whatever  mortified  the  "  city 
fathers."  They  are  immoderately  fond  of  fun  and  devilment 
still ;  and  any  thing  of  a  peculiar  spicy  nature, — from  a  simple 
fall  in  the  mud,  or  the  kissing  of  a  pretty  girl,  up  to  the  five 
thousand  dollar  bribe  of  a  senator,  or  a  municipal  papa,  or  grand- 
papa being  caught  lurking  about  the  premises  of  a  jealous  mar- 
ried man,  flies  like  lightning,  or  their  own  great  fires  over  the 
whole  city.  The  people  live  so  much  together  in  hotels  and 
hoarding-houses,  they  meet  so  frequently  for  talk  and  drink  (in 
vino  Veritas)  at  bars  and  billiard-rooms,  that  every  piece  of  scan- 
dal or  matter  of  public  interest  is  sure  to  ooze  out  and  be  dis- 
cussed in  all  its  bearings.  A  dozen  daily  papers  by  hint,  inu- 
endo,  broad  allusion,  and  description,  considerably  assist  the 
promulgation  and  spreading  of  idle  tales.  Hence,  they  often  as- 
sumed an  importance  which  other  communities  may  think  they 
scarcely  deserve.  The  year  of  which  we  write,  1851,  had  a  full 
share  of  such  local  and  temporary  facetiae,  some  of  which  may 
appear  worthy  of  record,  if  it  were  only  to  illustrate  the  times. 
The  affairs  of  the  aldermen's  salaries  and  the  curious  medal  busi- 
ness were  both  prolific  subjects  for  jesting  and  outrageous  merri- 
ment. Dr.  D.  Gr.  Kobinson,  a  proprietor  of  the  Dramatic  Mu- 
seum, gained  considerable  popularity  by  a  series  of  doggerel, 
"  random  rhymes  "  which  he  gave  on  his  own  stage,  in  which  al- 


INCENDIARIES  AND  OTHER  CRIMINALS. 


339 


most  every  municipal  man  of  mark  was  hit  off,  and  sometimes 
pretty  hardly  too.  So  highly  were  these  verses  relished,  and  so 
much  favor  did  the  author  gain  thereby  with  the  people,  that 
Dr.  Robinson  was  triumphantly  returned  as  alderman  to  fill  a 
vacancy  which  had  occurred  in  the  first  board.  He  was  after- 
wards seriously  named  as  likely  to  be  the  most  popular  candidate 
for  the  mayoralty  in  1852.  Such  rewards  do  the  generous  citi- 
zens bestow  upon  those  who  amuse  them.  Dr.  Robinson's  rhymes 
were  subsequently  collected  into  a  small  printed  pamphlet, 
which  will  no  doubt  possess  much  interest  to  such  as  still  relish 
the  gossip  and  scandal  of  the  day.  It  would  be  out  of  place  to 
give  here  any  characteristic  quotations  from  the  work.  People 
look  back  already  with  surprise  to  the  favorable  notoriety  which 
these  songs  gained  for  their  author,  and  more  especially  to  the 
elevated  position  to  which  they  were  the  means  of  raising  him. 
We  have  narrated  the  absurd  affair  of  the  removal  of  the  trea- 
sure, and  given  the  relative  song,  only  because  they  were  reck- 
oned rather  important  events  of  the  time,  and  concerning  which 
there  was  much  public  merriment  for  a  long  period  afterwards. 
The  parties  interested  can  now  well  afford  to  laugh  heartily  at 
the  whole  business.  These  things,  also,  form  one  illustration  of 
the  state  of  society  and  "  life  "  in  San  Francisco  at  the  date  of 
their  occurrence. 

June  3d. — For  some  time  back  the  attempts  of  incendiaries 
to  fire  the  city  seem  to  be  increasing.  Cases  of  this  nature  are 
occurring  daily,  where  the  suspicious  circumstances  are  evident, 
but  where  unfortunately  the  really  guilty  party  cannot  be  de- 
tected. It  is  extremely  difficult  to  discover  criminals  in  the  very 
act  of  committing  arson.  Incendiaries  do  their  deeds  only  in 
dark  and  secret  corners,  and  if  interrupted,  they  have  always 
ready  a  dozen  trifling  excuses  for  their  appearance  and  behavior. 
The  train  and  the  slow  match  can  be  laid  almost  any  where  un- 
observed, while  the  "foul  fiend"  quietly  steals  away  in  safety. 
The  inhabitants  had  got  nervously  sensitive  to  the  slightest  alarm 
of  fire,  and  were  greatly  enraged  against  the  presumed  incendia- 
ries. This  day  one  Benjamin  Lewis  underwent  a  primary  exam- 
ination on  the  charge  of  arson.  As  the  evidence  was  being 
taken,  the  Recorder's  Court  began  to  fill,  and  much  excitement 


340 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


to  spread  among  the  people.  At  this  time,  a  cry  of  "fire ! "  was 
raised,  and  great  confusion  took  place  in  the  court-rooin,  people 
rushing  desperately  out  and  in  to  learn  particulars.  This  was  a 
false  alarm.  It  was  believed  to  be  only  a  ruse  to  enable  the 
prisoner's  friends  to  rescue  him  from  the  hands  of  justice.  The 
latter  was  therefore  removed  for  safety  to  another  place.  Mean- 
while, some  three  or  four  thousand  persons  had  collected  outside 
of  the  building,  who  began  to  get  furious,  continually  uttering 
loud  cries  of  "  Lynch  the  villain  !  Hang  the  fire-raising  wretch  ! 
Bring  him  out — no  mercy — no  laio  delays  !  Hang  him — hang 
him!"  Colonel  Stevenson  harangued  the  crowd  in  strong  lan- 
guage, encouraging  the  violent  feelings  that  had  been  excited 
against  the  prisoner.  Mayor  Brenham  endeavored  to  calm  the 
enraged  multitude.  Loud  calls  were  at  length  made  for  "  Bran- 
nan,"  to  which  that  gentleman  quickly  responded,  and  advised 
that  the  prisoner  should  be  given  in  charge  to  the  "  volunteer 
police,"  which  had  been  recently  formed.  A  motion  to  this 
effect  was  put  and  unanimously  carried.  But  when  the  prisoner 
was  looked  for,  it  was  found  that  the  regular  police  had  mean- 
while carried  him  out  of  the  way — nobody  knew,  or  would  tell 
where.  Perforce  the  crowd  was  obliged  to  be  satisfied,  and  late 
in  the  afternoon  it  gradually  dispersed. 

This  is  one  instance  of  the  scenes  of  popular  excitement 
which  were  now  of  frequent  occurrence  in  the  city.  Bepeated 
losses  by  fire,  and  the  terrible  array  of  unpunished,  undetected, 
triumphant  crime,  were  turning  the  inhabitants  absolutely  savage 
against  the  supposed  criminals.  Matters  were  coming  fast  to  a 
head,  which  was  immediately  to  ripen  into  the  "  Vigilance  Com- 
mittee." All  these  popular  "  demonstrations"  were  ineffectual 
in  deterring  the  "  Sydney  coves,"  and  those  of  a  like  character, 
from  the  commission  of  the  most  reckless,  wanton,  and  flagrant 
outrages.  Incendiary  attempts  were  now  remarked  almost  daily. 
Not  only  the  desire  for  plunder,  but  malice  against  individuals, 
and  an  unnatural  lust  for  general  destruction,  seemed  to  inspire 
the  villains. 

In  regard  to  the  particular  case  of  Lewis,  it  may  be  men- 
tioned that  the  grand  jury  found  a  true  bill  against  him  for 
arson.    Twice  shortly  afterwards  was  he  brought  before  the  Dis- 


MOUNTAIN  LAKE  WATER  COMPANY. 


341 


trict  Criminal  Court  for  trial,  and  on  each  occasion  his  counsel 
found  a  "flaw"  in  the  indictment,  which  quashed  the  proceed- 
ings. These  delays  and  defects  in  the  law  were  working  the  suf- 
fering people  up  to  madness.  This  is  only  one  case,  but  it  may 
be  taken  as  a  fair  specimen  of  the  general  inefficiency  of  the  ju- 
dicial officers  and  tribunals  in  punishing  crime.  The  grand  juries 
were  continually  making  formal  complaints  that  their  present- 
ments were  disregarded,  and  that  criminals  were  somehow  never 
convicted  and  punished,  while  generally  their  trials  were  so  long 
delayed  that  the  prisoners  either  escaped  from  confinement,  or 
the  essential  witnesses  in  the  case  had  gone  nobody  knew  whither  ; 
and  so  the  prosecutions  failed.  San  Francisco  was  truly  in  a 
desperate  condition  at  this  period  of  its  history.  Though  few 
arrests  were  made  in  proportion  to  the  number  of  offences  actually 
committed,  yet  it  may  be  mentioned,  that,  to  take  one  instance, 
on  Monday  morning,  the  9th  June  of  this  year,  there  were  thirty- 
six  cases  before  the  Recorder's  Criminal  Court  from  one  district 
alone  (the  second),  out  of  the  eight  composing  the  city.  "  Of 
the  whole,"  we  quote  from  a  journal  of  the  time,  "  six  were  for 
drunkenness,  six  for  fighting,  six  for  larceny,  three  for  stabbing, 
one  for  burglary,  four  for  fast  riding,  four  for  assaulting  officers, 
three  for  keeping  disorderly  houses,  one  for  an  attempt  at  rob- 
bery," &c.  Yet  the  previous  day,  Sunday,  on  which  these  of- 
fences had  been  committed,  had  been  remarked  by  the  press  as 
having  been  unusually  quiet  and  decently  observed — without  any 
noise  or  crime  worth  noticing. 

Of  this  date  an  ordinance  was  passed  by  the  council 
boards,  and  approved  of  by  the  mayor,  granting  to  Mr.  Arzo 
D.  Merrifield  and  his  assigns,  the  privilege  of  introducing 
fresh  water  by  pipes  into  the  city.  It  had  happened  at  the 
various  fires  that  the  numerous  public  water  reservoirs  were 
either  wholly  or  partially  empty  ;  and  great  difficulty  was  at 
all  times  experienced  in  filling  them.  This  reason,  as  well 
as  the  desire  to  have  an  abundant  supply  of  pure,  fresh  water 
for  household  purposes,  had  long  led  parties  to  consider  the 
best  means  of  bringing  it  into  the  city  by  pipes  from  a  dis- 
tance. Various  schemes  were  talked  of  among  the  public,  and 
discussed  in  the  journals.    The  plan  of  Mr.  Merrifield  to  bring 


342 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


water  from  a  small  lagoon,  called  the  "  Mountain  Lake,"  situ- 
ated about  four  miles  west  of  the  plaza,  and  which  was  well  sup- 
plied by  springs,  was  at  length  approved  of  by  the  common 
council,  and  under  the  ordinance  noticed  the  projector  became 
entitled  to  certain  privileges  for  the  term  of  twenty-five  years, 
upon  condition  of  his  plans  being  carried  into  effect.  Mr.  Merri- 
field,  his  associates  and  assigns,  were  authorized  to  break  open 
the  streets,  and  lay  down  water-pipes  in  the  same,  upon  properly 
filling  up  and  replacing  the  openings.  The  quantity  of  water  to 
be  provided  in  a  general  reservoir,  and  the  amount  of  discharge 
by  pipes,  were  both  fixed  ;  while  provision  was  made  for  the 
amount  of  rates  to  be  paid  by  the  citizens  using  the  water,  which 
rates  were  to  be  adjusted  by  a  board  of  commissioners  to  be 
chosen  annually  by  the  common  council.  At  the  end  of  twenty- 
five  years,  from  and  after  the  1st  day  of  January,  1853,  the  en- 
tire water-works  were  to  be  deeded  to  the  city,  in  consideration 
of  the  privileges  and  benefits  that  might  accrue  to  the  projector 
and  his  assigns  and  associates  during  the  said  term  of  years. 
The  corporate  authorities  were  also  to  be  entitled  to  the  gratuitous 
use  of  the  water  for  the  purpose  of  extinguishing  fires,  and  for 
hospital  and  other  purposes.  In  terms  of  this  act,  Mr.  Merrifield 
granted  a  bond  for  fifty  thousand  dollars  that  the  works  should 
be  completed  on  or  before  the  1st  of  January,  1853. 

The  gentleman  named  having  conveyed  his  privileges  to  a 
joint-stock  company,  called  the  "  Mountain  Lake  Water  Com- 
pany," another  ordinance  was,  of  date  14th  of  July,  1852,  passed 
and  approved  of,  whereby  the  former  one  was  amended  to  the 
following  effect,  viz.  :  That  the  new  company  should  only  be  en- 
titled to  the  privileges  granted  by  the  first  ordinance  for  the  term 
of  twenty  years  : — that  the  board  of  commissioners  to  fix  the 
rates  payable  by  those  who  used  the  water  should  be  chosen, 
three  by  the  common  council,  and  two  by  the  Mountain  Lake 
Water  Company,  under  the  regulations  specified  in  the  ordi- 
nance : — that  the  term  within  which  the  works  should  be  com- 
pleted should  be  extended  to  the  1st  of  January,  1854,  provided 
the  Water  Company  should  expend  fifty  thousand  dollars  on  the 
works  within  six  months  of  the  date  of  the  ordinance,  and  at 
least  a  similar  sum  every  six  months  thereafter  until  the  said  last 


HANGING  OF  JENKINS.  343 

mentioned  date  : — that  the  privileges  granted  to  the  said  Water 
Company  should  be  exclusive  for  the  term  of  five  years  after  1st 
of  January,  1853  ; — and,  lastly,  that  the  said  ordinance  should 
expire  at  such  time  after  the  1st  day  of  January,  1855,  as  the 
said  Water  Company  should  refuse,  or  be  unable,  to  supply  the 
city,  at  such  elevation  as  the  common  council  should  fix,  "  one 
million  of  gallons  of  pure  and  wholesome  fresh  water  during  every 
twenty-four  hours." 


Hanging  of  Jenkins  on  tlip  Plaza. 


June  11th. — The  "Vigilance  Committee"  is  at  last  formed, 
and  in  good  working  order.  They  hanged  at  two  o'clock  this 
morning  upon  the  plaza  one  Jenkins,  for  stealing  a  safe.  For 
the  particulars  of  the  trial  and  execution,  we  refer  the  reader  to 
a  subsequent  chapter,  where  also  will  be  found  an  account  of  the 
other  doings  of  this  celebrated  association. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 


1851. 

The  sixth  great  fire.— Destruction  of  old  buildings. — Execution  by  the  Vigilance  Committee  of 
Stuart,  Whittaker  and  McKenzie. — County  and  city  elections.— The  Vigilance  Committeo  sus- 
pend operations. — Wells  &  Co.  suspend  payment— Opening  of  the  Jenny  Lind  Theatre. — Tho 
American  Theatre  opened. — Shipping  in  San  Francisco  Bay. — Ball  of  the  Monumental  Fire 
Company. — Indian  disturbances  and  volunteer  military  companies. — Severe  storm. 

June  22d. — The  sixth  great  fire.  It  began  a  few  minutes  before 
eleven  o'clock  in  the  morning,  in  a  frame  house  situated  on  the 
north  side  of  Pacific  street,  close  to  Powell  street.  The  high 
winds  which  usually  set  in  about  this  hour  from  the  ocean  during 
the  summer  season,  speedily  fanned  the  flames,  and  drove  them 
south  and  east.  All  day  they  spread  from  street  to  street, 
consuming  one  building-square  after  another.  The  water  reser- 
voirs happened  to  be  nearly  empty,  and  even  where  the  firemen 
had  water  enough  for  the  engines,  their  exertions  were  of  little 
use  in  stopping  the  conflagration.  Nor  was  it  much  better  with 
the  hook  and  ladder  companies,  whose  useful  operations  were 
thwarted  by  the  owners  of  the  property  they  were  seeking  to  pull 
down  for  the  common  good.  Subsequent  inquiries  seemed  to 
show  that  the  fire  must  have  been  raised  by  incendiaries,  while 
several  attempts  were  detected  during  the  day  to  kindle  various 
distant  quarters  of  the  town,  yet  untouched  by  the  flames.  The 
fire  extended  from  Powell  nearly  to  Sansome  street,  and  from 
Clay  street  to  Broadway.  Within  these  limits  ten  entire  squares 
were  destroyed,  and  large  parts  of  six  others.  The  total  damage 
was  estimated  at  three  millions  of  dollars.  Happily  the  chief 
business  portion  of  the  town  escaped,  and  which  had  suffered  so 
severely  six  or  seven  weeks  before.  In  the  fire  of  the  4th  May, 
every  newspaper  establishment  in  the  city,  except  that  of  the 
"  Alta  California,"  was  totally  destroyed.    In  the  fire  of  the  22d 


SIXTH  GREAT  FIRE. 


345 


instant,  all  escaped,  except  that  of  the  journal  named.  These 
conflagrations  made  no  distinctions  of  persons  or  properties  ;  but 
with  a  wild  justice,  sooner  or  later,  reduced  all  to  the  same  level. 
The  proprietors  of  the  Alta  now  lost  their  building,  presses, 
types,  paper  and  office  furniture,  just  as  their  brethren  of  the 
broad  sheet  were  ruined  before.  The  City  Hall,  located  at  the 
corner  of  Kearny  and  Pacific  streets,  which  had  been  originally 
erected  at  an  immense  expense  as  a  hotel,  and  was  purchased 
more  than  a  year  before  by  the  corporation  for  one  hundred  and 
fifty  thousand  dollars,  and  improved  at  a  heavy  cost,  was  totally 
consumed,  although  the  principal  office  records  were  saved.  Mr. 
Thomas  Maguire,  the  proprietor  of  the  "  Jenny  Lind  Theatre," 
on  the  plaza,  which  was  a  most  valuable  building,  now  lost  all 
again, — a  sixth  time,  by  fire  !  But  it  is  needless  to  particularize 
losses,  where  every  citizen  may  be  said  to  have  been  burned  out 
several  times,  and  to  have  again  and  again  lost  his  all.  With  a 
sigh  or  a  laugh,  according  to  the  temperament  of  the  sufferer,  he 
just  began  once  more  to  raise  his  house,  stock  it  with  new  goods, 
and  arrange  his  future  plans.  The  indefatigable  spider  was  at 
work  again. 

Many  of  the  buildings  erected  since  these  last  fires  show  a 
wonderful  improvement  in  strength  and  grandeur.  When  the 
work  was  to  be  done  it  was  now  well  done ;  and  it  is  believed 
that  if  any  buildings  can  possibly  be  made  fire  proof  in  the  most 
trying  circumstances,  many  have  now  been  made  so  in  San  Fran- 
cisco. Solid  brick  walls,  two  and  three  feet  in  thickness,  double 
shutters  and  doors  of  malleable  iron,  with  a  space  two  feet  wide 
between  them,  and  huge  tanks  of  water,  that  could  flood  the 
whole  building  from  roof  to  cellar,  seem  to  defy  the  ravages  of 
the  fiercest  future  conflagration.  Of  that  substantial  character 
are  many  of  the  banking  establishments,  the  principal  stores  and 
merchants'  offices,  and  the  most  important  houses  in  the  city. 
This  improved  style  of  building  has  chiefly  been  rendered  neces- 
sary by  the  great  conflagrations  we  have  had  occasion  to  notice. 
Of  the  different  companies  formed  for  extinguishing  fires  we 
treat  in  a  subsequent  chapter.  It  is  believed  that  they  form  the 
most  complete  and  efficient  organization  of  their  kind  in  the 
world. 


346 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


The  six  great  fires  successively  destroyed  nearly  all  the  old 
buildings  and  land-marks  of  Yerba  Buena.  We  extract  the  fol- 
lowing pleasantly  written  lamentation  on  this  subject  from  the 
"  Alta  California"  of  21st  September,  1851  :— "  The  fires  of  May 
and  June  of  the  present  year,  swept  away  nearly  all  the  relics  of 
the  olden  time  in  the  heart  of  the  city.    The  old  City  Hotel 


Old  City  Hotel. 


[corner  of  Kearny  and  Clay  streets],  so  well  known  and  remem- 
bered by  old  Californians,  after  standing  unscathed  through  three 
fatal  fires,  fell  at  the  fourth.  How  many  memories  cling  around 
that  old  building  !  It  was  the  first  hotel  started  in  San  Fran- 
cisco,  then  the  village  of  Yerba  Buena,  in  the  year  1846.  When 
the  mines  were  first  discovered,  and  San  Francisco  was  literally 
overflowing  with  gold,  it  was  the  great  gaming  head-quarters. 
Thousands  and  thousands  of  dollars  were  there  staked  on  the 
turn  of  a  single  card,  and  scenes  such  as  never  were  before,  and 
never  again  will  be  witnessed,  were  exhibited  in  that  old  building 
during  the  years  1848  and  1849.  In  the  spring  of  '49,  the 
building  was  leased  out  at  sixteen  thousand  dollars  per  annum, 
cut  up  into  small  stores  and  rooms,  and  underleased  at  an  enor- 


OLD  BUILDINGS  DESTROYED. 


347 


mous  profit.  Newer  and  handsomer  buildings  were  erected  and 
opened  as  hotels,  and  the  old  '  City'  became  neglected,  deserted, 
forgotten  :  then  it  burned  down,  and  this  relic  of  the  olden  time 
of  San  Francisco  was  among  the  things  that  were.  Then  the 
old  adobe  custom-house  that  had  been  first  built  for  that  purpose, 
and  then  used  as  a  guard-house  and  military  office  by  the  Auier- 


Ilesidence  of  Samuel  Brannan,  Esq.,  in  1S47. 


icans,  and  then  afterwards  as  the  American  custom-house,  was 
also  burned.  The  wooden  building  directly  back  of  it,  with  the 
portico,  was  also  one  of  the  old  buildings — erected  and  occupied 
by  Samuel  Brannan,  Esq.  in  1847.  [In  this  house  were  exhibited 
the  first  specimens  of  gold  brought  from  the  jila  ceres.]  This  also 
was  burned,  and  all  that  remains  of  1847,  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
plaza,  is  the  old  adobe  on  Dupont  street.  This  building,  in  the 
latter  part  of  '47  and  '48  was  occupied  by  Robert  A.  Parker  as 
a  large  trading  establishment.  This  has  stood  through  all  the 
fires,  and  it  is  hoped  that  it  may  remain  for  years  as  a  relic  of  the 
past."  That  hope  was  vain.  In  the  following  year  the  adobe  on 
Dupont  street  was  pulled  down  to  make  way  for  finer  houses  on 
its  site.  So  has  it  been  with  all  the  relics  of  six  or  eight  years' 
standing.  What  the  fires  left,  the  progress  of  improvement 
swept  from  the  ground. 


348 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


July  11th. — Trial  and  execution  of  James  Stuart. 
August  24th. — Recapture  from  the  legal  authorities  of 
Whittaker  and  McKenzie,  and  their  execution  hy  the  "  Vigi- 
lance Committee." 

September  3d. — Annual  election  for  the  County  of  San 
Francisco.    The  following  were  the  officials  chosen  : — 


Senate. 

Frank  Soule,  Jacob  R.  Snyder. 

Assembly. 

B.  Orrick,         A.  C.  Peachy.         A.  J.  Ellis,          H.  Wohler, 
G.  W.  Tenbroeck,        R.  N.  Wood.        Isaac  N.  Thome. 

Judge  of  the  Superior  Court.  County  Judge. 

John  Satterlee.  Alexander  Campbell. 

Sheriff.  County  Clerk. 

John  C.  Hayes.  James  E.  Wainwright. 

County  Recorder.  District  Attorney. 

Thomas  B.  Russum.  H.  H.  Byrne. 

County  Treasurer.  County  Surveyor. 

Joseph  Shannon.  C.  Humphries. 

Coroner.  County  Assessor. 

Nathaniel  Gray.  Henry  Vandeveer. 

Harbor  Master. — George  Simpton. 

The  new  city  charter  had  provided  that  the  first  general 
election  for  municipal  officers  should  be  held  on  the  fourth  Monday 
of  April,  1851,  and  "  thereafter  annually  at  the  general  election 
for  State  officers."  Under  this  section  of  the  charter  it  was  un- 
derstood hy  some  that  the  second  city  election  should  take  place 
in  September  of  the  year  named,  when  the  usual  annual  election 
of  State  officers  occurred.  Another  construction  was  put  upon 
the  section  in  question  by  the  parties  already  in  office  and  by  a 
large  number  of  the  inhabitants,  to  the  effect  that  the  second 
election  under  the  charter  could  only  take  place  in  September, 
1852.  Thus  one  party  would  give  the  existing  common  council 
and  municipal  officers  only  half  a  year  in  power,  while  another 
party,  including  the  present  incumbents,  claimed  a  year  and  a 
half. 


A  CONTESTED  ELECTION.  349 

So  dignified,  or  so  satisfied  with  the  legal  strength  of  their 
position,  were  the  existing  city  officers,  that  they  took  no  steps  to 
order  a  new  election  in  September,  1851.  Their  opponents, 
however,  relying  on  their  own  interpretation  of  the  words  of  the 
charter,  proceeded  to  act  without  them,  and,  unopposed  in  any 
way,  elected  the  whole  parties  on  their  ticket.  The  general 
public  took  little  interest  in  the  matter,  and  most  people  seemed 
to  believe  that  the  new  election  would  end  in  nothing.  So  little 
did  the  citizens  concern  themselves,  that  some  of  those  newly 
elected,  polled  but  a  very  few  votes.  When  the  election  was  fin- 
ished the  new  officers  made  a  demand  upon  the  old  ones  for  a 
surrender  of  the  public  books  and  documents.  This  being 
refused,  the  new  mayor  elect,  Stephen  R.  Harris,  immediately 
raised  the  necessary  legal  action  against  the  old  mayor,  C.  J. 
Brenham,  for  a  declaration  of  his  own  rights  and  the  ejection  of 
the  latter  from  office.  In  the  district  court  a  judgment  was 
given  to  the  effect  that  the  present  incumbents  should  hold  office 
till  April,  1852,  and  that  then  those  elected  in  September,  1851, 
should  enter  upon  and  remain  in  office  for  one  year.  The  result 
of  this  decision  would  have  been  that  six  months  would  always 
intervene  between  the  election  and  the  entering  upon  office  of 
the  municipal  authorities.  This  decision  was  unsatisfactory  to 
most  people.  Mr.  Harris  next  carried  the  case  into  the  supreme 
court,  where  a  majority  of  the  judges  (24th  December),  after 
able  arguments  were  heard  from  the  parties,  reversed  the  judg- 
ment of  the  court  below,  and  found  Mr.  Harris  entitled  to  enter 
upon  office  as  in  September,  1851.  Mr.  Brenham  promptly  ac- 
knowledged the  weakness  of  his  position,  and  at  once  yielded  to 
his  legal  successor.  Party  feeling  prevented  the  other  city  officers 
from  surrendering  their  seats  so  readily.  Those  already  in  power 
consisted  of  men  of  both  of  the  great  political  parties — whig  and 
democratic  ;  and  had  been  originally  selected  chiefly  from  among 
the  independent  candidates,  as  men  who  would  earnestly  work 
for  the  common  good  and  the  purification  of  the  city  from  official 
corruption  and  wide-spread  crime.  On  the  other  hand,  those 
newly  elected  were  altogether  of  the  democratic  party.  The  old 
council  offered  to  resign,  if  the  new  one  would  do  the  same  ; 
when  both  could  appeal  a  second  time  to  the  people.    But  the 


350 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


latter  council  refused  to  do  this.  Meanwhile,  the  legal  courts 
had  adjourned,  and  it  would  have  cost  much  time  and  expense  to 
drive  out  the  old  council  from  the  places  which  they  persisted  in 
retaining  ;  and  their  year  of  office  would  probably  expire  before 
this  could  be  managed.  In  the  end,  however,  the  old  council 
thought  it  best  for  their  own  honor  and  the  interests  of  the  citv, 
to  quietly  retire  from  the  unseemly  contest,  and  make  way  for 
their  unexpected  successors.  The  names  and  offices  of  the  latter 
were  as  follows  : — 

Mayor. — Stephen  R.  Harris.         Recorder — George  W.  Baker. 
Marshal. — David  W.  Thompson.     Street  Commissioner. — Theodore  Payne. 
Comptroller. — Jas.  W.  Stillman.      Treasurer. — Smyth  Clarke. 
Tax  Collector. — D.  S.  Linell.         City  Attorney. — Chas.  M.  Delaney. 
Recorder's  Clerk. — Thomas  W.  Harper. 
City  Assessors. — James  C.  Callaghan,  David  Hoag,  Arthur  Matthews. 

Aldermen. 

E.  L.  Morgan,  Win.  G.  Wood,  Jos.  H.  Blood,  John  Cotter, 
Caleb  Hyatt,  James  Grant,  N.  S.  Pettit,  Wm.  Moore. 

Assistant  Aldermen. 
Henry  Meiggs,       Jos.  Galloway,       W.  H.  Crowell,       N.  Holland, 
D.  W.  Lockwood,  James  Graves,       J.  C.  Piercy,         John  W.  Kessling. 

September  16th. — The  "  Vigilance  Committee"  agreed  to 
suspend  indefinitely  farther  operations  regarding  crime  and  crim- 
inals in  the  city.  The  old  extensive  chambers  in  Battery  street 
were  relinquished,  and  new  rooms,  "  open  at  all  times,  day  and 
night,  to  the  members,"  were  taken  in  Middleton  and  Smiley's 
buildings,  corner  of  Sansome  and  Sacramento  streets.  During 
the  three  preceding  months  this  association  had  been  indefatiga- 
ble in  collecting  evidence  and  bringing  the  guilty  to  justice.  It 
had  been  formed  not  to  supersede  the  legal  authorities,  but  to 
strengthen  them  when  weak  ;  not  to  oppose  the  law,  but  to  sanc- 
tion and  confirm  it.  The  members  were  mostly  respectable  citi- 
zens, who  had,  and  could  have,  only  one  object  in  view — the 
general  good  of  the  community.  They  exercised  an  unceasing 
vigilance  over  the  hidden  movements  of  the  suspected  and  crim- 
inal population  of  the  place,  and  unweariedly  traced  crime  to  its 
source,  where  they  sought  to  stop  it.  They  had  hanged  four 
men  without  observing  ordinary  legal  forms,  but  the  persons  were 


THE  VIGILANCE  COMMITTEE. 


fairly  tried  and  found  guilty,  while  three,  at  least,  of  the  number, 
confessed  to  the  most  monstrous  crimes,  and  admitted  death  to  he 
only  a  due  punishment.  At  this  small  cost  of  bloodshed,  the 
"  Vigilance  Committee "  freed  the  city  and  country  of  many 
reckless  villains,  who  had  been  long  a  terror  to  society.  When 
these  had  disappeared,  outrages  against  person  and  property  al- 
most disappeared  too,  or  were  confined  to  petty  cases.  The  legal 
and  municipal  authorities  now  acquired,  what  previously  they 
lacked,  sufficient  power  to  master  the  remaining  criminals  ;  and 
the  committee,  having  no  longer  a  reason  for  continued  action, 
gladly  relinquished  the  powers  they  had  formerly  exercised. 
Grand  juries,  instead  of  offering  presentments  against  them,  only 
praised  in  the  usual  reports  their  useful  exertions,  while,  like  all 
good  citizens,  they  lamented  their  necessity.  J udges  occasionally 
took  offence  at  the  terms  of  such  reports,  and  sought  to  have 
them  modified;  but  the  grand  juries  were  firm.  Judge  Levi 
Parsons  applied  to  the  Supreme  Court  to  have  certain  obnoxious 
sentences  in  one  of  these  reports  struck  out ;  but  his  petition  was 
refused.  People  felt  that  there  was  much  truth  in  the  repeated 
declarations  of  the  grand  juries,  and  they  hailed  with  delight 
their  expressions  of  implied  confidence  in  the  Vigilance  Commit- 
tee. The  weak,  inefficient,  and  sometimes  corrupt  courts  of 
law  were  denounced  as  strongly  by  the  juries  as  by  that  associa- 
tion itself.  In  one  report  the  grand  jury  said  : — "  The  facilities 
with  which  the  most  notorious  culprits  are  enabled  to  obtain 
bail,  which,  if  not  entirely  worthless,  is  rarely  enforced  when  for- 
feited, and  the  numerous  cases  in  which  by  the  potent  influence 
of  money,  and  the  ingenious  and  unscrupulous  appliance  of  legal 
technicalities,  the  most  abandoned  criminals  have  been  enabled 
to  escape  a  deserved  punishment,  meets  with  their  unqualified 
disapprobation." 

But  the  worst  days  were  over,  and  comparative  peace  was  re- 
stored to  society.  Therefore  the  Vigilance  Committee  ceased  to 
act.  The  members,  however,  did  not  dissolve  the  association,  but 
only  appointed  a  special  or  executive  committee  of  forty-five  to 
exercise  a  general  watchfulness,  and  to  summon  together  the 
whole  body  when  occasion  should  require.  This  was  shortly  after- 
wards done  in  one  or  two  instances,  when  instead  of  being  oppos- 


352 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


ed  to  the  authorities,  the  members  now  firmly  supported  them  by 
active  personal  aid  against  commotions  and  threatened  outrages 
among  the  populace.  They  had  originally  organized  themselves 
to  protect  the  city  from  arson,  murder  and  rapine,  when  perpe- 
trated as  part  of  a  general  system  of  violence  and  plunder  by 
hardened  criminals.  In  ordinary  crimes,  and  when  these  stood 
alone,  and  did  not  necessarily  lead  to  general  destruction,  the 
Vigilance  Committee  did  not  interfere  farther  than  as  good  citi- 
zens and  to  merely  aid  the  ordinary  officials  whose  duty  it  was  to 
attend  to  all  cases  of  crime.  When,  therefore,  some  six  months 
later,  a  body  of  two  thousand  excited  people  sought  to  "  lynch  " 
the  captain  and  mate  of  the  ship  Challenge  for  cruelty  to  the 
crew  during  the  passage  from  New  York  to  San  Francisco,  the 
Vigilance  Committee,  instead  of  taking  the  side  of  the  enraged 
multitude,  firmly  supported  the  legal  authorities.  On  many 
occasions,  both  before  and  after  this  time,  the  committee  were  of 
great  service  to  the  authorities.  At  their  own  cost,  they  collected 
evidence,  apprehended  criminals  and  delivered  them  into  the  hands 
of  legal  justice.  When  the  city  offered  a  reward  of  $2500  to 
any  person  who  would  give  information  which  might  lead  to  the 
apprehension  and  conviction  of  an  incendiary,  the  committee 
offered  a  reward  of  $5000  for  the  same  services.  The  members 
gave  large  contributions  to  hasten  the  completion  of  the  public 
jail ;  and,  in  many  ways,  by  money,  counsel  and  moral  aid,  and 
active  personal  assistance,  sought  earnestly  to  raise  the  character 
of  the  judicial  tribunals  and  strengthen  their  action.  There  could 
not  be  a  greater  calumny  uttered  against  high-minded  men  than 
to  represent,  as  was  frequently  done  in  other  countries,  and  in  the 
Atlantic  States,  the  members  of  the  Vigilance  Committee  as  a 
lawless  mob,  who  made  passion  their  sole  guide  and  their  own 
absolute  will  the  law  of  the  land.  Necessity  formed  the  com- 
mittee, and  gave  it  both  irresistible  moral  and  physical  force.  One 
might  as  well  blame  a  drowning  wretch  for  clinging  to  a  sinking 
brother,  or  to  a  straw,  as  say  that  the  inhabitants  of  San  Fran- 
cisco did  wrong — some  in  joining  the  association,  and  others  in 
not  resisting  but  applauding  its  proceedings.  People  out  of  Cal- 
ifornia could  know  little  at  best  of  the  peculiar  state  of  society 
existing  there  ;  and  such  as  condemned  the  action  of  the  Vigilance 


NEW  JENNY  LIND  THEATRE. 


353 


Committee  positively  either  knew  nothing  on  the  subject,  or  they 
outraged  the  plainest  principles  of  self-preservation.  We  all 
defend  the  man  who,  with  his  own  hand,  violently  and  unscrupu- 
lously slays  the  midnight  robber  and  assassin,  because  he  would 
otherwise  lose  his  own  life  and  property,  and  where  the  time  and 
place  make  it  ridiculous  to  call  for  legal  protection.  So  also 
should  we  defend  the  community  that  acts  in  a  similar  manner 
under  analogous  circumstances.  Their  will  and  power  form  new 
ex  tempore  laws,  and  if  the  motives  be  good  and  the  result  good, 
it  is  not  very  material  what  the  means  are.  This  subject  is  treat- 
ed at  greater  length  in  the  chapter  on  the  Vigilance  Committee, 
and  to  it  the  reader  is  referred. 

October  3d. — "  Wells  &  Co."  bankers,  suspended  payment. 
This  and  the  bankruptcy  of  H.  M.  Naglee  already  noticed,  are 
the  only  instances  of  failure  among  that  class  of  the  citizens  of 
San  Francisco.  When  the  place  and  the  speculative  spirit  of 
the  people  are  borne  in  mind,  it  is  high  testimony  to  the  general 
stability  of  the  banking  interest,  that  only  two  of  their  estab- 
lishments have  become  bankrupt. 

October  4th. — Opening  of  the  new  Jenny  Lind  Theatre  on 
the  Plaza.  This  was  a  large  and  handsome  house.  The  interior 
was  fitted  up  with  exquisite  taste  ;  and  altogether  in  size,  beauty 
and  comfort,  it  rivalled  the  most  noted  theatres  in  the  Atlantic 
States.  It  could  seat  comfortably  upwards  of  two  thousand  per- 
sons. The  opening  night  presented  a  brilliant  display  of  beauty 
and  fashion,  and  every  part  of  the  immense  building  was  crowded 
to  excess.  A  poetical  address  was  delivered  on  the  occasion  by 
Mrs.  E.  Woodward.  A  new  era  in  theatricals  was  now  begun 
in  San  Francisco  ;  and  since  that  period  the  city  has  never  wanted 
one  or  two  first  class  theatres  and  excellent  stock  companies, 
among  which  "  stars  "  of  the  first  magnitude  annually  make  their 
appearance.  Before  this  date  there  had  been  various  dramatic 
companies  in  San  Francisco,  but  not  before  had  there  been  so 
magnificent  a  stage  for  their  performances.  The  "  Jenny  Lind  " 
did  not  long  remain  a  theatre.  The  following  year  it  was  pur- 
chased by  the  town  for  a  City  Hall  for  the  enormous  sum  of  two 
hundred  thousand  dollars.    The  external  stone  walls  were  allowed 


23 


354 


ANNALS  OF  SAX  FRANCISCO. 


to  stand,  but  the  whole  interior  was  removed  and  fitted  up  anew 
for  the  special  purposes  to  which  it  was  meant  to  be  applied. 


Jenny  Lind  Theatre. 


October  20th. — The  "  American  "  theatre  opened.  This 
was  a  large  brick  and  wooden  house  in  Sansome  street,  between 
( California  and  Sacramento  streets.  It  could  contain  nearly  two 
thousand  persons,  and  was  very  elegantly  furnished  inside.  Mrs. 
Stark  gave  the  opening  address.1  The  walls  sank  nearly  two 
inches  on  the  opening  night,  when  the  "  house "  was  densely 
crowded.  The  site  formed  a  portion  of  the  bay,  and  the  sand 
which  made  the  artificial  foundation  had  been  deposited  upon  a 
bed  of  soft  yielding  mud.  Considerable  fears  were  entertained 
in  such  circumstances  for  the  safety  of  the  structure.  Happily 
the  sinking  of  the  walls  was  regular,  and  after  the  first  night  no 
material  change  was  perceptible. 

October  31st. — To  enable  the  distant  reader  to  form  an 
idea  of  the  crowded  state  of  the  harbor,  and  which  it  may  be 


INDIAN  DISTURBANCES. 


355 


mentioned  was  at  all  times  about  as  well  filled,  we  give  the  fol- 
lowing accurate  list  of  the  number  of  vessels  lying  there  at  this 
date,  viz  : — 

Ships.         Barques.       Brig!     Schooners.  Ocean  Steamers,  Total. 


American  42          G4          C7  50  9  232 

British  5         23           5  3  30 

French  9           11  U 

Chilian               ....  1            2  1  one  S,00P  * onc  Salliot  0 

Bremen  1           4           4  1  10 

Austrian  1  ship  ;  Swedish.  3  brigs.  4 

German  1  barque  ;  Italian,  1  brig  ;  Dutch,  2  barques,  4 


Storeships,  148 

Total  number  of  vessels   451 

The  store-ships  had  originally  belonged  to  all  nations,  though 
chiefly  to  America.  In  1848  and  1849,  most  of  the  vessels  that 
then  arrived  in  the  bay  were  deserted  by  their  crews,  while  both 
in  these  years  and  in  1850,  many  old  and  unseaworthv  vessels 
had  been  hurriedly  pressed  into  the  vast  emigration  service  to  Cal- 
ifornia. A  considerable  number  of  all  these  vessels  were  not 
worth  the  expense  of  manning  and  removing,  and  so  they  were 
left  to  be  used  as  stores  and  lodging-houses  in  the  suddenly 
thronged  town,  or  to  rot  and  sink,  dismantled  and  forsaken.  We 
have  had  occasion  at  various  places  to  mention  that  several  of 
these  ships  are  now  lying  on  dry  land,  in  the  very  centre  of  t  he 
city. 

November  6th. — A  grand  ball  was  given  in  the  evening  of 
this  day  at  the  Parker  House,  by  the  Monumental  Fire  Company. 
It  was  one  of  the  finest  affairs  of  the  kind  held  in  the  city.  Up- 
wards of  five  hundred  ladies  and  gentlemen  were  present.  Such 
balls  were  becoming  too  numerous  to  be  all  chronicled,  while 
amidst  the  general  brilliancy  it  is  difficult  to  select  any  one  as 
a  specimen  to  show  forth  the  times. 

December. — The  southern  portion  of  the  State,  having  been 
recently  in  great  danger  from  attacks  of  the  confederated  Indian 
tribes,  applied  for  aid  to  Gen.  Hitchcock,  commanding  U.  S. 
forces  in  California.  He  accordingly  sent  as  many  of  his  troops 
as  could  be  spared,  and  authorized  the  raising  of  two  companies 
of  mounted  volunteers.  Great  excitement,  in  consequence  of 
this  permission  and  the  previous  alarming  news,  existed  in  the 


356 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


city,  and  numbers  hastened  to  enroll  themselves  in  the  proposed 
companies.  To  the  disappointment  of  many  applicants,  a  selec- 
tion only  could  be  received.  The  two  companies  were  placed 
under  the  respective  commands  of  Col.  John  W.  Geary  and  Capt. 
Daniel  Aldrich,  while  Col.  J.  C.  Hayes  was  appointed  to  the  com- 
mand in  chief.  Later  intelligence  from  the  south,  to  the  effect 
that  the  Indian  difficulties  were  being  arranged,  rendered  it  un- 
necessary for  the  volunteers  to  proceed  thither. 

December  21st. — This  day  was  remarkable  for  an  unusually 
severe  storm  of  wind  and  rain,  which  continued  during  the  night, 
and  lasted  several  days  without  abatement.  The  tide  was  several 
feet  higher  than  ordinary,  and  the  swell  from  the  bay  rolled  in  so 
heavily  as  to  wash  away  the  sand  from  many  of  the  newly-piled 
water  lots.  Several  vessels  dragged  from  their  moorings  and 
came  in  collision  with  others.  Store-ships,  that  had  long  been 
imbedded  in  the  sand,  were  set  afloat  and  drifted  to  other  quar- 
ters. The  water  at  Jackson  street  rose  so  high  as  to  cross  Mont- 
gomery street,  causing,  at  their  junction,  a  lake  of  no  inconsid- 
erable dimensions.  The  cellars  in  the  lower  part  of  the  city  were 
inundated. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 


1851. 

Immigration  diminished.— Females  comparatively  few.— Great  city  improvements.— Productions  of 
the  country,  game,  Sic,  in  the  markets. — Character  of  the  community  changing  for  the  better. — The 
circulating  medium. — Extravagance  in  living,  dress,  &c. — Personal  rencontres  and  other  outrages 
common.— Titles  to  real  estate  uncertain.— Legal  decisions. — Depreciated  value  of  merchandise. — 
Amusements,  dissipation  and  recreation.— The  foreign  population.  -  Great  crimes  less  frequent — 
The  finances  of  the  city. 

The  arrivals  by  sea  at  San  Francisco  were  not  so  numerous  in 
1851  as  during  the  preceding  year.  The  tide  of  immigration  was 
slackening,  only  to  roll  in  its  much  greater  numbers  the  following 
season.  During  1851,  upwards  of  27,000  persons  arrived  by 
sea.  Of  these  rather  more  than  one-half  came  by  steamers  from 
the  ports  on  or  near  the  Isthmus.  The  ordinary  population  of 
the  city  was  increasing,  though  more  slowly  than  before.  At  the 
close  of  this  year  the  total  number  probably  exceeded  thirty 
thousand.  Females  were  very  few  in  proportion  to  the  whole 
number  of  inhabitants,  although  they  were  beginning  to  increase 
more  rapidly.  A  very  large  proportion  of  the  female  population 
continued  to  be  of  loose  character.  The  Chinese  now  began  to 
arrive  in  considerable  bands,  and  occasionally  a  few  of  their  fe- 
males. Great  numbers  of  French  and  Germans,  of  both  sexes, 
as  well  as  other  foreigners,  made  their  appearance.  The  immi- 
grants generally  were  of  the  mining  and  agricultural  classes,  al- 
though a  fair  number  of  them  ultimately  settled  in  San  Francisco. 
An  extensive  immigration  continued  among  the  various  districts 
and  towns  of  the  country,  and  the  population  of  all  was  constant- 
ly changing.  Fewer  fortunate  miners  now  paid  visits  to  the  city 
for  the  sake  of  mere  recreation,  since  the  rising  towns  of  the 
interior,  particularly  Sacramento  and  Stockton,  the  capitals  of  the 
northern  and  southern  mines  respectively,  offered  all  the  attrac- 
tions of  dissipation  closer  at  hand.    Yet  in  one  way  or  another, 


358 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


at  least  one  half  of  the  entire  population  of  the  State  passed 
through,  or  visited  San  Francisco.  The  ocean  steamers  carried 
away  more  people  from  the  port  than,  they  brought.  There  was 
the  usual  large  land  immigration  into  the  State,  and,  on  the 
whole,  the  general  population  of  the  country  was  considerably 
increased. 


East  side  of  Portsmouth  Square.  S[iriri;z  of  1851 


In  San  Francisco  material  improvements  were  taking  place. 
At  Clark's  Point,  on  the  northern  extremity  of  the  city,  huge  pre- 
cipitous rocks  were  quarried  and  removed,  and  the  solid  hill  deeply 
excavated,  whereby  much  new  and  valuable  space  was  gained  for 
building  operations.  New  streets  were  graded,  planked  and  built 
upon,  and  new  and  finer  houses  every  where  erected.  In  the 
southern  districts,  the  "steam-paddy"  had  been  set  to  work,  and 
was  rapidly  cutting  away  the  numerous  sand  hills  that  lay  be- 
tween the  plaza  and  "  Happy  Valley."  The  rubbish  was  con- 
veyed by  temporary  rails  along  the  streets,  and  emptied  into  the 
bay  at  those  parts  where  already  roads  were  laid  out  and  houses 


CITY  IMPROVEMENTS. 


359 


built  on  piles.  Sansome  and  Battery,  with  the  intersecting 
streets  to  a  considerable  distance,  were  gradually  filled  up,  and 
firm  foundations  given  for  the  substantial  brick  and  stone  houses 
that  were  beginning  to  be  erected  there.  The  town  continued  to 
move  eastward,  and  new  streets  were  formed  upon  piles  farther 
out  into  the  bay,  across  which  the  piers  and  wharves  were  shoot- 
ing like  the  first  slender  fines  of  ice  before  the  sheet  of  water 
hardens  into  a  solid  mass.  Closer  and  thicker  the  lines  ran,  as 
house  after  house  was  reared  on  innumerable  piles,  while  the 
steam-paddy  and  railway  wagons,  and  horse-carts  without  num- 
ber, were  incessantly  bearing  hills  of  sand  piecemeal  to  fill  up  the 
hollows,  and  drive  the  sea  far  away  from  the  original  beach. 
Where  once  6hips  of  a  thousand  tons  floated  there  now  rose  great 
tenements  of  brick  and  mortar  securely  founded  in  the  solid 
earth.  Portions  of  the  loose  sand  were  insensibly  washed  oft'  by 
the  tides  from  the  first  places  where  it  was  deposited,  and  the 
bay  was  slowly  becoming  shallower  to  a  considerable  distance 
from  shore.  As  the  wharves  were  pushed  farther  out,  the  si  lip- 
ping found  less  convenient  anchorage,  and  were  exposed  to  occa- 
sional strong  tides  and  gales.  The  character  of  the  port  was 
perhaps  changing  somewhat  for  the  worse,  although  the  necessi- 
ties of  the  town  so  far  urgently  required  an  extension  across  the 
bay. 

The  fires  of  1850  and  1851,  while  they  destroyed  much  valu- 
able property,  led  in  the  end  to  a  very  superior  kind  of  building, 
and  may  thus  be  said  to  have  done  some  permanent  good.  They 
have  stamped  a  wonderfully  grand  character  upon  the  architec- 
ture of  the  place.  What  at  first  were  called  and  believed  to  be 
fire-proof  houses  were  becoming  numerous,  when  successive  con- 
flagrations came  and  removed  them  all.  Other  houses  were  built 
of  a  still  more  substantial  kind,  and  these  were  destroyed  by  fire 
in  turn.  At  last,  some  buildings  were  erected  that  surely  were 
proof  against  the  most  intense  heat  and  flame  ;  and  upon  their 
models  all  the  later  structures  of  pretension  have  been  formed. 
While  in  certain  respects  these  buildings  assume  the  proportions 
and  grandeur  of  palaces,  in  others  they  appear  heavy  and  gloomy 
like  the  veriest  prisons.  The  walls  are  enormously  thick,  and  the 
windows  deeply  sunk  in  them,  showing  often  at  first  sight  only 


360 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


narrow,  dark  cavities.  When  the  ponderous  wrought  iron  shutters 
and  doors  are  closed  on  the  outside  the  resemblance  to  a  jail  is  com- 
plete. It  is  believed  that  no  fire  from  without  can  seriously  affect 
such  buildings,  although  they  may  be  subject  to  internal  confla- 
gration. While  improved  houses  were  rising  in  the  centre  and 
business  portion  of  the  town,  superior  buildings  of  frame  were  re- 
placing in  the  outskirts  and  suburbs  the  old  habitations,  or  such 
as  were  destroyed  by  fire.  The  new  plank  road  to  the  mission 
had  opened  up  a  large  and  valuable  tract  of  building  ground,  and 
neat  and  substantial  wooden  houses  were  being  erected  along  the 
whole  way. 

In  the  vicinity  of  the  town,  wherever  a  tiny  fertilizing  stream 
of  water  ran  among  the  sand  hills,  at  the  mission  and  the  presidio, 
numerous  flower  and  kitchen  gardens  and  small  farms  were  laid 
out,  which  yielded  large  supplies  of  the  more  necessary  or  prized 
vegetables.  In  1849,  the  announcement  of  a  real  cabbage  at 
dinner  would  have  set  half  the  population  frantic  with  strangely 
stirred  appetites  ;  now,  the  many  cultivated  spots  named,  daily 
furnished  numerous  loaded  carts  of  all  kinds  of  fresh  vegetables 
to  the  city  markets.  Potatoes  were  no  longer  a  rarity  ;  turnips 
could  be  had  for  money — and  at  a  moderate  price,  too.  The 
markets  made  pleasant  morning  sights.  Besides  a  profusion  of 
vegetables  and  fruits,  they  were  largely  supplied  with  noble  fish 
and  game  of  all  descriptions  from  the  ocean,  the  bay  and  the  in- 
terior. Salmon  of  huge  dimensions,  and  vast  quantities  of  like 
delicious  fish,  whole  cart  loads  of  geese,  ducks,  quails,  and  other 
wild  fowl,  innumerable  quarters  of  bear,  elk,  antelope,  deer,  and 
smaller  game,  loaded  the  stalls  of  the  dealers.  Mutton  was  per- 
haps not  so  plentiful,  but  excellent  beef  was  in  abundance. 
Times  had  changed  with  San  Francisco.  The  hardships  and 
semi-starvation  of  1849  were  forgotten  in  these  ample  supplies 
of  exquisite  food.  The  epicure  might  traverse  the  globe,  and 
have  no  finer  living  than  what  this  city  yielded ;  the  glutton 
would  here  find  both  eye  and  palate  satiated.  But  two  years  had 
sufficed  to  this  astonishing  change. 

The  fires  that  cleared  the  ground  and  rendered  necessary  new 
building  operations,  and  the  improved  style  of  house  structures, 
gave  constant  employment  to  every  body  who  could  and  would 


CITY  IMPROVEMENTS. 


361 


work.  Wages  therefore  continued  high,  and  the  poorest  of  the 
laboring  classes  were  enjoying  the  incomes  of  merchants  and  pro- 
fessional men  of  other  countries.  The  general  improvements  in 
the  aspect  of  the  town  and  social  character  of  the  people,  noticed 


New  World  Market,  corner  of  Commercial  and  Leidesdorff  streets. 


in  the  review  of  1850,  were  still  going  on.  New  "Expresses" 
were  hurrying  to  all  points,  stage  coaches,  mails  and  noble 
steamers  communicated  with  the  most  distant  quarters.  Ad- 
ditional manufactories  and  stores,  additional  newspapers,  thea- 
tres, public  institutions,  benevolent,  useful  and  agreeable  associa- 
tions, were  being  constantly  established.  Schools  and  churches 
were  springing  up  on  all  sides.  A  certain  class  largely  patronized 
the  last,  though  it  must  be  admitted  that  very  many,  particular- 
ly foreigners,  never  entered  them.  The  old  life  and  bustle  con- 
tinued, though  matters  were  now  systematized,  and  offered  less 
show  and  confusion.  In  1849,  San  Francisco  was  like  a  great 
ant-hill,  when  its  busy  creatures  happen  to  be  disturbed,  and 
when  all  were  visible,  hurrying  to  and  fro,  out  and  in,  backwards 
and  forwards,  apparently  in  the  most  admirable  confusion  and 


362 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


cross  purposes,  as  if  every  one  were  engaged  in  some  life  and 
death  struggle.  In  1851,  the  city  was  like  the  same  ant-hill 
when  the  cause  of  fright  had  been  removed  and  order  restored. 
The  old  tenants  were  still  as  busy  as  ever,  but  there  was  method 
now  in  their  actions.  Some  were  closely  engaged  in  the  interior 
— the  cells  or  houses  of  the  place — and  made  no  show.  Outside 
lines  of  other  eager  workers  ran  here  and  there,  without  jostling 
or  confusion,  all  filled  with  the  thought  of  what  they  had  to  do, 
and  doing  it  well  and  quickly.  There  was  no  sauntering,  no 
idleness,  no  dreaming.  All  was  practical  and  real ;  all  energy, 
perseverance  and  success.  In  business  and  in  pleasure,  the  San 
Franciscans  were  fast  folk  ;  none  were  faster  in  the  world.  Their 
rents,  interest  on  money,  doings  and  profits,  were  all  calculated 
monthly.  A  month  with  them  was  considered  equal  to  a  year 
with  other  people.  In  the  former  short  time,  men  did  such 
deeds,  and  saw,  felt,  thought,  suffered  and  enjoyed,  as  much  as 
would  have  lasted  over  a  twelvemonth  in  other  lands.  But  then 
these  were  really  men — giants  rather,  the  very  choice  of  the  cle- 
verest, most  adventurous  and  hard-working  people  of  America 
and  Europe.  California  was  a  hot-bed  that  brought  humanity  to 
a  rapid,  monstrous  maturity,  like  the  mammoth  vegetables  for 
which  it  is  so  celebrated. 

The  city  was  settling  fast  into  the  condition  in  which  it  now 
is.  The  characteristics  of  a  Spanish  or  Mexican  town  had  nearly 
all  disappeared.  The  barbarous  magnificence  of  an  old  Califor- 
nian  rider  was  now  seldom  seen.  The  jingling,  gaudy  trappings 
of  the  horse,  the  clumsy  stirrups  and  leathern  aprons,  the  con- 
stant lasso  and  the  reckless  rider,  had  given  place  to  the  plain, 
useful  harness  of  the  American  and  his  more  moderate,  though 
still  dashing  riding.  Superb  carriages  now  thronged  the  streets, 
and  handsome  omnibuses  regularly  plied  between  the  plaza  and 
the  mission.  People  now,  instead  of  being  "  every  thing  by  turns 
and  nothing  long,"  more  steadily  confined  themselves  to  one 
proper  business.  The  old  stores,  where  so  recently  all  things 
"  from  a  needle  to  an  anchor  "  could  be  obtained,  were  nearly  ex- 
tinct ;  and  separate  classes  of  retail  shops  and  wholesale  ware- 
houses were  now  the  order  of  business.  Gold  dust  as  a  currency 
had  long  given  place  to  coin.     Two  years  before,  the  buyer 


THE  CIRCULATING  MEDIUM. 


363 


would  carelessly  tumble  out  a  heap  of  "dust"  in  payment, 
while  the  seller  would  have  his  weights  and  scales  ready  for  it  as 
a  matter  of  course.    A  little  lump  less  or  more  to  the  quantity 
was  of  no  consequence  to  either  party.    All  that  loose,  stylish 
kind  of  thing  was  now  changed.    Coin  was  plentiful,  and  its 
fair  worth  was  generally  looked  for.    People  found  it  somewhat 
more  difficult  to  accumulate  wealth,  and  were  less  foolishly  lavish 
Of  their  means,  although  they  still  always  spent  them  most  ex- 
travagantly.  Specimens  of  nearly  all  the  coinage  of  the  civilized 
world  were  in  constant  circulation.    Approximate  values  were 
bestowed  upon  the  pieces,  and  if  any  thing  like  the  mark,  they 
readily  passed  current.    The  English  shilling,  the  American 
quarter-dollar,  the  French  franc,  the  Mexican  double-real  were 
all  of  the  same  value  ;  so  likewise  were  the  English  crown,  the 
French  five-franc  piece,  and  the  American  or  Mexican  dollar. 
It  did  not  matter  although  some  were  twenty-five  per  cent,  more 
worth  than  others.    Four  single  francs  were  quite  as  good  as  the 
English  five-shilling  piece.    The  smaller  silver  coins  of  whatever 
denomination  and  of  every  country  were  all  alike  bits,  and  passed 
for  the  same  value.    As  for  copper  money,  it  was,  of  course, 
never  seen.    A  bit  was  the  lowest  denomination  of  money,  and 
very  little  of  auy  thing  would  it  buy.    Besides  the  coins  men- 
tioned, there  were  Indian  rupees,  Dutch  and  German  florins  and 
guilders,  the  many  coinages  of  South  America,  and  in  fact  every 
known  piece  of  money  that  circulated  in  Europe,  and  in  many 
other  parts  of  the  world.    The  deficiency  in  the  American  proper 
coinage  was  thus  amply  made  up,  especially  so  far  as  silver 
money  was  concerned.   In  gold  there  was  a  less  variety  of  foreign 
coin,  although  many  European  pieces  of  that  metal  were  in  cir- 
culation.   The  fifty  dollar  gold  pieces  called  "  slugs,"  and  the 
twenty  and  ten  dollar  pieces,  issued  by  the  United  States  Assay 
Office,  in  San  Francisco,  served  all  the  purposes  of  a  regular 
standard  coinage.    Before,  and  shortly  after  the  establishment 
of  the  assay  office,  large  quantities  of  gold  currency  were  sup- 
plied by  about  a  dozen  different  private  parties  ;  but  as  these 
coinages  were  generally  of  less  intrinsic  worth,  in  purity  and 
weight  of  metal,  than  their  nominal  value,  they  soon  fell  into 
disrepute  and  were  gradually  withdrawn  from  circulation.  Some 


364  ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 

of  them  were  very  neatly  executed,  and  stray  specimens  may 
still  be  occasionally  found  by  the  curious. 

Formerly,  that  is,  only  two  years  before,  the  San  Franciscans 
were  careless  in  personal  appearance,  and  rude  in  manners.  Now, 
they  dressed  richly  and  extravagantly,  and  assumed  the  polished 
airs  of  gentlemen.  A  striking  change  was  observable  every 
where,  and  in  every  thing.  The  houses  were  growing  magnificent, 
and  their  tenants  fashionable.  Perhaps  this  fashion  was  not 
quite  d  la  mode  de  Paris,  but  rather  sui  generis.  Balls  and  con- 
vivial parties  of  the  most  brilliant  character  were  constantly 
taking  place.  The  great  number  of  flaunting  women  of  pleasure, 
particularly  the  French,  mightily  encouraged  this  universal  holi- 
day, and  gave  ease,  taste,  and  sprightly  elegance  to  the  manners 
of  the  town.  There  is  perhaps  no  place  in  the  world  where 
money  is  so  little  regarded  as  in  San  Francisco.  A  man  spends 
there  like  a  prince,  as  he  gains  like  one.  The  "  almighty  dollar  " 
to  him  appears  of  less  worth  than  a  shilling  does  to  people  in 
England  or  in  our  Eastern  States.  At  these  balls,  and  at  all 
public  and  private  entertainments,  immense  sums  were  squan- 
dered. Trade  might  be  dull,  bad,  ruinous — rents  might  rise  or 
fall,  and  people  be  really  insolvent — still  they  spent  money  on  all 
sides.  Business  losses  generally  fell  on  distant  correspondents, 
and  the  half-burned  and  supposed  bankrupt  and  ruined  city 
showed  still  the  same  brilliant  bustle  ;  and  its  inhabitants  still 
pursued  the  same  expensive  round  of  amusements.  Gold  must 
come  from  the  placers,  and  San  Francisco  never  could  in  a  cer- 
tain sense  be  poor.  The  riches  of  the  Californian  mines  on  the 
one  side,  and  the  luxuries  and  conveniences  of  all  countries  in 
the  world  on  the  other,  met  in  San  Francisco.  It  would  be  hard 
indeed  for  its  hot-blooded  and  venturous  population  if  they  did 
not  make  the  treasures  within  their  grasp  minister  to  every  en- 
joyment that  youth  and  sanguine  constitutions  could  crave. 

Ever  since  the  first  great  immigration  many  of  the  inhabit- 
ants carried  some  weapon  of  defence  secretly  about  them. 
During  the  disturbed  times  in  the  early  part  of  1851,  when  no- 
body was  safe  from  the  assaults  of  desperadoes  even  in  the  public 
street  or  in  his  own  dwelling,  the  practice  of  wearing  deadly 
weapons  became  still  more  common.    These  were  often  used — 


LAND  TITLES  THE  CAUSE  OF  DISPUTES. 


365 


though  not  so  much  against  the  robber  and  assassin,  as  upon  the 
old  friend  and  acquaintance,  or  the  stranger,  when  drink  and 
scandal,  time  and  circumstance  had  converted  them  into  supposed 
enemies.  The  number  of  duels,  and  especially  of  sudden  per- 
sonal affrays,  was  fearfully  great.  The  general  population  of 
San  Francisco — with  shame  it  must  be  confessed,  in  those  days, 
as  is  still  the  case  to  a  considerable  extent — drank  largely  of  in- 
toxicating liquors.  A  great  many  tippled  at  times,  and  quite  as 
many  swore  lustily.  They  are  an  adventurous  people,  and  their 
enjoyments  are  all  of  an  exciting  kind.  They  are  bold  and 
reckless  from  the  style  of  the  place  and  the  nature  both  of  busi- 
ness and  amusement.  New-comers  fall  naturally  into  the  same 
character.  It  may  therefore  be  imagined  that  personal  rencon- 
tres frequently  occur  among  such  a  population.  In  1851  these 
were  constantly  happening.  One  man  perhaps  called  another  a 
"  liar,"  and  straightway  revolvers  were  produced  on  both  sides. 
Repeated  shots  were  hastily  fired,  with  sometimes  as  much 
damage  to  the  by-standers  as  to  the  half-drunken  quarrelers 
themselves.  Some  scenes  of  a  most  savage  and  atrocious  descrip- 
tion, ending  occasionally  in  death,  took  place  between  parties  who 
were  reputed  to  be  of  the  first  class  of  citizens.  Among  the 
lower  American  orders,  and  in  all  classes  of  foreigners,  down  to 
the  vilest  "  greasers,"  the  same  violent  spirit  of  personal  revenge 
and  deadly  outrage  was  common.  On  the  slightest  occasion,  at 
a  look  or  touch,  ah  oath,  a  single  word  of  offence,  the  bowie-knife 
leaped  from  its  sheath,  and  the  loaded  revolver  from  the  breast 
pocket  or  the  secret  case,  and  death  or  severe  wounds  quickly 
closed  the  scene.  The  spectators  often  shared  in  the  same  wild 
feelings,  and  did  not  always  seek  to  interfere.  The  law  was  pow- 
erless to  prevent  such  personal  conflicts.  Men  thought  as  little 
of  their  blood  and  lives  as  of  their  money,  and  to  gratify  high 
swelling  passion  would  madly  waste  them  all  alike. 

One  considerable  cause  of  personal  disputes  and  bloodshed 
was  the  uncertainty  of  legal  titles  to  property,  which  encouraged 
squatterism.  Owing  to  recent  conflicting  decisions  by  the  courts 
of  law  it  almost  appeared  that  the  only,  or  the  best  title  to  real 
tstate  was  actual  possession.  A  great  many  people  made  a  prac- 
tice of  settling  down  upon  any  vacant  lot  they  fancied,  and  per- 


366 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


haps  in  the  course  of  a  night  would  fence  it  in  and  erect  some 
small  house  on  the  ground.  When  daylight  and  the  proprietor 
came,  the  intruder  defied  ejection.  To  seek  redress  from  the 
tribunals  whose  judgments  had  led  to  these  encroachments  was 
only  ridiculous  ;  so  the  parties  generally  fought  it  out  among 
themselves,  with  the  aid  of  friends  and  long  purses  to  hire  help, 
until  both  suffered  considerably  in  the  battle.  The  effect  of  these 
conflicting  legal  decisions  on  the  titles  to  real  estate  had  other- 
wise a  very  prejudicial  effect.  They  hindered  the  immediate  and 
permanent  improvement  of  property,  since  no  man  would  expend 
large  sums  in  that  way  when  his  title  to  the  ground  was  in  jeop- 
ardy. Lenders,  already  alarmed  at  the  foolish  proposals  of  usury 
bills  in  the  Legislature,  became  shy  in  advancing  money  on  the 
security  of  many  properties  ;  the  value  of  real  estate  fell  consid- 
erably ;  in  some  instances  no  price  whatever  could  be  obtained 
where  the  title  was  disputed  ;  and  all  was  painful  doubt  on  the 
subject.  In  1850,  real  estate  in  the  city  was  assessed  at  the 
value  of  $16,849,024  ;  while,  in  1851,  it  was  only  $10,518,273  ; 
and  this  was  notwithstanding  the  vast  improvements  that  had 
taken  place  in  the  interval.  In  the  end,  certain  acts  passed  by 
the  State,  which  confirmed  sales  of  the  beach  and  water  lots  by 
the  city  and  sanctioned  its  title  to  those  lots  still  unsold,  and 
also  later  and  more  satisfactory  decisions  of  the  Supreme  Court 
in  the  matter  of  titles,  helped  to  re-establish  confidence  on  the 
subject,  and  secure  the  old  owner  in  his  property  against  the 
mere  squatter. 

The  commerce  and  imports  of  San  Francisco  were  very  great 
during  1851 — too  great  indeed  for  a  profitable  trade.  The  fall 
in  the  prices  of  nearly  all  kinds  of  merchandise  which  lasted  over 
a  great  part  of  1850,  continued  during  the  following  year.  Mat- 
ters were  perhaps  not  quite  so  bad  as  when,  in  the  spring  of 
1850,  chests  of  tobacco  were  used  to  pave  the  streets  or  make  a 
solid  foundation  for  houses,  and  when  nearly  every  article  of  mer- 
chandise went  a-begging  for  a  buyer,  and  not  finding  one  was  cast 
aside  to  rot,  or  used  to  fill  up  mud-holes  ;  but  still,  in  1851,  most 
kinds  of  goods  were  a  dead  loss  to  the  owner.  In  the  palmy 
days  of  '48  and  '49,  all  were  purchasers,  at  any  price :  now  every 
body  sought  to  sell,  at  no  matter  what  sacrifice.    In  '49  a  dollar 


DEPRECIATED  VALUE  OF  MERCHANDISE. 


367 


was  paid  for  a  pill,  and  the  same  sum  for  an  egg  ;  a  hundred  dol- 
lars for  a  pair  of  boots,  and  twice  that  sum  for  a  decent  suit  of 
clothes  ;  a  single  rough  brick  cost  a  dime,  and  a  plank  some 
twenty  feet  long  was  cheap  at  ten  dollars.    At  one  period  of  that 
wondrous  year,  common  iron  tacks  of  the  smallest  size,  sold  for  their 
weight  in  gold  ;  and  for  a  long  period  were  in  request  at  from  five  to 
ten  dollars  an  ounce.   But  in  '51,  bales  of  valuable  goods  were  some- 
times not  worth  their  storage.    There  happened  to  be  no  plaster 
walls  in  '49,  and  small  tacks— of  which  there  was  only  a  very 
meagre  quantity  in  the  country, — were  in  extreme  demand  for 
fastening  the  usual  muslin  coverings  to  tbe  wooden  partitions  of 
houses.    Hence  the  apparently  extravagant  sum  that  was  given. 
Every  thing  that  was  useful  and  really  needed  in  those  earlier 
days  commanded  the  most  astonishing  prices.    The  supply  was 
limited  and  the  demand  great,  while  money  was  suddenly  plenti- 
ful.   But  in  1851,  the  stock  of  all  kinds  of  goods  was  greatly 
over-proportioned  to  the  natural  demand  of  the  place.    The  pop- 
ulation of  the  city  and  country  generally,  although  numbering 
only  about  a  quarter  of  a  million  persons,  yet  being  nearly  all  in 
the  prime  of  life,  rich  and  careless,  and  with  large  appetites,  con- 
sumed and  wasted  the  goods  and  provisions  that  would  have  sat- 
isfied an  ordinary  population  of  perhaps  a  million  of  people. 
Still  the  imports  into  San  Francisco  were  far  ahead  of  the  most 
extravagant  demands  and  consumption  of  the  ravenous,  wasteful 
people  of  California.    For  any  article  actually  required,  and  of 
which  there  might  be  but  a  scanty  stock  in  the  market,  noble 
rates  were  still  given  ;  but  as  the  supply  of  most  goods  was  im- 
mense, prices  fell  accordingly.    The  auctioneers,   whose  business 
and  importance  daily  increased,  rattled  away  shiploads  of  mer- 
chandise at  often  nominal  prices.    Extravagance  and  waste  did 
their  best,  but  they  could  not  destroy  every  thing.  Enormous 
losses  were  sustained  during  1850,  and  especially  in  1851,  by 
foreign  shippers.    The  commercial  people  in  San  Francisco  gen- 
erally acted  as  agents  on  commission  for  others,  and  did  not  often 
import  as  merchants  on  their  own  account.    The  losses  therefore 
on  merchandise  did  not  so  very  much  affect  individual  citizens,  while 
to  the  general  public  it  was  a  positive  gain  to  have  an  unlimited 
supply  of  goods  at  low  prices. 


368 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


In  the  ordinary  recreations  of  the  city  a  change  was  gradually 
taking  place.  The  gambling-saloons,  though  still  very  many, 
were  becoming  fewer,  while  billiard-rooms  and  drinking-bars  or 
saloons  for  refreshment  and  conversation,  were  increasing  in  num- 
ber, in  size  and  handsome  style.  There  is  no  place  in  the  world 
with  so  many  billiard- tables  in  it  in  proportion  to  the  population, 
as  San  Francisco  ;  and  but  few  places,  if  any,  with  more  drink- 
ing-houses.  In  such  quarters,  in  1851,  a  large  proportion  of  the 
inhabitants  usually  spent  their  evenings.  Other  crowds  nightly 
filled  the  large  and  beautiful  theatres  that  were  now  erected. 
Balls,  masquerades  and  concerts,  gambling-saloons,  visits  to  frail 
women, — who  always  have  been  very  numerous  and  gay  in  San 
Francisco, — and  an  occasional  lecture,  filled  up  the  measure  of 
evening  amusement.  Gayety  and  personal  dissipation  were  then, 
as  they  are  now,  characteristic  features  of  the  city.  Nor  were 
these  things  confined  to  the  upper  and  richer  classes.  Labor  was 
paid  so  highly  that  all  orders  of  the  people  had  money  at  command 
to  squander  in  amusements.  During  the  day,  and  particularly 
on  Sundays,  the  "swells"  of  both  the  highest  and  the  lowest  rank, 
cantered  to  the  presidio  or  the  mission,  or  scampered  among  the 
sand-hills  behind  the  town,  or  crossed  the  bay  in  the  small  steam- 
ers to  Contra  Costa,  or  formed  pic-nic  excursions  to  the  fort,  or 
the  outer  telegraph  hill,  or  on  the  sea-shore,  or  somewhere  among 
the  lonely  and  picturesque  valleys  among  the  hills.  San  Fran- 
cisco was  certainly  a  great  city  ;  and  its  people  had  great  notions  ; 
their  deeds  of  business  and  amusement  were  all  great  in  their  way. 

The  large  admixture  of  foreign  races,  particularly  the  light- 
hearted,  theatre-loving  French,  the  musical  Germans,  and  the 
laughter-loving,  idle,  dancing  Hispano- Americans,  tended  to  give 
a  pleasant,  gay  aspect  to  the  city.  The  grave  national  character 
of  United  States  men  was  converted  into  levity  and  cheerfulness 
by  the  example  and  sympathy  of  their  merry  neighbors.  It  may 
be  said,  at  the  same  time,  that  the  foreign  population  were  gen- 
erally an  orderly,  obedient  and  useful  class  of  the  community. 
The  Chinese  might  here  perhaps  form  an  exception.  They  are 
an  exclusive  race,  and  mingle  but  little  save  with  their  own  people. 
They  were  now  begiuning  to  arrive  in  considerable  numbers,  bring- 
ing with  them  a  number  of  their  women,  who  are  among  the  filthi- 


THE  CITY  FINANCES. 


369 


est  and  most  abandoned  of  their  sex.  They,  as  well  as  most  of 
the  foreign  races,  generally  dwelt  together  in  particular  localities, 
which  gave  these  quarters  a  distinctive  appearance  from  the  rest 
of  the  town.  The  Chinese  and  the  free  negroes,  of  whom  there 
was  now  a  goodly  sprinkling,  were  "  the  hewers  of  wood  and  the 
drawers  of  water  "  of  the  place  ;  and  performed  washing  and  wo- 
men's business,  and  such  menial  offices  as  American  white  males 
would  scorn  to  do  for  any  remuneration.  The  "greasers,"  too, 
who  are  verily  "  of  the  earth,  earthy,"  helped  the  "  celestials  " 
and  the  black  fellows,  or  infernals,  in  their  dirty  work. 

In  various  parts  of  this  book,  we  have  dwelt  so  fully  on  the 
state  of  crime  and  public  morals  during  1851,  that  it  is  unneces- 
sary to  say  much  more  on  the  subject  in  this  general  chapter. 
The  extraordinary  action  of  the  Vigilance  Committee,  proved  most 
salutary  to  the  best  interests  of  the  community.  After  a  few 
hangings,  which  were  signalized  by  scenes  of  the  most  terrible  and 
impressive  nature,  the  social  state  of  the  city  was  much  improved  ; 
and  people  could  venture  to  appear  at  dark  in  the  streets,  or  to 
dwell  alone  in  poorly  defended  houses,  without  dread  of  the  assas- 
sin, the  burglar,  or  the  incendiary.  Crime  was  now  principally 
confined  to  petty  thefts,  for  which  the  "  chain-gang"  was  an  ex- 
cellent punishment ;  while  cases  of  bloodshed, — and  they  were 
frightfully  many, — arose  chiefly  from  the  rampant,  unregulated 
passions  of  the  people,  who  thought  and  called  themselves,  as 
they  were  reckoned  by  others,  respectable  men  and  good  citizens. 

The  financial  affairs  of  the  city,  which  had  long  been  in  a  very 
confused  and  ruinous  state,  were,  towards  the  close  of  1851,  much 
simplified  and  improved.  The  general  improvidence  and  corrup- 
tion of  a  long  series  of  municipal  authorities,  from  the  day  when 
the  American  flag  was  first  hoisted  on  the  plaza,  had  squandered 
or  jobbed  away  many  of  the  most  valuable  portions  of  the  real 
estate  belonging  to  the  corporation.  But  the  funding  of  the  float- 
ing debt,  and  perhaps  the  increasing  purity,  or  dread  of  being 
found  out,  on  the  part  of  recent  officials,  with  other  causes,  tended 
gradually  to  raise  the  credit  of  the  city.  The  next  great  blow 
which  fell  upon  the  municipal  funds  was  the  noted  matter  of  the 
"Peter  Smith"  sales,  which  shall  be  duly  chronicled  among  the 
events  of  1852. 

24 


CHAPTER  XIX. 


1852. 

Dr.  Peter  Smith. — Ilis  contract  with  the  city  to  take  charge  of  the  indigent  sick. — The  city's  indebt- 
edness.— Smith's  judgments  and  executions. — Injunctions  of  the  commissioners  of  the  funded 
debt. — Sale  and  sacrifice  of  tho  city  property  undor  Smith's  judgments. 


January. — Some  time  before  this  date  certain  legal  proceedings 
took  place  which  much  affected  the  pecuniary  interests  of  the  city. 
These  subsequently  involved  it  in  great  and  expensive  litigation, 
where  millions'  worth  of  property  were  concerned.  The  whole  sub- 
ject forms  one  of  the  most  important  series  of  events  in  the  histo- 
ry of  the  city,  and  has  long  excited  the  close  attention  of  the  cit- 
izens and  the  deepest  regret  in  the  minds  of  all  honest  men  that 
such  unfortunate  circumstances  should  have  occurred.  Charges 
of  official  corruption  and  private  jobbery  have  at  different  times 
been  made  openly,  and  oftener  whispered,  against  prominent  citi- 
zens for  their  connection  with  the  matter,  and  improper  motives 
have  been  very  freely  imputed  to  them.  Lawsuits  have  been  long 
and  vigorously  carried  on  regarding  the  subject,  the  final  decisions 
upon  some  of  which  have  regulated  the  ownership  and  titles  to  a 
vast  amount  of  property.  We  have  selected  the  opening  of  this 
year  for  a  short  general  statement  of  the  case,  although  some  of 
the  particular  events  alluded  to  occur  much  later  in  point  of 
time. 

In  the  course  of  1850,  Dr.  Peter  Smith  contracted  with  the  city 
for  the  care  of  its  indigent  sick.  For  each  patient  he  was  allowed 
a  sum  of  four  dollars  daily.  This  may  now  seem  a  high  allowance, 
but  at  that  period, — to  say  nothing  of  the  usual  jobbery  in  the 
matter, — the  cost  of  house-rent,  boarding,  medicines  and  medical 
attendance,  was  very  great.  The  city  having  little  money  in  its 
exchequer  at  the  time,  generally  paid  Dr.  Smith  in  the  shape  of 


THE  PETER  SMITH  SALES. 


371 


scrip,  which  bore  a  monthly  interest  of  three  per  cent,  till  redeem- 
ed by  cash  payments.  The  common  council  were  meanwhile  reg- 
ularly auditing  Smith's  accounts,  at  short  intervals  ;  while  they 
continued  to  give  that  gentleman  the  necessary  amounts  of  scrip 
to  satisfy  the  different  balances  as  they  arose.  Altogether, 
the  amount  of  city  indebtedness  under  Smith's  contract  was 
$64,431. 

The  total  amount  of  city  scrip  granted  in  1850  and  the  begin- 
ning of  1851,  was  exceedingly  great,  and,  as  we  have  already  men- 
tioned, an  act,  after  considerable  discussion  and  delay,  was  finally 
passed  by  the  Legislature,  to  fund  the  floating  debt  and  convert 
the  same  into  stock,  bearing  an  annual  interest  of  ten  per  cent. 
General  creditors,  however,  as  well  as  holders  of  scrip,  were  neither 
obliged  to  await  the  passage  of  this  act,  nor  afterwards  to  accept 
the  terms  of  conversion.  To  those  who  possessed  the  obligations 
of  the  city,  or  who  held  it'  bound  as  debtor  in  any  actual  or  im- 
plied contract,  the  ordinary  courts  of  law  were  open  for  ascertaining 
and  making  effectual  the  amounts  of  their  claims.  Accordingly, 
some  creditors, — and  chiefly  Dr.  Smith, — proceeded  to  take  the 
necessary  legal  steps  to  procure  judgments  against  the  city,  and 
to  make  executions  and  sales  of  its  property.  If  all  the  then  hold- 
ers of  scrip  or  of  city  indebtedness  had  acted  in  this  fashion,  there 
would  only  have  resulted  "  confusion,  worse  confounded  ;  "  and 
neither  Dr.  Peter  Smith  nor  any  one  of  the  city  creditors  would 
have  profited  by  his  hasty  and  preference-seeking  proceedings.  As 
it  happened,  the  party  named  was  almost  the  sole,  as  he  was  the 
chief  creditor,  who  thought  fit  thus  to  secure  his  strictly  legal 
rights. 

On  the  25th  of  February,  1851,  Smith  recovered  judgment 
against  the  city  for  $19,239,  being  a  portion  of  the  total  amount 
claimed  by  him ;  and  on  the  8th  of  July  following,  the  sheriff 
proceeded  to  sell  so  much  of  the  city  property  as,  it  was  expected, 
would  defray  the  sum  named.  At  this  sale  the  various  wharves 
belonging  to  the  corporation  were  sold,  as  also  the  old  city  hall 
lot,  and  the  city  hospital  and  buildings.  By  this  time  the  act  to 
fund  the  municipal  floating  debt  had  been  passed,  and  its  proper- 
ty conveyed  to  the  commissioners  there  named.  At  first  sight  it 
appeared  improper,  and  perhaps  ridiculous,  in  the  circumstances, 


372 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


for  an  individual  to  sue  the  city  to  extremities,  and  seek  to  gain  a 
preference  over  the  general  body  of  creditors.  The  commissioners 
of  the  funded  debt  made  both  public  and  private  statements  in 
the  strongest  terms,  to  the  effect  that  any  sales  which  might  take 
place  under  the  Smith  judgments  would  be  held  as  illegal  and  of 
not  the  slightest  value.  This  conduct  on  their  part,  as  well  as  a 
vague  general  impression  among  the  citizens,  that  such  was,  or 
certainly  ought  to  be  the  true  state  of  the  case,  had  the  effect  of 
discouraging  buyers  from  attending  and  bidding  at  the  sales  in 
question  ;  and  consequently  the  property  was  sold  at  merely  nomi- 
nal prices,  perhaps  at  not  a  twentieth,  or  even  a  fiftieth  part  of 
its  real  value.  The  sum  realized  was  therefore  insufficient  to  sat- 
isfy Smith's  judgment.  Accordingly  an  alias  execution  for  the 
balance  was  issued  on  the  7th  of  August  following,  upon  which 
the  sheriff,  on  the  17th  of  September  thereafter,  sold  forty  one- 
hundred-vara  lots,  fifty-five  fifty-vara  lots  and  one  water  lot.  But 
as  the  old  impression  remained  tbat  the  whole  proceedings  were 
illegal,  nominal  prices  were  again  only  obtained  for  the  great 
amount  of  property  mentioned.  On  the  2d  January,  1852,  the 
sheriff  further  sold  an  immense  amount  of  water  lot  property 
of  the  value,  at  least,  of  half  a  million  of  dollars,  also  at  nom- 
inal prices.    Still  the  original  judgment  was  unsatisfied. 

Meanwhile  a  second  suit  had  been  raised  by  Smith  against  the 
city,  upon  which  judgment,  on  the  4th  of  March,  1851,  was  duly 
obtained,  for  $45,538.  Upon  this,  the  sheriff  advertised  to  sell 
on  14th  June  following,  one  hundred  and  three  water  lots,  twenty- 
seven  blocks  on  South  Beach,  and  seven  one-hundred -vara  lots. 
The  commissioners,  consequently,  in  order  to  save  the  city's  pro- 
perty from  the  threatened  sacrifice,  appealed  to  the  proper  legal 
tribunals  for  injunctions  to  stay  the  sheriff 's  sale  ;  but  for  reasons 
which  may  not  here  be  named,  their  appeal  was  disregarded.  Fail- 
ing to  obtain  the  necessary  injunction,  and  still  determined  to 
protect  the  interests  of  the  people,  the  commissioners  attempted 
to  compromise  matters  with  Dr.  Smith,  to  effect  which  object, 
Col.  J.  W.  Geary  and  J udge  P.  A.  Morse,  on  behalf  of  the  Board, 
personally  waited  upon  John  McHenry,  Esq.,  counsel  for  Peter 
Smith,  and  guaranteed  to  secure  to  Smith  from  their  own  private 
funds  the  whole  amount  of  his  judgment  on  condition  that  the 


THE  PETER  SMITH  SALES. 


373 


sale  should  be  arrested.  This  generous  offer,  which  had  it  been 
accepted,  would  have  saved  millions  of  dollars  to  the  city,  from 
the  pockets  of  a  few  greedy  speculators  who  were  instigating  and 
abetting  the  proceedings  of  Smith,  was  not  only  rejected,  but 
treated  with  contempt.  The  commissioners  driven  to  their  last 
resource,  and  acting  under  advice  of  their  attorney,  Solomon  Hey- 
denfeldt,  Esq.,  who  subsequently  became  and  was  a  judge  of  the 
Supreme  Court,  when  the  decision  against  the  action  of  the  com- 
missioners and  confirming  the  "  Peter  Smith  Titles"  obtained  from 
the  sheriff,  was  given,  issued  the  following  address  : — 

"  TO  THE  PUBLIC. 

"  A  sale  of  a  large  number  of  city  lots  is  advertised  to  take  place  this  day. 
by  virtue  of  an  execution  in  the  hands  of  the  Sheriff,  in  favor  of  Peter  Smith 
against  the  city  of  San  Francisco.  The  public  are  hereby  notified,  that  the 
city  has  no  legal  title  to  the  said  lots,  nor  had  any  title  at  the  time  of  the  ren- 
dition of  the  judgment.  By  virtue  of  an  ordinance  of  Council  the  city  convey- 
ed the  said  lots  in  December  last  to  the  Commissioners  of  the  Sinking  Fund, 
in  trust  for  the  benefit  of  the  creditors  of  the  city  ;  and  by  virtue  of  an  act  of 
the  last  Legislature,  the  Commissioners  of  the  Sinking  Fund  conveyed  said 
lots  to  the  present  Commissioners  of  the  Funded  Debt  upon  the  same  trusts. 
Some  time  since  an  injunction  was  obtained  in  the  District  Court  to  prevent 
this  sale.  The  injunction  was  dissolved  on  the  ground  that  the  judgment  cre- 
ditor of  the  city  had  the  right  to  sell  whatever  interest  the  city  may  have  left 
after  the  execution  of  the  trust,  and  that  such  sale  would  not  interfere  with 
the  trust.  Every  one  will  readily  perceive  that  a  purchase  made  at  the  Sher- 
iff's sale  will  convey  no  title,  because  the  property  of  the  city  is  insufficient  to 
pay  all  of  her  debts,  and  under  the  acts  above  referred  to,  it  will  be  the  duty 
of  the  present  Commissioners  of  the  Funded  Debt  to  sell  said  property  in  ex- 
ecution of  the  trusts  confided  to  them,  at  which  sales  the  purchasers  will  be 
enabled  to  obtain  a  complete  and  perfect  title.  The  public  are  therefore  cau- 
tioned to  disregard  the  sale  to  be  made  by  the  Sheriff  to-day,  and  the  under- 
signed have  given  this  notice  so  that  no  one  can  complain  hereafter  that  they 
were  purchasers  without  actual  notice  of  the  title  held  by  the  undersigned. 

P.  A.  Morse, 

D.  J.  Tallant, 

Wm.  Hooper,  [. 

Jno.  W.  Geary, 

James  King,  of  Wm. 
Office  Commissioner1 's  Funded  Debt,  June  14,  1851." 


Commissioners 
of 

Funded  Debt. 


This  address,  which  was  published  in  the  daily  papers,  and 
even  read  to  the  people  on  the  day  it  was  issued,  failed  to  produce 


374 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


the  effect  intended  by  the  commissioners.  While,  perhaps,  they 
never  supposed  it  would  deter  the  sheriff  from  proceeding  with 
the  sale,  which  took  place  according  to  advertisement ;  they,  at 
least,  and  we  must  believe,  honestly  supposed  that  it  would  pre- 
vent citizens  from  purchasing  property  which  the  sheriff,  accord- 
ing to  their  opinion,  had  no  legal  right  to  sell,  and  of  paying  money 
for  titles  which  would  never  be  confirmed,  and  therefore  would  be 
valueless.  Their  action  in  the  matter,  certainly  prevented  many 
persons  from  building  or  purchasing  at  the  sale,  and  as  before,  the 
lots  were  disposed  of  at  ridiculously  low  rates.  For  this,  the  com- 
missioners have  of  late  been  the  objects  of  much  public  censure 
and  private  calumny.  Their  conduct  has  been  loudly  condemned 
and  their  motives  impugned.  But  it  should  be  observed,  that 
they  acted  by  advice  of  learned  counsel ;  though  singularly  enough, 
their  adviser  subsequently  became  a  judge  of  the  Supreme  Court, 
where  he  held  a  seat  at  the  very  time  the  decision  was  given  ad- 
verse to  his  former  instructions,  and  legalizing  the  sales,  by  the 
sheriff,  of  the  city  property,  under  the  judgments  of  Smith. 

But  it  is  unnecessary,  in  this  work,  which  does  not  profess  to 
be  a  legal  guide  to  the  titles  of  real  estate,  to  detail  minutely  the 
further  judgments  and  sales.  It  is  sufficient  to  say  that  Dr.  Smith 
instituted  other  suits,  procured  new  judgments,  and  made  new 
executions  and  sales  of  the  most  valuable  portions  of  the  property 
still  left  to  the  city.  The  great  sale  of  the  30  th  of  January,  1852, 
may  only  be  alluded  to,  at  which  about  two  thousand  acres  of 
land  belonging  to  the  city,  and  situated  within  the  municipal 
bounds,  were  disposed  of  by  the  sheriff  in  the  manner  above  men- 
tioned. As  in  the  beginning,  so  to  the  end  of  these  sales,  only 
nominal  prices  were  obtained.  The  city  was  losing  piece-meal 
the  best  part  of  its  real  estate,  while  what  between  principal,  in- 
terest and  legal  costs,  the  old  debt  of  Smith  long  remained  nearly 
as  great  as  ever.  In  the  end  it  was  wiped  off,  but  at  what  an 
enormous  sacrifice  ! 

At  first  the  general  public  were  inclined  to  treat  the  whole 
proceedings  as  a  farce,  though  a  somewhat  expensive  one  to  the 
purchasers  at  the  sheriff's  repeated  sales.  Farther  consideration 
made  people  begin  to  think  that,  after  all,  the  laugh  and  profit 
might  really  be  on  the  side  of  those  supposed  foolish  persons.  The 


THE  PETER  SMITH  SALES. 


375 


commissioners  of  the  funded  debt,  in  pursuance  of  their  duties, 
attempted  to  sell  various  portions  of  the  city  property,  but  were 
baffled  by  repeated  injunctions  on  the  part  of  the  holders  of  what 
were  at  this  time  and  have  since  been  commonly  called  the  "  Pe- 
ter Smith  Titles."  The  boards  of  aldermen  next  meddled  in 
the  fray,  and  they  likewise  began  to  deal  in  injunctions  and  other 
legal  annoyances.  Matters  looked  bad,  and  soon  the  progress  of 
serious  lawsuits  made  them  much  worse.  Opportunities  were 
still  given  to  cancel  or  remedy  the  worst  parts  of  the  original  ob- 
jectionable measures.  The  boards  of  aldermen  and  the  mayor 
happened  to  be  opposed  in  this  as  in  many  other  matters  of  con- 
sequence, while  the  funded  debt  commissioners,  were  also  not  on 
the  best  terms  with  the  common  council,  which  last  body  again 
scarcely  possessed  the  public  confidence.  Thus  there  was  a  gen- 
eral want  of  union  and  common  action  in  most  municipal  matters  ; 
while  especially  in  regard  to  the  Smith  sales,  either  nobody 
knew  what  to  do,  or  every  body  pretended  nothing  could  be 
done.  At  any  rate,  nothing  effectual  was  done  to  save  the  city's 
interests. 

At  the  last  moment  allowed  by  law  for  the  redemption  of  pro- 
perty sold  under  the  sheriff's  authority,  a  large  sum  of  money 
was  procured  through  the  liberality  and  public  spirit  of  a  distin- 
guished and  worthy  firm,  Messrs.  Theodore  Payne  &  Co.,  and 
tender  was  made  of  the  sums,  principal,  interest  and  charges, 
contained  in  one  of  the  judgments  upon  which  the  sale  of  the  30th 
January,  1852,  had  taken  place.  This  redemption-money  was 
refused  by  those  who  had  purchased  at  the  sale  mentioned  ;  and 
immediately  new  lawsuits  were  raised  to  try  the  question  whether 
it  had  been  offered  timeously  and  by  the  proper  parties,  or  whe- 
ther indeed  there  could  be  any  right  of  redemption  whatever  in 
the  case.  By  and  by  the  attorney-general  instituted  an  action 
against  the  funded  debt  commissioners,  in  which  was  claimed  the 
twenty-five  per  cent,  due  to  the  State  of  the  supposed  real  value 
of  the  water  lots  that  had  been  sold  at  nominal  prices.  That  ac- 
tion was  based  on  allegations  of  fraud,  or  culpable  ignorance,  or 
carelessness  on  the  part  of  the  commissioners.  The  pecuniary 
value  of  the  whole  property  involved  in  these  several  sales  was  esti- 
mated, in  1852,  at  about  two  millions  of  dollars,  although  two 


376 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


years  later  its  probable  value  might  be  nearer  twice,  or  perhaps 
thrice  that  amount. 

It  was  subsequently  decided  by  the  Supreme  Court,  that  the 
sales  of  the  wharves  and  certain  other  portions  of  the  city  proper- 
ty were  legal.  This  swept  away  for  ever  one  great  portion  of  the 
corporation  means.  The  next  question  was  the  validity  of  the 
redemption  above  mentioned.  It  was  contended  that  the  mayor 
and  the  funded  debt  commissioners  (which  parties  had  made  the 
tender),  were  not  entitled  to  redeem,  especially  without  instruc- 
tion from  the  council  boards,  that  right  being  only  in  the  city  in 
its  corporate  capacity.  Other  legal  points  of  nicety  arose,  in  re- 
gard, particularly,  to  the  alleged  right  of  redemption  itself. 
These  were  long  matters  of  contention,  and  from  the  immense 
pecuniary  interests  at  stake,  the  action  was  conducted  on  both 
sides  with  all  the  talent  and  chicanery  that  influence  or  money 
could  persuade  or  buy.  At  length,  and  while  we  write  (April, 
1854),  a  decision  has  been  given,  that  the  redemption  money  al- 
luded to  was  not  offered  by  the  parties  who  alone  were  entitled  to 
make  it,  and  that  therefore  the  relative  sales  were  legal.  This 
judgment  embraced  other  points  of  law  upon  which  it  was  like- 
wise founded,  but  it  is  unnecessary  here  to  allude  farther  to  them. 
These  several  decisions  have  had  the  effect  of  depriving  the  city 
of  an  enormous  amount  of  property,  the  possession  of  which  would 
have  much  relieved  the  inhabitants  of  a  great  and  annually  in- 
creasing taxation. 

There  is  still,  as  there  has  long  been,  much  bitter  and  angry 
feeling  existing  in  the  city  respecting  the  "  Peter  Smith  Titles." 
San  Francisco  has  somehow  lost  its  best  and  most  valuable  pro- 
perty, and  individual  citizens  have  gained  immense  fortunes  by 
the  loss.  Little  or  no  money  has  really  been  paid  by  these  lucky 
speculators  in  "  the  glorious  uncertainty  of  the  law."  So  far  as 
Smith  is  concerned,  it  was  his  undoubted  right  to  make  his  claims 
against  the  city  effectual,  if  he  legally  could.  The  same  right 
was  in  the  power  of  all  its  other  creditors.  That  they  did  not 
exercise  their  privileges  was  not  the  doctor's  fault.  At  the  same 
time  it  may  just  be  mentioned  as  a  fact,  that  public  indignation 
was  strongly  excited  against  his  independent  and  seek-my-own- 
good  style  of  action.    Still,  whatever  may  be  thought  of  that 


THE  PETER  SMITH  SALES. 


377 


gentleman's  discretion  or  patriotism  in  the  matter,  or  of  the 
original  nature  of  his  claims,  which  (perhaps,  without  that  close 
scrutiny  that  should  have  been  given),  having  been  sustained  by 
legal  judgments,  became  settled  facts,  he  is  not  lightly  to  be 
blamed  for  the  unfortunate  events  that  afterwards  occurred.  The 
same  may  not  be  said  of  certain  officials  and  private  citizens  who 
joined  and  acted  with  them.  Every  thing  was  certainly  done  to 
cry  down  the  right  of  Smith  to  sell,  and  thereby  was  lowered  the 
value  of  the  municipal  property.  If  this  effect  was  foreseen  and 
wilfully  intended,  as  many  have  not  scrupled  to  assert,  in  order 
to  allow  a  clique  of  grand  speculators  to  prey  on  the  city  means, 
their  conduct  cannot  be  too  strongly  condemned.  If  their  pro- 
ceedings arose  simply  from  an  error  in  judgment,  the  sad  effects 
can  only  be  deplored.  The  foregoing  relation  of  facts  seem 
clearly  to  show  that  the  commissioners  acted  in  good  faith.  They 
were  men  of  reputed  integrity,  and  had  already  "done  the  State 
some  service."  The  general  public  took  the  same  view  of  the 
subject  as  did  the  commissioners.  They  believed  the  sales  to  be 
invalid,  and  that  the  titles  obtained  from  them  would  be  worth- 
less. Hence  the  sheriff  had  only  for  bidders  and  buyers  those 
daring  speculators,  who  either  knew  the  law  better,  or  were  de- 
termined to  "  chance  it ;  "  and  who,  without  competition,  had 
the  most  valuable  lots  knocked  down  to  them  at  the  cost  of  an 
old  song.  Then,  after  all,  is  nobody  to  be  blamed  for  the  unfor- 
tunate issue  ?  When  millions  have  been  lost  in  this  way  to  the 
community,  it  is  hard  to  convince  the  citizens  that  no  underhand 
dealing  has  taken  place ;  that  no  corruption,  no  wilful  delav, 
false  statements,  gross  personal  interests  and  plotting  have  been 
at  work.  It  may  not  be  easy  to  discover  and  brand  the  guilty 
persons,  and  people  may  entertain  different  suspicions  as  to 
their  names  and  special  concern  in  the  grand  game  of  spoliation. 
Let  every  one  therefore  keep  his  own  thoughts  on  the  business. 
At  this  stage  of  the  affair,  it  is  perhaps  impossible  to  get  at  "  the 
truth — the  whole  truth — and  nothing  but  the  truth."  One  thing 
only  seems  certain— the  "manifest  destiny"  of  San  Francisco  is 
to  be  plundered  at  all  hands,  and  to  yield  easy  and  quickly  won 
fortunes  to  her  "  most  prominent  citizens." 


CHAPTER  XX. 


1852. 

The  Chinese  in  California. — Act  passed  to  fund  the  floating  debt  of  the  State. — The  State  Marine 
Hospital. — Act  to  convert  into  a  seven  per  cent,  stock  the  floating  debt  of  the  County  of  San 
Francisco.— Anniversary  of  fires.— Meetings  of  the  Vigilance  Committee. 


April. — The  immigration  of  Chinese  into  California  has  great- 
ly increased  of  late.  By  this  month  it  was  supposed  that 
upwards  of  ten  thousand  of  that  people  had  arrived  at  San 
Francisco,  while  as  many  more  were  estimated  to  be  on  the  way. 
Considerable  public  discussion  existed  at  this  period  on  the  de- 
sirableness of  such  a  vast  immigration  of  the  race ;  and  we  take 
occasion  to  make  some  general  remarks  on  the  subject,  as  well  as 
upon  the  present  (1854)  condition  of  Chinamen  in  the  city. 

The  manners  and  habits  of  the  Chinese  are  very  repugnant  to 
Americans  in  California.  Of  different  language,  blood,  religion 
and  character,  inferior  in  most  mental  and  bodily  qualities,  the 
Chinaman  is  looked  upon  by  some  as  only  a  little  superior  to  the 
negro,  and  by  others  as  somewhat  inferior.  It  is  needless  to 
reason  upon  such  a  matter.  Those  who  have  mingled  familiarly 
with  "  celestials  "  have  commonly  felt  before  long  an  uncontrolla- 
ble sort  of  loathing  against  them.  "  John's "  person  does  not 
smell  very  sweetly  ;  his  color  and  the  features  of  his  face  are  un- 
usual ;  his  penuriousness  is  extreme  ;  his  lying,  knavery  and  na- 
tural cowardice  are  proverbial  ;  he  dwells  apart  from  white  per- 
sons, herding  only  with  countrymen,  unable  to  communicate  his 
ideas  to  such  as  are  not  of  his  nation,  or  to  show  the  better  part 
of  his  nature.  He  is  poor  and  mean,  somewhat  slavish  and 
crouching,  and  is  despised  by  the  whites,  who  would  only  laugh 
in  derision  if  even  a  divine  were  to  pretend  to  place  the  two 
races  on  an  equality.    In  short,  there  is  a  strong  feeling, — 


i 


THE  CHINESE  IN  CALIFORNIA. 


379 


prejudice  it  may  be, — existing  in  California  against  all  China- 
men, and  they  are  nicknamed,  cuffed  about  and  treated  very  un- 
ceremoniously by  every  other  class.  Yet  they  are  generally  quiet 
and  industrious  members  of  society,  charitable  among  them- 
selves, not  given  to  intemperance  and  the  rude  vices  which  drink 
induces,  and  are  reputed  to  be  remarkably  attached  to  their  pa- 


Chinese  Merchants  aui\  Cooliii. 


rents,  revering  indeed  in  all  persons  advanced  years,  which  are 
supposed  to  bring  wisdom.  The  Chinese,  or  certain  large  tribes 
of  their  nation,  are  of  a  migratory  disposition.  They  have  long 
since  wandered  over  the  many  great  and  rich  islands  and  coun- 
tries lying  around  their  own  land,  and  have  contrived  to  secure 
to  themselves  a  large  portion  of  the  most  valuable  trade  and 
©ommerce  of  these  places.  From  Canton  to  Calcutta  and  Callao, 
to  Melbourne  and  Manilla,  they  swarm  in  all  the  ports  of  the 
Pacific,  and  n:  ire  especially  in  those  of  the  great  Malay  archi- 
pelago. There  seems  a  vast  pressure  upon  the  interior  multitudes 
of  China,  which  forces  many  thousands  annually  to  leave  that 
densely  peopled  country,  for  the  sake  of  a  bare  subsistence,  and 
to  save  starvation  at  home.    Little  food,  and  that  of  the  coarsest 


380 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


and  cheapest  kind,  suffices  to  support  the  life  of  Chinamen  ;  and 
to  procure  that,  they  will  drudge  long  and  patiently  at  the  most 
painful  task.  When  in  a  foreign  country  they  have  contrived  to 
amass  a  small  sum,  which  may  he  considered  a  fortune  hy  them- 
selves, they  generally  seek  to  return  to  spend  it,  and  enjoy  the 
remainder  of  their  days  among  kinsmen.  This  class  of  people 
will  perhaps  form  a  large  portion  of  the  future  population  of 
California,  especially  if  any  State  encouragement  should  be  given 
them,  and  a  short  notice  of  their  character  is  not  out  of  place  in 
this  work.  At  present  they  make  one  of  the  most  striking  pe- 
culiarities of  San  Francisco. 

From  the  date  of  the  discovery  of  gold  Chinamen  had  occa- 
sionally appeared  in  the  country ;  hut  it  was  only  in  1851  and 
1852  that  their  rapidly  increasing  numbers  began  to  attract  much 
notice.  Considerable  apprehension  began  then  to  be  entertained 
of  the  supposed  bad  effect  which  their  presence  would  have  on 
the  white  population.  Large  bands  of  Chinese  were  working  at 
the  mines  upon  conditions  which  were  supposed  to  be  closely 
allied  to  a  state  of  slavery.  Much  misunderstanding  arose  on 
the  subject.  It  was  believed  that  the  gangs  were  receiving  only 
subsistence  and  nominal  wages, — some  four  or  five  dollars  per 
month  for  each  man, — and  that  speculators,  both  yellow  and 
white,  were  setting  them  to  work  on  various  undertakings  which 
free  white  laborers  conceived  should  only  be  executed  by  them- 
selves. If  these  vast  inroads  of  Chinese  were  to  continue,  the 
white  miner  considered  that  he  might  as  well  leave  the  country 
at  once,  since  he  could  not  pretend  to  compete  with  the  poverty- 
stricken,  meek  and  cheap  "  coolie,"  as  so  John  Chinaman  was 
now  called  by  many.  It  was  true  that  the  latter  never  sought 
to  interfere  with  the  rich  claims  which  the  American  miner 
wrought,  while  he  submitted  very  patiently  to  be  violently  driven 
away  from  whatever  neglected  spot  he  might  have  occupied,  but 
which  the  white  man  suddenly  chose  to  fancy.  It  was  true  also 
that  the  Chinaman  regularly  paid,  as  a  foreigner,  -and  was  al- 
most the  only  foreigner  that  did  so, — his  mining  license  to  the 
State  ;  and  was  a  peaceable  and  hard-working  subject.  These 
things  did  not  matter.  Eight  or  wrong,  he  should  be  driven  from 
competition  with  free  white  men,  or  his  labor  should  be  confined 


GOVERNOR  BIGLER  AND  THE  CHINESE  381 

to  certain  inferior  kinds  of  work,  to  which  the  dominant  lords  of 
the  soil  never  meant  to  apply  themselves.  Angry  words,  much 
strife  and  perhaps  some  bloodshed,  were  generated  in  the  mining 
regions,  and  the  hapless  Chinese  were  driven  backwards  and  for- 
wards, and  their  lives  made  miserable. 

Governor  Bigler,  influenced  by  the  American  miners'  feel- 
ings, issued  a  message  in  which  he  stigmatized  the  Chinese  as 
"  coolies,"  (an  appellation  which  they  professed  to  abhor,)  and 
advised  the  Legislature  to  pass  a  law  prohibiting  the  farther 
immigration  of  that  people.  The  terms  of  this  message  were 
considered  offensive  and  uncalled  for  by  most  of  the  intelligent 
and  liberal-minded  Americans.  The  Chinese  in  San  Francisco, 
who  now  formed  a  large  class  of  the  community,  took  the  matter 
much  to  heart,  and,  on  the  29th  April  of  this  year,  published  a 
long  letter  or  manifesto  in  answer  to  the  governor's  message. 
This  letter  was  written  temperately,  and  was  an  exceedingly  able 
document.  Subsequent  communications  of  a  like  nature  passed 
between  the  governor  and  the  Chinese.  The  Legislature  mean- 
while had  appointed  a  committee  to  consider  and  report  upon  the 
whole  subject,  and  sundry  passionate,  and  some  other  amusing 
speeches  were  occasionally  delivered  in  the  State  chambers.  In 
the  end,  the  illiberal  action  suggested  by  the  governor  was  not 
adopted,  and  soon  the  matter  fell  asleep.  Farther  immigration 
of  this  people  took  place  in  the  course  of  1852,  and  towards  the 
close  of  that  year,  there  were  probably  sixteen  or  twenty  thou- 
sand of  them  in  the  country.  Considerable  numbers  have  since 
left,  but  as  many  others  have  come  in  their  stead,  it  may  be  sup- 
posed that  in  1854  there  is  still  nearly  the  number  mentioned. 

In  San  Francisco,  the  Chinese  were,  in  1852,  as  they  have 
always  since  continued  to  be,  very  numerous — perhaps  numbering 
from  three  to  four  thousand.  The  following  description  of  their 
present  condition  is  also  applicable  to  the  year  named.  Though 
individuals  of  the  race  reside  and  carry  on  business  in  every  quar- 
ter of  the  city,  the  chief  district  in  which  they  are  located  is  the 
upper  part  of  Sacramento  street,  the  whole  length  of  Dupont 
street,  and  portions  of  various  other  streets  adjoining  these 
named.  In  such  places  the  Chinese  are  almost  the  only  inhabit- 
ants, and  the  quarter  is  often  called  11  Little  China."    There  is 


382  ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 

a  considerable  number  of  respectable  and  wealthy  Chinese  mer- 
chants and  shopkeepers  in  San  Francisco,  who  have  extensive 
business  premises  in  Sacramento  street  and  in  various  other  parts 
of  the  city.  Their  merchandise,  as  might  be  expected,  is  chiefly 
the  goods  of  their  own  country.  These  are  of  the  "  upper  ten  " 
order,  the  Corinthian  capital  of  the  "  celestial "  pillar,  and 
would  be  a  credit  to  any  community.  They  are  polite,  shrewd, 
and  learned  gentlemen  ;  and  are  sometimes  generous.  They  can 
either  talk  the  English  language  pretty  fluently  themselves,  or 
by  means  of  an  interpreter  can  conduct  any  business  transaction 
or  private  conversation.  But  the  great  mass  of  their  country- 
men is  of  a  very  inferior  description.  Most  of  this  class,  who  do 
really  work,  engage  in  the  washing  and  dressing  of  clothes,  for 
which  they  receive  such  wages  as  must  appear  to  them  noble  re- 
muneration. The  washing  and  drying  are  conducted  at  the  dif- 
ferent lagoons  and  wells  in  the  vicinity  of  the  city,  while  in  the 
smallest,  meanest  habitation  in  every  street,  the  Chinaman  may 
be  seen  diligently  ironing  and  finishing  the  cleansed  garment  with 
his  smooth-bottomed  chafing-dish  of  burning  coals.  They  are 
also  employed  as  porters  in  warehouses  and  stores,  and  in  vari- 
ous other  kinds  of  inferior  labor. 

It  appears,  however,  to  most  residents  in  San  Francisco,  a 
most  curious  thing  how  the  great  number  of  that  people  support 
themselves.  The  majority  certainly  seem  to  be  quite  idle,  or 
only  busy  in  gambling,  which  cannot  be  a  very  lucrative  pursuit. 
A  portion  of  the  upper  end  of  Sacramento  street,  and  nearly  all 
the  eastern  side  of  Dupont  street,  are  occupied  with  Chinese 
gambling-houses,  which  night  and  day  are  filled  with  crowds  of 
that  people.  The  rooms,  or  "  saloons,"  are  generally  small,  each 
containing  from  three  to  half  a  dozen  tables,  or  "  banks."  At 
the  innermost  end  of  some  of  the  principal  gambling  places,  there 
is  an  orchestra  of  five  or  six  native  musicians,  who  produce  such 
extraordinary  sounds  from  their  curiously  shaped  instruments  as 
severely  torture  the  white  man  to  listen  to.  Occasionally  a 
songster  adds  his  howl  or  shriek  to  the  excruciating  harmony. 
The  wailings  of  a  thousand  love-lorn  cats,  the  screams,  gobblings, 
brayings,  and  barkings  of  as  many  peacocks,  turkeys,  donkeys, 
and  dogs, — the  "ear-piercing"  noises  of  hundreds  of  botching 


CHINESK  GAMBLING  AND  MUSIC. 


383 


cork-cutters,  knife-grinders,  file-makers,  and  the  like, — would 
not  make  a  more  discordant  and  agonizing  concert  than  these 
Chinese  musical  performers  in  their  gambling-houses.  Heaven 
has  ordered  it,  no  doubt,  for  wise  purposes,  that  the  windy  chaos 
is  pleasant  to  the  auricular  nerves  of  the  natives.  Occasionally  a 
few  white  men  will  venture  into  these  places,  and  gaze  with  min- 


Gambling-honse. 


gled  contempt  and  wonder  upon  the  grave,  melancholy,  strange 
faces  of  the  gamblers,  and  their  curious  mode  of  playing.  There 
seems  to  be  only  one  game  in  vogue.  A  heap  of  brass  counters 
is  displayed  on  the  plain  mat-covered  table,  and  the  banker,  with 
a  long,  slender  stick,  picks  and  counts  them  out  one  by  one, 
while  the  stakers  gaze  with  intense  interest  on  the  process.  The 
game  seems  of  the  simplest  nature,  though  white  people  scorn  to 
know  any  thing  about  it.  A  few  low  guttural,  gobbling  sounds, 
are  occasionally  interchanged  between  the  rapt  players.  A  rank 
smell  pervades  the  place,  but  that  is  submitted  to  for  a  while  by 
the  casual  visitor.  At  last  the  diabolical  music  reaches  some 
fortissimo  passage  of  intense  meaning,  while  the  wild  howls  and 


384 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


screams  of  the  singer  swell  even  above  the  dreadful  instrumental 
din,  and  then  the  "  outside  barbarian"  is  fain  to  fly. 

While  one  large  portion  of  the  Chinese  population  of  San 
Francisco  seems  to  be  constantly  engaged  in  gambling,  another, 
almost  equally  large, — the  females  of  the  race, — follow  prostitu- 
tion as  a  trade.  In  1851,  there  were  only  a  few  Chinese  women 
in  the  city,  among  whom  was  the  notorious  Miss  or  Mrs.  Atoy. 
Every  body  knew  that  famous  or  infamous  character,  who  was' 
alternately  the  laughing-stock  and  the  plague  of  the  place.  Her 
advices  home  seem  to  have  encouraged  the  sex  to  visit  so  delight- 
ful a  spot  as  San  Francisco,  and  by  and  by,  notwithstanding  all 
the  efforts  of  the  male  Chinese  to  keep  back  their  countrywomen, 
great  numbers  of  the  latter  flocked  to  the  city.  It  is  perhaps 
only  necessary  to  say  that  they  are  the  most  indecent  and  shame- 
less part  of  the  population,  without  dwelling  more  particularly 
upon  their  manners  and  customs.  Dupont  street,  and  portions 
of  Pacific,  and  other  cross  streets,  are  thickly  peopled  with  these 
vile  creatures. 

Notwithstanding  all  the  reputed  industry  of  the  Chinese,  and 
which  has  somehow  become  a  "household  word"  over  the  world, 
it  must  be  confessed  that  prostitution  and  gambling  seem,  in 
fact,  the  steady  business  of  the  majority  of  that  nation  in  San 
Francisco.  The  truly  industrious,  well  behaved,  and  worthy  part 
of  the  people  are  scattered  over  the  city  and  its  environs,  and  are 
seldom  seen,  while  the  gamblers,  the  frail  nymphs,  and  the  yellow 
loafer  class  are  continually  loitering  about  the  streets,  or  in  their 
own  proper,  open  dens,  and  are  every  where  visible. 

In  1852,  a  regular  Chinese  dramatic  company  appeared  and 
performed  pieces  in  their  native  language.  These  performances 
were  largely  patronized  by  their  countrymen,  as  well  as  by  many 
of  the  white  inhabitants,  who  were  curious  to  witness  a  real  play 
done  by  such  actors.  In  1853,  another  Chinese  theatre  was 
opened.  Besides  these  exhibitions,  these  people  have  occasionally 
other  ceremonies  and  amusements  peculiar  to  themselves.  At 
two  periods  of  the  year,  in  spring  and  autumn,  they  form  grand 
processions,  and  march  to  Yerba  Buena  Cemetery  with  roasted 
pigs  and  goats,  the  smell  of  which  seems  grateful  to  the  spirits 
of  their  dead  lying  there.    After  firing  a  multitude  of  crackers. 


CHINESE  SOCIETY. 


385 


burning  mystic  papers,  and  performing  a  variety  of  droll  capers, 
they  lift  again  the  dainty  meats,  and  march  back  in  procession 
to  town  to  feed  heartily  on  them.  Huge,  gaudy  standards,  gilded 
dragons,  with  long  tails,  and  a  national  orchestra,  astonish  and 
disgust  the  bystanders,  but  extravagantly  delight  the  saffron- 
colored  Johns.    We  have  noticed  above  the  nature  of  their  in- 


Chinese  Females. 


strumental  and  vocal  music.  Most  of  their  national  customs  and 
doings  are  as  little  agreeable  to  white  people  as  tbose  horrible 
sounds  which  make  the  "  celestial "  harmony. 

There  seems  to  be  some  secret  societies  among  this  people, 
by  means  of  which  a  few  of  their  number  have  occasionally  been 
found  to  grossly  oppress  their  poorer  brethren.  The  police  have 
attempted  to  interfere  and  protect  the  injured,  though  seldom 
with  much  effect.  The  terror  of  these,  lest  vengeance  should 
somehow  befall  them  from  their  persecutors,  have  generally  pre- 
vented full  disclosures  of  the  unlawful  practices  of  the  secret  soci- 
eties. So  proverbial  is  falsehood  among  all  classes  of  the  Chi- 
nese here,  that  one  is  quite  at  a  loss  to  know  any  thing  of  their 
peculiar  private  associations  and  customs.  One  strange  idea 
25 


386 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


among  them  seems  to  be,  that  it  is  a  matter  of  honor  for  a  debtor 
who  cannot  pay  his  obligations  to  kill  himself.  Death  cancels 
all  debt,  and  clears  scores  with  hard-hearted  creditors.  Even 
Chinese  women,  at  different  times,  have  poisoned  themselves  here 
with  opium,  to  satisfy  this  curious  code  of  honor.  Some  of  the 
Chinese  merchants  are  reputed  to  be  pretty  wealthy.  They  are 
now  (in  1854)  erecting  a  handsome  building  as  a  sort  of  Mer- 
chants' Exchange,  specially  for  their  own  people.  There  is  a 
Chinese  mission  in  the  city,  and  some  of  the  race  profess  them- 
selves Christians. 

The  Chinese  in  San  Francisco  make  an  extraordinary  feature 
of  the  city,  and  appeal  very  strongly  to  most  organs  of  the  stranger 
— to  his  eye,  ear,  and  nose.  They  are  seen  in  every  street  quietly 
passing  along.  The  white  immigrant,  who  may  never  before 
have  met  with  specimens  of  the  race,  involuntarily  stops,  and 
gazes  curiously  upon  this  peculiar  people,  whose  features  are  so 
remarkable,  and  whose  raiment  is  so  strange,  yet  unpretending, 
plain  and  useful.  They  are  generally  peaceable  and  contented 
among  themselves,  and  seldom  trouble  the  authorities  except  in 
case  of  mere  ignorance  of  the  municipal  ordinances.  As  we  have 
said,  there  are  many  most  respectable  merchants  of  their  race. 
These  are  active  and  keen  men  in  bargaining.  They  dress  in  a 
characteristic  and  sumptuous  manner,  and  in  their  own  exclusive 
circles,  where  no  low-caste  countryman  is  allowed  to  intrude, 
will  no  doubt  have  much  refined  and  intellectual  enjoyment. 
Such  flowery  grandees  as  luxuriate  in  wives  are  proud  to  let  the 
white  man  know  that  their  charmers  have  the  little  feet  of  ladies, 
not  the  great  hoofs  of  the  trolloping  damsels  who  haunt  the 
streets  and  lie  in  wait  for  the  foolish  stranger.  Nearly  the 
whole  race,  from  the  "upper  ten"  to  the  lower  thousands,  wear 
the  time-hallowed  tail  ;  while  their  every-day  garb  is  the  imme- 
morial clothing  of  Chinamen.  Some,  indeed,  sport  one  or  more 
articles  of  the  white  man's  dress — his  boots,  trousers,  coat,  or  hat ; 
but  these  are  comparatively  few.  On  occasions  of  public  rejoicing, 
the  Chinese  muster  in  numerous  bodies,  while  their  banners,  cars, 
and  they  themselves,  in  their  most  superb  array,  form  striking 
and  interesting  features  in  procession,  and  the  like.  They  are 
very  fond  of  such  shows,  and  among  themselves  appear  to  observe 


FLOATING  DEBT  OF  THE  STATE. 


387 


many  national,  or  private  holidays,  at  which  an  abundance  of 
their  famous  crackers  are  discharged.  Their  dwellings,  some  of 
which  are  brought  in  frames  direct  from  China,  and  erected  by 
themselves,  are  small  and  incommodious,  though  extraordinary 
numbers  somehow  contrive  to  creep  into  them,  and  live  very  com- 
fortably. Over  the  fronts  of  many  of  these  houses  are  nightly 
displayed  the  common  colored  paper  lanterns  of  China. 


May  1st. — Act  passed  by  the  Legislature  to  fund  the  float- 
ing debt  of  the  State,  and  to  issue  stock  to  the  extent  of 
$600,000,  bearing  interest  at  the  rate  of  seven  per  cent,  per  an- 
num. The  principal  of  the  debt  is  declared  payable  in  New 
York,  or  at  the  State  Treasury,  at  the  option  of  the  parties  re- 
ceiving the  stock  bonds,  on  the  1st  day  of  March,  1870.  The 
interest  to  be  payable  either  in  New  York  or  at  the  office  of  the 


388 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


treasurer  of  the  State.  Particular  provisions  are  made  in  regard 
to  a  sinking  fund,  and  as  to  the  annual  interest. 

May  3d. — Of  this  date  acts  were  passed  by  the  Legislature 
to  amend  certain  acts  which  had  been  passed  in  the  previous 
session  relating  to  the  establishment  of  a  "  State  Marine  Hospi- 
tal at  San  Francisco,"  and  providing  for  its  revenue,  and  also 
concerning  passengers  arriving  in  the  ports  of  California.  This 
hospital  received  such  indigent  sick  as  were  objects  of  State  char- 
ity, as  well  as  such  invalids  as  were  properly  chargeable  on  the 
city,  upon  payment  of  certain  fees  by  the  latter.  Parties  in 
good  health  could  secure  the  advantages  of  the  hospital  for  one 
year,  in  the  event  of  sickness,  upon  payment  of  the  sum  of  five 
dollars.  Other  parties,  invalids  at  the  time,  might  be  admitted, 
after  obtaining  the  certificate  of  the  resident  physician,  and  upon 
payment  of  such  fees  as  should  from  time  to  time  be  fixed.  The 
funds  and  management  of  the  hospital  were  vested  in  a  board  of 
trustees,  to  be  composed  of  seven  persons,  five  of  whom  (resi- 
dents in  San  Francisco)  were  to  be  chosen  annually  by  the  Legis- 
lature, and  the  other  two  were  to  be  the  mayor  and  president  of 
the  chamber  of  commerce  of  that  city  for  the  time  being.  Of 
this  board  the  mayor  was  declared  president.  The  board  was  to 
choose  a  treasurer  and  inferior  officials,  while  the  Legislature  was 
to  appoint  one  resident  and  two  visiting  physicians  for  the  term 
of  two  years,  to  each  of  whom  a  salary  of  five  thousand  dollars 
was  allowed. 

The  revenue  of  the  hospital  was  to  be  derived  from  various 
sources,  such  as — from  a  commutation  tax  upon  all  immigrants 
arriving  in  California  by  sea,  being  ten  and  five  dollars  upon  each 
cabin  and  steerage  passenger  respectively,  and  which  tax  was 
divisible  as  follows,  viz.  :  three-fifths  to  the  State  Marine  Hospi- 
tal at  San  Francisco,  one-fifth  to  the  Sacramento  State  Hospital 
(since  abolished),  and  one-fifth  to  the  State  Hospital  at  Stock- 
ton ;  from  a  tax  of  one  dollar  upon  each  passenger,  sailor,  or 
mariner  leaving  the  port  of  San  Francisco, — from  the  one-half 
of  all  sums  received  by  the  city  of  San  Francisco  on  account  of 
licenses  to  hawkers  and  peddlers,  and  on  account  of  auction 
sales  and  for  licenses  for  gaming, — from  the  effects  and  pro- 
perty of  all  persons  dying  in  the  hospital,  which  might  not  be 


ANNIVERSARY  OF  FIRES. 


389 


legally  claimed  by  others, — from  voluntary  donations,  and  the 
sums  paid  by  parties  to  secure  the  advantages  of  the  institution, 
&c.  An  additional  one-fourth  of  the  sums  received  by  the  city 
on  account  of  licenses  for  gaming  was  also  payable  by  it  to  the 
board  of  trustees,  to  be  applied  by  the  latter,  in  the  first  in- 
stance, towards  payment  of  the  debt  of  the  former  "  State  Ma- 
rine Hospital ; "  and  after  that  debt  was  satisfied,  to  be  set  aside 
as  a  building  fund. 

In  the  following  year,  the  Legislature  passed  an  act  materi- 
ally modifying  the  arrangements  regarding  this  hospital  and  its 
revenues,  which  will  be  noticed  under  its  proper  date.  As  the 
acts  particularly  above  mentioned,  and  those  passed  in  the  ses- 
sion of  1851,  form  the  foundation  of  the  subsequent  legislation 
on  the  subject,  we  have  thought  fit  to  notice  them  in  this  place 
at  some  length. 

May  4th. — Act  passed  by  the  Legislature  authorizing  the 
conversion  of  the  floating  debt  of  the  County  of  San  Francisco,  to 
an  amount  not  exceeding  $400,000,  into  a  seven  per  cent,  stock. 
The  interest  of  this  funded  debt  is  payable  half  yearly,  and  the 
principal  is  to  be  redeemed  within  ten  years  after  the  1st  day  of 
July,  1852.  Commissioners  were  appointed  under  this  act  to 
carry  out  its  purposes,  who  should  hold  office  until  the  first  day 
of  July,  1853,  after  which  date  the  board  of  supervisors  of  the 
county  should  enter  upon  the  farther  management  of  the  matters 
in  question.  Particular  provisions  are  set  forth  in  the  act  re- 
specting the  raising  of  the  annual  interest  becoming  due  upon 
the  debt,  and  for  the  formation  of  a  sinking  fund  to  redeem  the 
principal. 

This  day  was  the  anniversary  of  the  second  and  the  fifth  great, 
fires.  Considerable  apprehension  was  entertained  that  some  at- 
tempts would  be  made  to  set  the  city  in  flames  about  this  time. 
The  different  fire  companies  were  therefore  on  the  alert,  and  took 
every  precaution  to  provide  against  the  dreaded  danger.  The 
men  remained  in  close  attendance  both  day  and  night,  and  had 
all  their  engines  and  tackle  in  instant  working  order.  About  ten 
o'clock  at  night,  on  the  4th,  the  fire-bell  was  heard  loudly  boom- 
ing, and  with  wonderful  speed,  "  like  greyhounds  from  the  slips," 
the  firemen  hurried  to  the  quarter  announced.    This  proved  a 


390 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


false  alarm  ;  but  the  circumstance  showed  the  efficiency  of  the 
fire-organization.  The  citizens  had  now  some  confidence  in  it, 
and  a  strong  feeling  of  security  that  no  conflagration  on  the  scale 
of  the  former  great  ones  would  ever  again  happen. 

The  Vigilance  Committee,  which  in  the  early  part  of  this 
year  had  held  several  meetings,  both  of  the  executive  committee 
and  the  general  body  of  members,  were  again  stirring  at  this 
time.  A  common  impression  existed  that  there  was  still  an  or- 
ganized band  of  thieves  and  incendiaries  within  the  city.  So  the 
executive  committee  recommended  the  general  members  to  organ- 
ize themselves  into  a  "  night  patrol,"  while  they  took  such  other 
measures  as  were  adequate  to  meet  the  emergency.  Although 
this  famous  association  had  done  many  confessedly  illegal  acts, 
yet  the  tendency  of  these  had  been  so  good,  and  they  seemed  so 
justifiable  in  the  terrible  circumstances  of  the  time,  that  the  peo- 
ple were  led  to  trust  implicitly  to  their  unwearied  vigilance  and 
decisive  action,  and  could  now  lie  down  to  rest  at  nights  without 
feeling  the  old  constant  dread  of  having  their  houses  lobbed  or 
burned  before  morning. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 


1852. 

Clipper  Ships.— Enormous  Taxation.— Purchase  of  the  Jenny  Lind  Theatre  by  the  Common  Council. 

 Times  and  Transcript  removes  to  San  Francisco.— Fourth  of  July  celebration.— Great  scarcity 

of  printing  paper.— Duel  between  Hon.  Edward  Gilbert  and  General  Denver.— Custom  of  Duel- 
ling.— Funeral  ceremonies  on  occasion  of  the  death  of  Henry  Clay. 

June. — It  appears  from  records  kept  by  the  late  harbor  master, 
Captain  King,  that  seventy-four  vessels  claiming  and  entitled  to 
be  called  "  clipper  ships,"  and  averaging  rather  more  than  1000 
tons  burden,  had  arrived  in  the  port  of  San  Francisco  during  the 
last  three  years.  These  records  commence  with  the  well  known 
brig  Col.  Fremont,  in  May,  1849,  and  include  the  Aramingo, 
which"  arrived  in  May,  1852.  The  average  passage  was  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty-five  days.  Some  of  the  fleet,  however,  made 
much  more  speedy  voyages.  The  Flying  Cloud,  which  arrived 
in  August,  1851,  performed  the  distance  from  New  York  in 
eighty-nine  days.  The  Sword  Fish,  also  from  New  York,  ar- 
rived in  February,  1852,  after  a  passage  of  ninety  days.  The 
Surprise,  arriving  in  March,  1851,  the  Sea  Witch,  in  July,  1850, 
— both  from  New  York, — and  the  Flying  Fish,  in  February, 
1852,  from  Boston,  respectively  accomplished  the  voyage  in  nine- 
ty-six, ninety-seven,  and  ninety-eight  days. 

The  "  clipper  ship  "  is  virtually  the  creation  of  San  Francisco. 
The  necessity  of  bearing  merchandise  as  speedily  as  possible  to  so 
distant  a  market,  one  too  which  was  so  liable  to  be  suddenly 
overstocked  by  goods,  early  forced  merchants  and  ship-builders 
interested  in  the  California  trade  to  invent  new  and  superior  mo- 
dels of  vessels.  Hence  the  modern  clipper  with  her  great  length, 
sharp  lines  of  entrance  and  clearance,  and  flat  bottom.  These 
magnificent  vessels  now  perform  the  longest  regular  voyage 
known  in  commerce,  running  along  both  coasts  of  the  Americas, 


392 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


in  about  four  months  ;  while  the  ordinary  ships  of  older  models 
used  to  take  seven  and  eight  months  to  accomplish  the  same  dis- 
tance. The  contrast  is  very  striking  between  the  short,  clumsy 
vessels,  of  a  few  hundred  tons  burden,  which  brought  the  early 
European  navigators  to  the  coast  of  California,  and  the  large  and 
beautifully  lined  marine  palaces,  often  of  two  thousand  tons,  that 


Clipper  Ship. 


are  now  continually  gliding  through  the  Golden  Gate.  These 
are  like  the  white-winged  masses  of  cloud  that  majestically  soar 
upon  the  summer  breeze.  In  another  part  of  this  work  we  have 
given  an  illustration  of  the  galleon,  or  sea-going  armed  merchant- 
man of  Drake's  day  ;  here  we  lay  before  the  reader  a  representa- 
tion of  one  of  the  finest  modern  California  traders,  a  clipper  ship 
bound  for  San  Francisco.  While  these  noble  vessels  have  revolu- 
tionized, in  every  maritime  country,  the  model  and  style  of  long- 
voyage  ships,  they  have  also  introduced  a  much  happier  marine 
nomenclature.  The  old-fashioned,  humdrum  Julias  and  Mary 
Anns,  the  Trusties  and  Actives  are  fast  disappearing.  The  very 
names  of  our  modern  clippers  have  poetry  and  music  in  them, 
and  convey  a  wonderful  sense  of  swiftness.  They  confer  even 
dignity  on  the  dry  details  of  the  "  marine  reporter,"  where  the 
simple  words  shine  like  golden  particles  in  the  Californian  miner's 
sands. 


ENORMOUS  TAXATION. 


393 


San  Francisco  was  certainly  a  wealthy  city,  yet  the  amount 
of  taxation  laid  upon  it  was  enormous.  We  give  here  some  sta- 
tistics taken  from  official  documents,  showing  the  amount  of  cash 


which  had  been  paid  by  the  citizens  during  the  year  previous  to 
this  date. 

DIRECT  TAXES. 

Amount  collected  from  City  Licenses,  from  June  1st,  1851, 

to  May  31st,  1852,   $275,873  14 

Amount  collected  from  City  Taxes,  between  said  dates,  262,665  23 


$538,538  37 

Amount  collected  from  State  and  County  Taxes,  from  May 

18th,  1851,  to  May  18th,  1852,   $231,348  85 


Amount  of  direct  taxes  paid  by  the  people  of  San  Francisco 

during  the  past  year,   $769,887  22 

INDIRECT  TAXES. 

Duties  collected  at  the  Custom  House  for  six  months,  ending 

Dec.  31st,  1851,   $1,012,128  94 

Duties  collected  for  three  months,  ending  March  31st,  1852,   450,041  50 

"  for  the  fourth  quarter  (estimated,)  484,056  81 


For  the  year  ending  June  30th,  1852,   $1,946,227  25 

Direct  Taxes,  as  above.   769,887  22 


Amount  in  cash  actually  contributed  by  San  Francisco  for  sup- 
port of  City,  State,  County  and  National  Governments 
for  one  year,   $2,716,114  47 


These  statistics  show  only  the  amount  actually  paid  ;  but 
there  were  arrears  of  direct  taxes  which  would  certainly  be  recov- 
ered (since  they  were  secured  upon  property),  and  which  would 
swell  the  amount  chargeable  on  the  year  to  $1,053,773.  Adding 
the  last  sum  to  the  amount  of  custom-house  duties,  it  will  be 
seen  that  about  three  millions  of  dollars  were  drawn,  as  taxes, 
from  San  Francisco  in  one  year.  If  the  population  be  estimated 
at  30,000,  this  would  show  that  the  amount  of  local  direct  taxa- 
tion was  about  $35  per  head.  In  regard  to  the  goods  paying 
custom-house  duties,  it  will  be  borne  in  mind  that  a  lair  propor- 
tion of  the  necessaries,  and  at  least  one-half  of  the  luxuries  used 
in  the  State  were  consumed  in  this  city.  If  we  estimate  there- 
fore the  population  of  the  former  at  quarter  of  a  million,  it  may 
be  supposed  that  the  sum  of,  at  least,  §300,000  was  actually  con- 


394 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


tributed  in  indirect  taxation  by  the  inhabitants  of  the  latter.  This 
is  at  the  rate  of  $10  per  head.  Add  this  to  the  sum  of  $35 
above  mentioned  ;  and  it  appears  that  the  total  amount  of  direct 
and  indirect  taxation  for  a  single  year  upon  each  inhabitant, 
male  or  female,  infant  or  adult,  of  San  Francisco,  was  $45.  This 
is  an  amount  of  taxation  which  few  cities  or  countries  can  show. 
But  besides  these  sums,  the  holders  of  city  real  estate  were  as- 
sessed in  two-thirds  of  the  expense  of  grading  and  planking  the 
streets  opposite  their  properties  ;  while  the  general  citizens  volun- 
tarily incurred  a  vast  amount  of  additional  expense,  in  the  ap- 
pointment of  special  police  to  guard  particular  localities,  in  the 
gratuitous  services  of  firemen,  in  lighting,  watering,  cleansing  and 
repairing  the  public  streets,  in  opening  drains  and  sewers,  and  in 
many  other  ways,  the  duty  of  attending  to  which  naturally  falls, 
in  the  cities  of  other  lands,  upon  the  municipal  authorities. 

June  4th. — We  have  already  had  occasion  to  mention  the 
unexpected  manner  in  which  the  common  council  existing  at 
this  time  managed  to  get  into  office.  They  never  enjoyed  the 
confidence  of  the  people,  by  whom  in  reality  they  were  not  chosen. 
Perhaps  on  that  very  account,  they  were  the  more  determined  to 
neglect  the  public  interests  and  attend  solely  to  their  own.  Had 
Mayor  Harris  not  continually  been  a  thorn  in  their  side,  much 
additional  mischief  would  have  been  perpetrated.  Though  this 
gentleman  was  on  their  ticket,  and  came  into  office  in  the  same 
doubtful  manner  with  themselves,  there  existed  a  marked  differ- 
ence in  their  public  acts.  Dr.  Harris  was  a  man  of  undoubted 
personal  integrity,  and  possessed  in  a  high  degree  the  confidence 
and  esteem  of  the  citizens.  By  his  care  and  faithfulness,  the  city 
was  saved  from  many  heavy  burdens  that  would  recklessly  have 
been  laid  upon  it  by  the  common  council  of  this  year.  One  noted 
instance  was  his  refusal  to  approve  of  the  aldermen's  ordinance 
accepting  the  terms  of  the  act  of  the  Legislature  which  relin- 
quished the  State  claims  to  the  water  lots,  upon  the  city  recog- 
nizing and  confirming;  certain  of  the  old  obnoxious  "  Cotton 
Grants." 

The  purchase  of  the  new  Jenny  Lind  Theatre  and  Parker  House 
for  the  purposes  of  a  City  Hall  was  another  of  the  common  coun- 
cil jobs  which  excited  very  much  angry  discussion  at  the  time, 


PURCHASE  OF  THE  JENNY  LIND  THEATRE.  395 

and  which  afforded  interesting  and  amusing  "matter"  for  the 
newspapers — (the  "Jenny  Lind  Swindle,"  or  sometimes  "  Juggle," 
they  facetiously  called  it), — during  half  a  year.  The  old  City 
Hall  having  been  destroyed  in  the  fire  of  22d  June,  1851,  the 
various  municipal  officials  were  compelled  to  get  business  cham- 
bers where  they  could,  for  which  very  high  rents  had  to  be  paid. 
As  the  different  public  offices  were  now  located  in  separate  parts 
of  the  town,  much  inconvenience  was  experienced.  This  arrange- 
ment could  only  be  temporary.  The  rents,  which  were  somewhere 
about  forty  thousand  dollars  per  annum,  formed  a  heavy  tax  upon 
the  public  ;  while  ground  could  be  bought  and  a  proper  building 
erected  by  the  city  itself  for  about  four  or  five  times  that  amount. 
Several  desirable  sites  could  be  had  in  the  town  on  moderate 
terms,  and  responsible  contractors  were  ready  to  undertake  the 
construction  of  the  proposed  building  at  fixed  rates,  which  would 
certainly  have  reduced  the  total  cost  below  two  hundred  thousand 
dollars.  In  these  circumstances,  the  common  council,  for  rea- 
sons, as  the  saying  is,  best  known  to  themselves,  and  in  spite  of 
the  indignant  cries  of  the  citizens,  and  the  general  remonstrances 
of  the  press,  determined, — in  conjunction  with  the  board  of  super- 
visors of  the  county,  who  were  to  pay  half  the  cost, — to  purchase 
the  Jenny  Lind  Theatre,  and  convert  it  into  the  proposed  City 
Hall.  The  purchase-money  of  the  building  as  it  stood  was  to  be 
$200,000  ;  while  to  remove  all  the  inside  walls,  leaving  only  the 
outer  ones  standing,  and  to  build  up  the  interior  anew,  properly 
fitted  up  for  municipal  purposes,  was  believed  to  involve  the  ex- 
penditure of  nearly  half  as  much  more.  At  the  same  time,  it  was 
supposed  that  the  building  when  so  altered  would  be  only  a  mis- 
erable structure  at  the  best.  An  ordinance  authorizing  the  pur- 
chase was  passed  by  large  majorities  in  both  council  boards,  and 
sent  to  the  mayor  for  approval,  which  was  refused.  Notwith- 
standing, the  common  council,  on  the  4th  June,  re-adopted  the 
obnoxious  ordinance,  and  passed  it  by  a  constitutional  and  almost 
unanimous  vote. 

Meanwhile,  the  public  wrath  was  growing  very  clamorous,  the 
more  so  perhaps  that  it  was  impotent.  On  the  evening  of  the  1st 
of  June,  one  of  the  usual  mass  and  indignation  meetings  was  held 
on  the  plaza,  where  the  proposed  purchase  was  passionately  de- 


396 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


nounced.  Mr.  William  A.  Dana  presided  on  the  occasion.  This 
was  one  of  the  most  stormy  meetings  that  had  ever  been  held  in 
the  city.  Hon.  David  C.  Broderick,  who  was  in  favor  of  the  pro- 
posed purchase,  attempted  to  make  a  speech  for  his  cause,  but 
the  noise  and  reproaches  of  the  meeting  effectually  put  him  down. 
Sundry  squabbling  and  wordy  sparring  took  place  between  Mr. 
Broderick  and  Dr.  J.  H.  Gihon,  who  was  on  this  occasion  the 
people's  orator  ;  and  the  meeting  ended  in  hubbub,  riot  and  con- 
fusion. Little  cared  the  common  council  for  such  proceedings — 
the  general  ire — the  mayor's  veto — the  denunciations  and  ridicule 
of  the  press.  The  matter  was  carried  finally  into  the  Supreme 
Court,  at  the  instance  of  some  public-spirited  citizens,  and  shortly 
afterwards  a  judgment  was  obtained  recognizing  the  right  of  the 
city  and  the  board  of  supervisors  to  make  the  purchase.  This 
was  forthwith  done  ;  and  the  contemplated  alterations  were  speed- 
ily made  on  the  building,  although  at  a  great  expense.  The 
whole  affair  was  long  a  prolific  subject  for  conversation  and  discus- 
sion, for  ridicule  and  the  imputation  of  corrupt  motives.  It  serv- 
ed to  glorify  the  council  of  this  year,  as  the  notorious  aldermen's 
salaries  and  medal  pieces  of  business  had  immortalized  a  previous 
party  of  "  city  s£e/?-fathers." 

After  the  purchase  was  made  and  the  alterations  were  comple- 
ted, it  was  found  that  the  new  structure  answered  the  purposes  in- 
tended better  than  was  at  first  anticipated.  The  situation  is  ex- 
cellent. At  the  present  time,  however  (1854),  it  is  beginning 
to  be  discovered  that  the  building  is  too  small  for  the  increased 
business  of  the  city.  Movements  are  now  making  to  purchase 
additional  business  chambers  elsewhere,  or  to  include  a  portion  of 
the  adjoining  Union  Hotel  into  the  municipal  establishment. 
Doubtless,  before  many  years  pass,  the  whole  of  either  that  build- 
ing, or  of  the  El  Dorado  gambling-saloon  on  the  other  side,  if  not 
both,  will  be  required  for  the  necessary  extension  of  the  City  Hall, 
unless  indeed  it  be  located  in  some  altogether  different  quarter, 
and  built  anew. 

June  28th. — The  "Placer  Times  and  Transcript,"  transfer- 
red from  Sacramento,  is  first  published  in  San  Francisco,  under 
the  management  of  Messrs.  Fitch,  Pickering  &  Lawrence. 

July  5th. — "Independence-day"  falling  upon  Sunday,  was 


DEATH  OF  HON.  EDWARD  GILBERT. 


397 


celebrated  the  next  day.  This  national  festival  has  always  been 
a  grand  affair  in  San  Francisco  ;  and  on  this  occasion  the  citizens 
exceeded  all  their  former  efforts.  Prominent  in  the  procession 
of  the  day  were  large  bands  of  foreigners,  particularly  of  the  French 
and  the  Chinese.  The  latter  displayed  numerous  fanciful  flags 
and  specimens  of  the  finest  workmanship  of  their  people.  Their 
gongs,  cymbals,  wooden  bowls  or  drums,  and  strange  stringed  in- 
struments, made  the  air  hideous  with  diabolical  sounds.  One 
wagon  was  filled  with  several  Chinamen  richly  and  showily  dress- 
ed, who  occupied  themselves  in  continually  firing  off  their  nation- 
al crackers.  In  the  evening  there  was  a  brilliant  display  of 
fireworks  on  the  plaza,  where  some  fifteen  thousand  of  the  inhab- 
itants had  assembled  to  witness  the  exhibition. 

July  11th. — The  Herald  newspaper  is  printed  on  coarse  brown 
paper,  such  as  is  commonly  used  for  envelopes  and  for  wrapping 
packages.  About  this  period,  and  during  some  months  following, 
all  the  newspapers  of  the  city  were  reduced  to  the  same  or  to  even 
worse  descriptions  of  paper.  Day  by  day,  the  old  broad  sheets 
were  becoming  narrower  and  coarser,  while  they  assumed  every 
color  of  the  rainbow.  The  Alta  for  a  long  time  was  published  on 
a  small  double  sheet  (which,  however,  was  of  a  pretty  fine  quali- 
ty), where  the  typographical  matter  on  a  page  measured  only 
about  fourteen  inches  in  length  by  ten  in  breadth.  The  market 
had  suddenly  and  unexpectedly  happened  to  be  without  supplies 
of  proper  printing  paper  ;  and  many  months  elapsed  before  a  suf- 
ficient stock  could  be  procured.  Of  course  prices  of  the  material 
rose  enormously. 

August  2d. — A  duel  took  place  this  day  between  the  Hon. 
Edward  Gilbert,  senior  editor  of  the  Alta  California  and  ex-repre- 
sentative of  the  State  in  the  Lower  House  of  Congress,  and  Gen- 
eral J.  W.  Denver,  State  Senator  from  Trinity  County.  Gen. 
Denver  having  taken  personal  offence  at  certain  observations  which 
had  appeared  in  the  "  Alta  California,"  regarding  Governor  Big- 
ler's  government,  published  a  letter,  in  which  he  animadverted 
strongly  on  the  terms  of  these  observations,  and  talked  of  the  wri- 
ter in  objectionable  language.  Mr.  Gilbert,  the  author  of  the 
original  obnoxious  articles,  considered  the  general's  letter  unjust 
and  offensive  to  himself,  and  thereupon  challenged  that  gentleman. 


398 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


A  hostile  interview  accordingly  took  place  at  Oak  Grove,  near 
Sacramento.  The  weapons  were  rifles,  and  the  distance  forty 
paces.  General  Denver,  it  was  said,  possessed  an  unerring  aim, 
while  Mr.  Gilbert  scarcely  knew  how  to  hold  his  piece.  At  the 
first  interchange  of  shots,  the  general  fired  deliberately  aside  ; 
while  Mr.  Gilbert  missed.  The  challenger,  or  his  second,  insisted 
on  the  fight  being  continued,  more  especially,  perhaps,  because 
the  former  had  been  recently  in  the  habit  of  ridiculing  bloodless 
duels.  His  antagonist  now  considered  that  it  was  time  for  him 
to  protect  himself;  and,  at  the  next  shot,  sent  his  ball  through 
Mr.  Gilbert's  body.  The  wounded  man  never  spoke  again,  and 
in  a  few  minutes  expired.  This  termination  of  the  duel  excited 
great  regret  in  San  Francisco,  where  Mr.  Gilbert  had  been  much 
esteemed.  A  numerous  company  of  the  citizens  assembled  to 
pay  the  last  respects  to  his  remains,  public  institutions  passed 
resolutions  to  the  honor  of  the  deceased,  the  shipping  hung 
their  flags  at  half  mast,  many  public  buildings  and  private  houses 
were  decorated  with  mourning  draperies,  and  the  newspapers  ap- 
peared with  black  lines  down  their  columns. 

The  custom  of  fighting  duels  was  at  the  period  of  which  we 
write,  as  it  at  present  is,  deplorably  common  among  the  higher 
class  of  people  of  San  Francisco.  These  encounters  are  generally 
conducted  in  a  manner  which  must  appear  somewhat  strange  to 
the  natives  of  other  civilized  countries.  There  is  little  delicate 
privacy  observed  on  the  occasion.  On  the  contrary,  the  parties, 
or  their  immediate  friends,  invite  all  their  acquaintances,  who 
invite  others  to  go  and  witness  the  proposed  engagement.  It  is 
sometimes  announced  the  day  before  in  the  newspapers — time, 
place,  parties,  weapons,  and  every  particular  of  the  ceremony  being 
faithfully  given.  That  no  price  is  mentioned  for  the  sight,  seems 
the  only  thing  that  distinguishes  the  entertainment  from  a  bull 
or  bear  fight.  If  two  notable  characters  be  announced  to  perform 
a  duel,  say  at  the  mission,  half  the  city  flocks  to  the  place,  and, 
of  course,  the  spectators  are  much  disappointed  should  nobody  be 
slain.  If  the  bloody  entertainment  be  advertised  to  "  come  off," 
say  at  Benicia  or  somewhere  in  Contra  Costa,  the  steamers  of  the 
eventful  morning  are  densely  packed  with  those  who  prefer  the 
excitement  of  a  gladiatorial  show  to  the  dull  pursuit  of  business,  or 


CUSTOM  OF  DUELLING. 


399 


loafing  about  the  streets.  The  favorite  weapons  are  navy  revol- 
vers. The  antagonists  stand  back  to  back,  walk  five  paces,  turn 
suddenly  round,  and  fire  away  at  their  leisure,  till  one  or  both  are 
wounded  or  slain,  or  the  barrels  are  all  discharged.  Sometimes 
rifles  are  preferred.  With  these  deadly  instruments  many  men 
can  lodge  the  ball  within  a  hair's  breadth  of  a  given  mark  at  forty 
paces  off,  which  is  the  usual  distance  between  the  parties  in  a  duel 
of  this  description. 

We  intended  to  have  made  Mr.  Gilbert's  death  a  text,  not 
only  for  enlarging  upon  the  usual  savage  and  public  nature  of 
the  numerous  duels  which  take  place  here,  but  also  for  some 
remarks  upon  the  general  carelessness  of  life  among  the  people, 
and  the  frequency  of  sudden  personal  quarrels,  when  revolvers, 
bowie-knives  and  "  slung  shots  "  are  unhesitatingly  made  use  of. 
But  we  have  at  so  many  other  places  in  this  work  had  occasion 
to  allude  to  these  every-day  characteristics  of  the  inhabitants, 
that  little  more  need  be  said  here  on  the  subject.  In  the  earlier 
years, — that  is,  in  1849  and  1850, — fatal  affrays  were  of  very  fre- 
quent occurrence  in  the  streets,  and  in  every  place  of  public 
amusement.  In  the  gambling  saloons,  pistols,  loaded  with  ball, 
would  every  night  be  discharged  by  some  hot-headed,  revengeful, 
or  drunken  fellows.  The  crowd  around  were  always  liable  to  be 
wounded,  if  not  killed,  but  notwithstanding,  play  at  every  table 
went  briskly  on,  as  if  no  danger  of  the  kind  existed.  A  momen- 
tary confusion  and  surprise  might  take  place  if  anybody  happened 
to  be  murdered  in  the  room  ;  but  soon  the  excitement  died  away. 
Similar  events  often  occurred  at  the  bar,  or  on  the  steps  of  a 
hotel,  in  a  low  dance  or  drinking-house,  or  in  the  open  street,  and 
nobody  was  much  surprised,  though  some  of  the  parties  were 
severely  wounded  or  killed  outright.  It  was  their  "  destiny,"  or 
their  "  luck."  Since  the  years  last  mentioned,  quarrels  of  this 
description  have  become  less  common,  though  they  are  still  nume- 
rous. There  is  a  sad  recklessness  of  conduct  and  carelessness  of 
life  among  the  people  of  California  ;  and  nearly  all  the  inhabi- 
tants of  San  Francisco,  whatever  be  their  native  country,  or  their 
original  pacific  disposition,  share  in  the  same  hasty,  wild  charac- 
ter and  feeling.  The  circumstances  of  the  time,  the  place  and 
people,  soon  create  the  necessity  in  the  latest  immigrant  of  think- 


400 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


ing  and  acting  like  the  older  residents  on  this  subject.  It  has 
always  been  a  practice  with  a  large  proportion  of  the  citizens,  to 
carry  loaded  fire-arms  or  other  deadly  weapons  concealed  about 
their  persons,  this  being,  as  it  were,  a  part  of  their  ordinary  dress  ; 
while  occasionally  the  rest  of  the  inhabitants  are  compelled  also 
to  arm  themselves  like  their  neighbors.  Of  course,  these  arms 
are  intended  for  defence  against  attacks  by  robbers,  as  well  as  to 
be  used,  when  necessary,  against  those  who  would  merely  assault 
the  person  without  meaning  to  steal.  Such  weapons  are  not 
generally  produced,  except  in  cases  of  extremity,  or  the  place 
would  soon  be  made  desolate  ;  while  sometimes  the  fear  of  pro- 
voking their  use,  may  keep  the  rowdy  and  the  insolent  rascal 
quiet.  Yet  the  unhappy  possession  of  these  fatal  instruments 
often  gives  rise,  on  occasions  of  sudden  passion,  to  many  lamenta- 
ble consequences. 

August  10th. — Funeral  solemnities,  on  a  great  scale,  took 
j)lace  this  day,  in  commemoration  of  the  death  of  Henry  Clay. 
On  this  occasion  political  parties  of  all  principles,  the  different 
associated  bodies,  native  Americans  and  foreigners  of  every  nation 
— in  short,  the  whole  inhabitants  united  to  pay  homage  and  re- 
spect to  the  memory  of  the  celebrated  statesman.  The  proces- 
sion was  the  largest  assemblage  of  respectable  people  ever  seen 
in  the  city,  and  was  distinguished  as  much  for  the  evident  heart- 
felt sorrow  in  the  mourners,  as  for  the  pomp  and  melancholy 
splendor  of  the  slow-moving  train,  which  extended  about  a  mile 
in  length.  The  Merchants'  Exchange,  the  Custom  House,  El 
Dorado,  Bella  Union,  City  Hall,  Marshal's  Office,  and  in  fact 
all  the  public  buildings  and  many  private  houses  were  clothed  in 
black  draperies,  as  if  the  very  stones  were  to  bewail  the  loss  of  a 
great  man.  The  whole  of  Montgomery  street  was  hung  in  black, 
the  sombre-looking  folds  of  the  cloth  being  relieved  at  places  by 
wreaths  and  ornaments  of  white.  Portions  of  every  other  main 
street  were  decorated  in  the  same  elaborate  and  perhaps  over- 
fanciful  manner.  The  various  engine  houses  were  likewise  suit- 
ably arrayed.  While  the  insensate  walls  thus  wore  the  aspect  of 
universal  gloom,  the  people  themselves  were  dressed  according  to 
the  solemnity  and  grandeur  of  the  occasion — the  natives  of  every 
land  appearing  in  the  recognized  national  costume  that  expressed 


HENRY  CLAY  FUNERAL  CEREMONIES. 


401 


the  deepest  grief  and  mourning  in  the  wearer.  The  tolling  of 
great  bells,  the  measured  boom  of  the  bass  drum  and  the  swelling 
wail  of  wind  instruments  turned  the  hearts  of  the  people  heavy 
and  sorrowful.  A  hundred  low- hung  flags  drooped  over  the  city, 
and  numerous  bands  of  music  played  dead  marches.  If  mechan- 
ical means  could  inspire  or  strengthen  genuine  sorrow,  it  was  so 
on  this  occasion.  The  procession  moved  through  the  principal 
streets  till  it  reached  the  plaza.  There,  the  orator  of  the  day, 
Judge  Hoffman,  delivered  an  appropriate  and  eloquent  address. 
The  dead  no  longer  heard  his  praises  chanted  ;  but  the  memory 
of  his  deeds,  his  fiery  eloquence,  and  the  numberless  benefits  con- 
ferred on  his  country  and  on  the  world,  by  the  famous  orator  and 
statesman,  will  long  gratefully  fill  the  minds  of  American  citizens. 

The  occasion  was  worthy  of  a  grand  display ;  and  it  was 
admitted  by  everybody,  that  the  procession,  the  ceremonies  and 
general  mourning,  were  of  the  most  novel,  imposing,  and  splendi4 
description  that  had  ever  been  witnessed  in  San  Francisco, 


26 


CHAPTER  XXII. 
1852. 

Australian  gold  mines.— Restlessness  of  miners. — Many  who  emigrated  to  Australia  retnrn  to  Cali- 
fornia.—Superior  advantages  of  the  latter  place. — Second  city  directory  published. — California 
Telegraph  Company. — General  eleotion. — Fire  in  Sacramento  city.— Another  fire  in  San  Francis- 
co.—Intelligence  received  of  the  death  of  Daniel  Webster.— Falling  of  the  waters  of  Lake  La 
Mercede. — Another  city  directory.— Firemen's  election. — Legal  execution  of  Jos6  Forni.— De- 
structive storm. 

September. — For  some  time  back  a  large  number  of  vessels  had 
left  San  Francisco  with  adventurers  to  the  Australian  gold  mines, 
while  now  other  vessels  were  bringing  many  of  the  same  parties 
back  again.  A  short  notice  on  this  subject  may  not  be  out  of 
place. 

Gold  is  perhaps  the  most  extensively  diffused  metal  in  the 
•world,  although  it  -is  commonly  found  in  very  small  particles. 
Every  land  is  historically  known  to  have  had  its  auriferous  dis- 
trict. California,  however,  stood  alone  in  this  respect,  so  far  as 
it  yielded  large  quantities  of  the  precious  metal,  procured  with 
less  labor  than  any  other  country.  Its  gold  possessions  had  already 
drawn  upon  it  a  vast  population,  who  came  hither  hastily  to 
collect  the  sparkling  treasure,  and  then  leave.  The  miners  gen- 
erally never  contemplated  a  permanent  residence  in  the  country. 
When  they  had  raised  their  "pile,"  they  hurried  home — to  the 
wives  and  families  or  the  friends  they  had  left  in  the  Atlantic 
States  or  in  Europe.  So  long  as  they  remained  in  California,  they 
were  not  closely  attached  to  any  one  gold-bearing  district,  however 
rich  it  might  be.  More  often,  they  were  incessantly  moving 
about  and  prospecting,  hoping  and  looking  for  new  and  richer 
claims.  When  a  particularly  valuable  district  happened  to  be 
discovered,  then  a  "  rush  "  to  it  took  place  from  all  the  neighbor- 
ing regions,  and  even  from  places  hundreds  of  miles  distant. 


AUSTRALIAN  GOLD  MINES. 


403 


This  restlessness  has  always  been  a  peculiar  feature  in  the  char- 
acter of  the  miner,  who  is  naturally  speculative.  He  works  hard 
— harder  than  an  Irish  laborer  or  an  English  "  navvie,"  for  per- 
haps one  month — then  he  grows  weary  and  discontented  with  his 
trifling  gains,  and  wanders  about  for  as  long  a  period  prospecting, 
poking  into  every  odd  crevice  in  likely  rocks,  sinking  pits  here 
and  there,  and  trying  the  sandy  bed  of  every  stream  he  may  see 
in  his  rambles,  wistfully  hoping,  though  seldom  finding,  some 
rich  secret  deposit  that  will  repay  his  previous  fruitless  labor. 
When  his  means  of  living  without  immediately  profitable  and 
earnest  work  are  nearly  exhausted,  he  gets  tired  of  this  new- 
occupation,  and  a  supposed  good  claim  may  perhaps  also  be 
found.  Then  the  digger  sets  vigorously  to  work  once  more,  for 
another  month  or  two,  until  new  ennui  and  restlessness  force 
him  to  go  on  the  tramp  again,  and  look  about  for  the  fanciful 
great  gains  that  can  alone  satisfy  his  hopes.  He  chases  the  rain- 
bow to  find  its  base.  The  gold  miner,  like  man  in  the  abstract, 
"  never  is,  but  always  to  be  blest."  His  business  is  closely  allied 
to  gambling,  with  its  rare  chances  of  suddenly  making  a  great 
fortune,  or  of  losing  time  and  labor,  which  make  his  capital. 

While  the  miner  grew  thus  restless,  and  was  attracted  to  new 
placers  upon  the  least  rumor  of  their  fancied  superiority,  and  when 
idle  tales  arose  and  were  circulated  by  the  weak,  indolent  or  un- 
lucky, that  all  the  best  fields  had  already  been  gleaned  of  their 
rich  harvest,  he  was  naturally  prepared  to  go  farther,  and  to  seek 
in  other  lands  the  wealth  which  he  had  happened  somehow  to 
miss  in  California.  It  mattered  little  in  what  place  or  country 
he  made  his  "  pile,"  so  that  it  was  found.  The  discovery  of  gold 
in  Australia,  nearly  a  year  and  a  half  ago,  had  produced  in  that 
country,  and  subsequently  over  a  great  part  of  the  world,  a  repe- 
tition of  the  troublous  scenes  which  had  occurred  immediately 
after  the  discovery  of  gold  in  California.  When,  therefore,  in- 
telligence of  the  great  quantities  of  the  precious  metal  which 
were  being  found  in  Australia  reached  San  Francisco,  and  subse- 
quently the  mining  regions  of  California,  great  excitement  was 
produced  over  all  the  country.  Successive  reports  confirmed  the 
first  astonishing  yields.  Rich  as  the  Californian  placers  had  been 
esteemed,  the  Australian  diggings  appeared  much  to  exceed  them 


404  ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 

in  that  respect.  A  good  story  by  travelling  loses  nothing  of  the 
marvellous.  The  first  wonderful  tidings  of  the  Sydney  diggings 
— including  the  notable  hundred-weight  of  pure  gold,  were  almost 
forgotten,  when  later  intelligence  came  of  the  newer  gold  fields 
of  Victoria — of  the  famous  Mount  Alexander  region,  and  its  dis- 
tricts ;  Forest  Creek.  Friar's  Creek  and  the  rest,  and  also  of  the 


Scene  in  the  gold  mines. 


renowned  Ballarat  and  Bendi£0.  Lanjre  numbers  of  the  mkn*a- 
tory  and  discontented  miners  in  California  now  hurried  to  San 
Francisco,  to  depart  for  the  newer  and  perhaps  true  Dorado,  just 
discovered  in  Australia.  Many  adventurers  from  the  city  joined 
these  emigrants,  and  set  sail  for  Sidney  and  Melbourne.  At  the 
same  time,  great  numbers  of  Australians,  who  had  come  to  Cali- 
fornia after  1848,  now  took  the  opportunity  of  returning  to  their 
original  homes.  Some  of  these  had  wrought  patiently  at  thfe 
mines,  or  lived  as  good  citizens  in  various  parts  of  the  country, 
while  others  had  long  been  the  disgrace  and  terror  of  the  comnm- 


AUSTRALIAN  GOLD  MINES. 


405 


nity.  The  "  Vigilance  Committee  "  of  San  Francisco,  and  similar 
associated  bodies  that  had  been  formed  in  other  towns  of  Califor- 
nia, had  already  driven  the  worst  of  the  last  class  of  Australians 
away.  The  news  of  the  gold  discoveries  in  their  own  country, 
speedily  carried  off  the  rest.  The  migration  from  California  at 
this  period  was  therefore  not  an  unmingled  evil,  although  its  own 
mines  wanted  every  hand  that  could  dig  a  hole  or  feed  a  long-torn. 

After  a  time,  most  of  the  Californians  in  Australia  grew  sick 
of  their  new  country.  They  had  perhaps  found  the  auriferous 
earth  in  general  rather  richer  than  what  it  was  in  California  ; 
but  not  so  rich  as  tl  jir  brilliant  hopes  had  pictured  it.  At  the 
same  time,  since  the  gold  happened  in  general  to  be  buried  much 
deeper  in  the  ground,  the  labor  of  extracting  it  was  greater,  while 
the  water  for  washing  purposes  was  often  lamentably  deficient. 
Then  there  was  the  moral  contamination  of  working  beside  the 
convicts  of  Van  Dieman's  Land  and  New  South  Wales,  the  un- 
healthiness  of  the  mining  country,  the  scarcity  of  proper  water  to 
drink,  the  privations  from  want  of  food  and  severity  of  the 
weather,  and  excessively  severe  labor.  The  Califovnians  were 
farther  disgusted  by  the  imposition;  of  a  tax  of  seven  and  a  half 
dollars  per  month,  laid  by  the  government  upon  all  miners  for 
license  to  work,  as  well  as  by  the  occasional  outbreaks  of  national 
jealousy,  and  disputes  between  themselves  and  British  subjects. 
On  the  whole,  therefore,  the  Americans  were  glad  to  leave  the 
country  to  its  first  inhabitants  and  their  coming  brethren  from 
England  ;  and  so  soon  as  the  former  contrived  to  gather  the  pe- 
cuniary means,  and  had  the  opportunity,  they  hastened  back  to 
their  old  quarters  in  California,  now  doubly  endeared  to  them  by 
their  luckless  absence.  The  reports  brought  by  these  returned 
emigrants  before  long  satisfied  the  wavering  and  adventurous, 
that  no  special  benefit  was  to  be  obtained  by  any  American  in 
leaving  the  rich  mines  of  his  own  country  for  those,  however  pro- 
mising they  might  appear,  of  another.  On  the  contrary,  all  he 
could  look  for  were  many  additional  hardships,  physical  and 
moral,  and  severe  labor  ill-requited.  Of  late,  accordingly,  com- 
paratively few  adventurers  have  sailed  from  San  Francisco  for  the 
Australian  gold  fields.  This  is  well  for  California.  It  may  just 
also,  while  on  this  subject,  be  said  in  passing,  that  other  labor  in 


406 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


Australia — from  that  of  the  rudest  workman  to  that  of  the  high- 
est skilled  mechanic — is  only  paid  about  one-half  the  rates  which 
it  commands,  has  always  received,  and  probably  for  many  years 
to  come,  will  continue  to  receive  in  California.  Let  interested 
people  say  what  they  will,  there  is  no  land  so  well  fitted  for  the 
comfortable  residence  of  the  poor  and  industrious  man  as  Califor- 
nia. Soil,  climate,  wages,  and  political,  religious  and  domestic 
institutions  here  make  his  position  more  ennobling  and  agreeable 
than  he  can  expect  or  possibly  find  in  any  other  country. 

This  month  the  second  (wrongfully  said  in  the  preface  to  be 
the  first,)  San  Francisco  "  City  Directory  "  was  published  by  A. 
W.  Morgan  &  Co.  It  was  a  well  printed,  thin  octavo,  of  one 
hundred  and  twenty-five  pages.  The  names  were  not  more  in 
number  than  what  C.  P.  Kimball's  Directory  of  1850  contained. 
These,  however,  in  Morgan's  book  were  stated  both  alphabetically 
and  classified  into  trades  and  professions.  Some  useful  general 
information  was  also  given  in  an  appendix. 

October  22d. — A  city  ordinance  was  passed  and  approved 
of,  granting  a  right  of  way  to  the  "  California  Telegraph  Compa- 
ny." Some  time  elapsed  before  the  company  could  erect  posts 
and  extend  the  wires  through  the  State  ;  and  it  was  only  late  in 
the  following  year  that  they  got  into  working  order.  By  means 
of  this  telegraph,  San  Francisco  was  brought  into  instant  com- 
munication with  San  Jose,  Stockton,  Sacramento,  Marysville, 
and  other  towns  in  the  interior. 

November  2d. — Election  of  State,  county  and  city  officials, 
as  well  as  others  for  the  United  States.  The  county  and  city  re- 
turns were  as  follows  : — 

Senate. — John  N.  Baird,  John  S.  Hager. 
Assembly. — Samuel  Flower,  John  Sime,  Frederick  A.  Snyder,  George  H. 
Blake,  James  M.  Taylor,  Isaac  N.  Cordoza,  Elcan  Ilej  denfeldt. 
County  Surveyor. — W.  P.  Humphreys. 
Public  Administrator. — David  T.  Bagley. 
District  Judge. — Delos  Lake. 

Mayor. — C.  J.  Brenham. 
City  Marsnal. — R.  G.  Crozier.  Recorder. — George  W.  Baker. 

Comptroller. — R.  Matheson.  Street  Commissioner. — Wm.  Divicr. 

Tax  Collector. — Lewis  Teal.  Treasurer. — Hamilton  Bowie. 

Harbor  Master. — W.  T.  Thompson.       City  Attorney. — John  K.  Hackett. 
City  Assessors. — M.  D.  Eyre,  J.  L.  Anderson,  J.  O'Callahan. 


FIRES  IN  SACRAMENTO  AND  SAN  FRANCISCO.  407 


Aldermen. 

J.  P.  Flint,         W.  A.  Dana,         T.  H.  Selby,         Geo.  K.  Gluyas, 
J.  P.  Haven,        C.  L.  Case,  A.  J.  Bowie,         E.  J.  Hoove. 

Assistant  Aldermen. 

H.  N.  Squier,       H.  R.  Haste,      James  De  Long,      J.  B.  Piper, 
W.  H.  Bovee,       G.  W.  Bryant,    Edward  Byrne,        Thomas  Hayes. 

November  2d  and  3d. — Great  fire  at  the  city  of  Sacramento, 
by  which  nearly  two  thousand  buildings  were  destroyed.  The 
conflagration  extended  over  fifty-five  blocks,  and  deprived  seven 
thousand  people  of  their  usual  homes.  The  value  of  the  build- 
ings and  goods  destroyed  was  differently  estimated  at  from  five 
to  ten  millions  of  dollars.  Much  distress  was  suffered  by  the  in- 
habitants on  this  lamentable  occasion.  The  people  of  San  Fran- 
cisco, bearing  in  mind  their  own  great  fires,  and  the  loss  and 
misery  these  had  caused,  held  public  meetings,  at  this  time,  to 
express  sympathy  and  to  devise  measures  for  relieving  their  suf- 
fering brethren.  A  sum  of  sixteen  thousand  dollars  was  imme- 
diately collected  and  remitted  to  Sacramento  for  the  general 
relief  of  those  who  had  been  burned  out.  Other  subscriptions 
swelled  the  amount  to  thirty  thousand  dollars.  Many  medical 
gentlemen  offered  their  gratuitous  professional  services,  while  the 
steamers  bore  supplies  thither  free  of  freight.  Signora  Biscacci- 
anti,  who  had  recently  been  performing  in  San  Francisco,  gene- 
rously offered  to  give  a  concert  for  the  benefit  of  the  sufferers. 
This  was  largely  attended,  and  realized  the  sum  of  seven  hundred 
dollars,  which  was  paid  into  the  relief  fund.  Other  public  per- 
formers gave  benefits  for  the  sufferers  at  Sacramento. 

November  9th. — While  the  people  of  San  Francisco  were 
thus  nobly  sympathizing  with  the  losses  of  others,  fire  again 
broke  out  among  themselves.  The  flames  were  first  noticed 
about  half-past  eight  o'clock  on  the  evening  of  this  day,  in  a 
wooden  building  at  the  corner  of  Merchant  and  Kearny  streets. 
The  fire  companies  speedily  turned  out,  and  succeeded  after 
working  vigorously,  though  under  difficult  circumstances,  for 
about  an  hour  and  a  half,  in  subduing  the  conflagration ;  al- 
though not  before  thirty-two  buildings,  all  of  which,  excepting 
one  or  two,  were  of  wood,  had  been  consumed  in  Merchant  and 


408 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


Clay  streets.  Among  these  was  the  Union  Hotel.  The  loss  was 
estimated  at  about  $100,000.  The  new  supposed  fire-proof  walls 
were  severely  tested  on  this  occasion.  The  substantial  masses  of 
the  City  Hall  on  one  side,  the  California  Exchange  on  another, 
and  on  the  east  the  brick  building  that  faced  Montgomery  street, 
effectually  prevented  the  flames  from  spreading  beyond  them. 

This  month  was  a  disastrous  one  to  many  places  in  the  State. 
Not  only  had  Sacramento  been  nearly  altogether  destroyed,  while 
San  Francisco  had  sustained  much  loss,  but  Marysville,  San  Die- 
go, and  other  towns  and  agricultural  districts  had  been  severely 
scourged  by  fire.  It  was  estimated  that  the  total  losses  which 
had  fallen  on  the  State  from  fire  alone  during  the  previous  three 
years  amounted  to  sixty-six  millions  of  dollars. 

November  21st. — Intelligence  received  of  the  death  of 
Daniel  Webster.  The  flags  of  the  shipping,  and  others  on  shore, 
were  hung  at  half  'mast,  minute  guns  were  fired  during  the  day, 
and  the  city  generally  presented  the  appearance  of  sincere  mourn- 
ing for  the  loss  of  a  "  leader  in  Israel."  The  common  council 
passed  resolutions  of  honor  to  the  deceased  statesman ;  and  it 
was  afterwards  proposed  by  the  boards  of  aldermen  that  funeral 
solemnities  on  a  great  scale  should  be  performed  by  the  city,  as 
had  recently  been  done  in  the  case  of  the  death  of  Henry  Clay. 
This  proposal,  however,  through  motives  of  economy,  and  partly 
perhaps  on  account  of  the  rainy  season  having  commenced,  was 
ultimately  negatived.  It  mattered  naught  to  the  illustrious 
dead.    His  fame  here  will  live  for  ever,  as  on  the  Atlantic  shore. 

November  23d. — The  waters  of  Lake  La  Mercede,  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  city,  and  which  cover  several  hundred  acres,  sank 
about  thirty  feet.  Shortly  before  midnight  of  this  day,  a  shock 
like  that  of  an  earthquake  was  felt  by  parties  residing  near  the 
place  ;  and  the  following  morning  it  was  discovered  that  a  great 
channel  between  the  lake  and  the  sea  had  been  opened,  through 
a  broad  and  high  sand  bank,  during  the  night,  by  which  the 
waters  had  found  a  way  and  been  discharged.  It  was  supposed 
by  some,  either  that  the  bed  of  the  lake  had  been  suddenly  up- 
lifted, by  volcanic  agency,  whereby  the  raised  waters  scooped 
through  the  yielding  bank  the  channel  just  mentioned,  and  that 
afterwards  the  bed  of  the  lake  had  fallen  to  its  former  level,  or 


EXECUTION  OF  JOSE  FORNI. 


409 


else  that  a  great  sinking  of  the  hank  itself  had  taken  place  (sup- 
posed to  have  been  produced  by  subterranean  causes),  owing  to 
which  depression,  the  water  had  been  drawn  off  to  the  extent 
mentioned.  The  most  probable  conjecture  is,  that  the  excessive 
rains  of  the  season  had  simply  forced  open  a  passage  through  the 
broad  and  loose  sand-bank  from  the  lake  to  the  ocean.  Formerly 
the  lake  had  no  visible  outlet  whatever ;  and  its  waters  had  in- 
sensibly been  kept  about  the  same  level  by  means  of  evaporation, 
or  by  concealed  underground  communications  with  the  sea. 

December. — "City  Directories"  seem  to  be  lucrative  proper- 
ties. We  have  already  noticed  that  of  A.  W.  Morgan  &  Co., 
which  appeared  in  September  of  this  year.  Another  was  pub- 
lished this  month  by  James  A.  Parker.  This  was  a  much  supe- 
rior publication  to  either  Kimball's  or  Morgan's.  It  was  an  oc- 
tavo volume  of  one  hundred  and  forty-six  pages,  and  was  well 
printed.  The  names  were  about  nine  thousand  in  number,  being 
considerably  more  than  double  those  contained  in  either  of  its 
forerunners.  There  was  prefixed  a  creditable  sketch  of  the  rise 
and  progress  of  the  city,  and  the  volume  contained  an  appendix 
of  miscellaneous  useful  information.  Such  publications  in  every 
place  become  curious  and  interesting  after  the  lapse  of  a  few 
years.  Especially  this  will  be  the  case  in  a  rapidly  increasing 
community  like  San  Francisco.  To  the  patient  student  of  the 
social  and  personal,  as  well  as  the  material  history  of  our  city, 
and  to  the  future  antiquarian,  these  little  works  will  be  inesti- 
mable. 

December  6th. — The  election  for  chief  and  assistant  engi- 
neers to  the  firemen  is  yearly  becoming  of  more  importance. 
That  spirited  body  of  men,  who,  without  fee  or  reward,  save  the 
gratitude  of  the  people,  are  ever  ready  to  peril  life  and  limb  to 
save  the  persons  and  properties  of  the  citizens,  had  become  a 
numerous  and  influential  association.  Their  annual  election  of 
officers  took  place  this  day,  when  George  H.  Hossefros  was  chosen 
chief  engineer,  and  Charles  P.  Duane,  A.  R.  Simons,  and  Edward 
A.  Ebbets,  assistant  engineers. 

December  10th. — Jose  Forni — or  Forner,  as  he  described 
himself  in  his  first  confession — a  Spaniard,  was  hanged  upon 
Prussian  Hill,  for  the  murder  of  Jose  Rodriguez,  a  Mexican,  in 


410 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


Happy  Valley.  This  was  the  only  legal  execution  that  had  taken 
place  in  San  Francisco,  where  so  many  crimes  deserving  the  pun- 
ishment of  death  had  been  committed.  The  prisoner  confessed 
having  killed  the  deceased,  but  to  the  last  maintained  that  the 
act  was  done  only  in  self-defence.  This,  however,  was  not  esta- 
blished by  evidence.  The  gallows  had  been  originally  erected 
upon  the  summit  of  the  hill ;  but  just  before  the  execution,  it 
was  removed  about  one  hundred  yards  towards  the  west,  so  that 
it  was  not  visible  from  the  principal  portions  of  the  city.  A  very 
large  crowd, — variously  estimated  at  from  six  to  ten  thousand 
people, — gathered  round  the  place  of  execution,  at  least  one- 
fourth  of  whom  seemed  to  be  youths,  women  and  children. 

December  17th. — A  furious  gale  from  the  S.  S.  E.,  accom- 
panied by  excessive  rains.  Considerable  damage  was  sustained 
by  some  of  the  more  slimly  constructed  houses,  while  the  shipping 
suffered  severely.  The  losses  of  both  were  estimated  at  $200,000. 
Early  in  the  previous  month,  a  severe  "Norther"  had  threatened 
much  damage  to  the  shipping,  and  carried  away  the  outer  por- 
tion of  one  of  the  smaller  wharves.  The  want  of  docks,  or  of 
breakwaters,  upon  the  north  and  south  sides  of  the  harbor,  is  felt 
more  and  more  as  the  old  sheltered  cove  gets  gradually  covered 
with  streets  and  houses  by  the  extension  of  the  water  front  of  the 
town. 

The  storm,  first  above  noticed,  seriously  affected  the  rivers  of 
the  interior,  which  rose  to  an  unusual  height,  and  inundated 
most  of  the  towns  on  their  banks.  The  levee  at  Sacramento 
was  burst  through  by  the  pressure  of  the  flood,  and  nearly  the 
whole  of  that  unfortunate  city,  which  so  recently  had  been  hah 
destroyed  by  fire,  was  submerged  to  a  depth  of  from  five  to  ten 
feet.  Marysville  and  Stockton  were  equally  flooded.  Many  sub- 
stantially built  houses  were  undermined  at  all  these  places  by 
the  waters,  and  fell ;  whereby  much  valuable  property  was  de- 
stroyed. All  communication  was  cut  off  from  the  mining  quar- 
ters, and  great  distress  was  suffered  there  by  the  enormous  prices 
of  provisions,  particularly  of  flour,  and  the  difficulty,  or  impossi- 
bility of  keeping  open  a  connection  with  the  towns  for  supplies. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 


1852. 

Increase  of  population.— Mixed  character  of  the  immigrants.— Chinese,  Peruvians,  Chilenos,  and  other 
foreigners,  notoriously  vicious. — Sufferings  of  the  overland  immigrants.— Greater  attention  paid 
to  agricultural  pursuits.— City  improvements  still  progressing.— Great  fires  no  longer  possible.— 
Fire  insurance  agencies  established.— Manufactories. — New  gold  discoveries. — Emigration  to 
Australia.— Merchandise  and  provisions  commanding  high  prices.— The  clipper  ships.— Filthy 
condition  of  the  streets.— Great  abundance  of  rats.— The  city  extension,  bay,  and  shipping.— The 
strong  winds  preventive  of  disease.— Peculations  of  officials.— San  Francisco  only  suitable  for 
the  industrious. — The  city  growing  in  importance. — Change  of  inhabitants. — Fascinations  of  San 
Francisco  life. — Reflections  concerning  the  moral  condition  of  the  city. 

The  population  of  both  the  State  and  city  was  largely  increased 
in  1852.  The  departures  by  sea  from  San  Francisco  were  only 
23,196,  while  there  were  66,988  arrivals.  This  immigration  was 
about  double  the  amount  that  had  taken  place  in  1851.  The 
immigrants  from  the  Atlantic  States  generally  crossed  the  Isth- 
mus, while  the  greater  number  of  European  foreigners  came 
round  Cape  Horn.  The  Germans,  a  most  valuable  and  indus- 
trious class  of  men,  and  the  French,  perhaps  by  nature  not 
quite  so  steady  and  hard-working  a  race,  though  still  a  useful 
body  of  citizens,  were  year  by  year  arriving  in  large  numbers, 
and  were  readily  remarked  among  the  motley  population.  The 
most  untutored  eye  could  distinguish  and  contrast  the  natural 
phlegm  and  common-sense  philosophy  of  the  fat  Teuton,  and  the 
"lean  and  hungry  look"  and  restless  gestures  of  the  Celt.  Both 
races  were  generally  "bearded  like  the  pard,"  though  in  this 
respect  they  were  only  like  the  commonalty  of  San  Francisco, 
who  pride  themselves  much  upon  hair.  The  people  named  cher- 
ished many  of  their  old  nationalities,  and  generally  frequented 
their  own  particular  boarding  and  eating  houses  and  places  of 
recreation.  The  English,  Scotch  and  Irish  immigrants,  were 
also  numerous,  but  their  characteristics,  although  something  dif- 


412 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


ferent,  were  less  distinguishable  from  those  of  native  Americans 
than  were  the  manners  and  customs  of  other  foreigners.  Besides 
these,  there  were  always  arriving  numerous  specimens  of  most 
other  European  nations, — Spaniards,  Portuguese,  Italians,  Swiss, 
Greeks,  Hungarians,  Poles,  Russians,  Prussians,  Dutch,  Swedes. 
Danes,  Turks,  too — all  visited  California.  Many  of  them  went 
to  the  mines,  although  a  considerable  proportion  never  left  San 
Francisco.  The  country  and  city  were  wide  enough  to  hold 
them  all,  and  rich  enough  to  give  them  all  a  moderate  independ- 
ence in  the  course  of  a  few  years.  A  considerable  number  of 
German  and  French  women  were  constantly  arriving,  as  also 
many  more  of  the  sex  from  the  Atlantic  States.  The  female 
part  of  the  population,  though  still  numerically  very  far  below 
the  male  portion,  was  increasing,  perhaps  faster  in  proportion  to 
their  previous  numbers. 

Upwards  of  twenty  thousand  Chinese  are  included  in  the 
general  number  of  arrivals  above  given.  Such  people  were  be- 
coming very  numerous  in  San  Francisco,  from  whence  the  recent 
immigrants  from  their  country  scattered  themselves  over  the 
various  mining  regions  of  California.  At  one  period  of  1852 
there  were  supposed  to  be  about  27,000  Chinese  in  the  State. 
A  considerable  number  of  people  of  "  color"  (par  excellence)  also 
arrived.  These  were  probably  afraid  to  proceed  to  the  mines  to 
labor  beside  the  domineering  white  races,  and  therefore  they  re- 
mained to  drudge,  and  to  make  much  money  and  spend  it  in  San 
Francisco,  like  almost  every  body  else.  Mexicans  from  Sonora 
and  other  provinces  of  Mexico,  and  many  Chilians,  and  a  few 
Peruvians  from  South  America,  were  likewise  continually  com- 
ing and  going  between  San  Francisco  and  the  ports  of  their 
own  countries.  The  Chinese  immigrants  had  their  mandarins, 
their  merchants,  rich,  educated  and  respectable  men,  in  San 
Francisco ;  but  all  the  Mexicans  and  Chilians,  like  the  people 
of  negro  descent,  were  only  of  the  commonest  description.  The 
women  of  all  these  various  races  were  nearly  all  of  the  vilest 
character,  and  openly  practised  the  most  shameful  commerce. 
The  lewdness  of  fallen  white  females  is  shocking  enough  to  wit- 
ness, but  it  is  far  exceeded  by  the  disgusting  practices  of  these 
tawny  visaged  creatures. 


NUMBERS  AND  CHARACTER  OF  THE  POPULATION.  413 


The  land  immigration  into  the  State  was  also  exceedingly 
great  this  year,  numbering  probably  about  thirty  thousand  per- 
sons of  all  ages  and  both  sexes.  Among  these  was  a  large  pre- 
dominance of  youths  just  entering  upon  the  early  prime  of  man- 
hood. Much  suffering  was  experienced  by  those  who  crossed  the 
great  desert,  and  supplies  of  provisions  and  other  help  were  for- 
warded to  them  by  the  State  Government  of  California.  The 
steadily  increasing  production  of  gold  had  held  out  strong  hopes 
to  the  adventurous  of  the  Eastern  States,  and  of  many  other 
portions  of  the  world,  that,  after  all,  as  great  chances  existed  of 
still  making  a  moderate,  if  not  a  large  fortune,  in  a  short  period 
at  the  mines,  as  in  the  memorable  years  of  1848,  '49  and  '50. 

Owing  to  the  high  prices  of  all  kinds  of  provisions  towards 
the  fall  of  1852,  many  of  the  older  residents  in  the  country,  and 
a  few  of  the  later  immigrants,  began  to  turn  their  attention  to 
agricultural  pursuits,  which  promised  to  yield  even  larger  profits, 
while  they  offered  a  pleasanter,  healthier  and  surer  occupation 
than  gold-digging.  The  choicer  districts  of  the  country  were 
thus  getting  gradually  settled  by  "  squatters"  and  pre-emptors, 
and  some  legal  purchasers  of  land  ;  and  a  beginning  was  made 
towards  rendering  California  independent  of  foreign  countries  for 
supplies  of  food.  A  fair  proportion  of  the  recent  immigrants  re- 
mained in  San  Francisco,  while  many  who  had  been  laboring  in 
the  mines  for  the  previous  year  or  two  with  indifferent  success, 
or  who  had  become  wearied  of  that  kind  of  life,  now  visited  the 
city  with  the  view  of  permanently  residing  and  entering  upon 
some  kind  of  business  there.  From  the  census  taken  this  year, 
by  authority  of  the  Legislature,  the  total  population  of  the  State 
appeared  to  be  264,435,  while  that  of  the  County  and  City  of 
San  Francisco  was  36,151.  These  numbers  were  generally  al- 
lowed to  be  too  small,  arising  from  perhaps  unavoidable  errors  in 
taking  the  census.  More  particularly,  the  popidation  of  San 
Francisco  was  supposed  to  be  considerably  underrated,  the  in- 
habitants of  some  districts  having  been  imperfectly  enumerated. 
The  census  was  taken  towards  the  close  of  1852,  and  by  the  end 
of  December  of  that  year,  we  think  the  true  population  of  the 
city  alone  may  be  reasonably  estimated  at  42,000  persons. 

The  material  improvements  begun  in  1851  were  briskly  con- 


414 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


tinued  dming  the  following  year.  California,  Sansome,  and 
Battery  streets  were  lined  by  a  great  many  additional  brick  and 
stone  buildings.  Front  and  Davis  streets  were  formed,  and  closely 
built  upon  with  houses  of  frame.  The  various  wharves  continued 
to  stretch  eastward,  as  if  it  were  intended  that  they  should  soon 
connect  Yerba  Buena  Island  with  the  mainland.  The  sand-hills 
behind  supplied  ample  material  for  filling  up  the  bay,  and  giving 
solid  foundations  for  the  increasing  number  of  substantial  stores. 
Every  where  in  the  business  portion  of  the  city  new  and  hand- 
some fire-proof  edifices  were  rising.  The  •  lower  story  of  these 
was  often  constructed  of  Chinese  granite,  and  the  upper  ones  of 
brick.  The  piling  across  the  bay  and  the  filling  in  were  con- 
stantly going  on.  No  sooner  was  a  water  lot  piled  and  capped 
than  up  sprang  a  frame  building  upon  it ;  no  sooner  was  the 
hollow  beneath  filled  than  the  house  of  wood  was  destroyed,  and 
replaced  by  some  elegant  brick  or  granite  structure. 

At  another  part  of  the  city,  Stockton  street  was  being  orna- 
mented with  many  handsome  brick  tenements,  which  were  in- 
tended for  the  private  residences  of  some  of  the  wealthier  citi- 
zens ;  while  over  all  the  western  and  northern  limits  additional 
and  much  finer  frame  buildings,  and  occasionally  brick  ones, 
were  being  erected.  Telegraph  Hill  continued  to  be  seriously 
encroached  upon  by  the  excavating  and  blasting  operations  going 
on  at  Clark's  Point.  Even  more  rapid  progress  was  making  to- 
wards the  extreme  south.  Happy  Valley  now  contained  a  large 
number  of  commodious  and  handsome  habitations,  chiefly  of 
frame.  Over  all  the  city  the  process  of  grading  and  planking 
new  streets  was  going  on,  so  that  communication  between  the 
principal  districts  was  becoming  easy.  In  the  centre,  the  spirit 
of  improvement  was  busily  at  work.  The  plaza  indeed  remained 
a  disgrace  to  the  authorities  ;  but  Montgomery  street,  and  Com- 
mercial, Clay,  Merchant,  Washington  and  other  cross  streets,  which 
touched  it,  were  being  rapidly  covered  with  substantial  and  beauti- 
ful fire-proof  buildings.  At  the  north-west  corner  of  Montgomeiy 
and  California  streets  a  large  and  imposing  edifice  of  granite  was 
erected.  This  was  occupied  by  Adams  &  Co.,  express  agents, 
and  Page,  Bacon  &  Co.,  bankers,  and  was  the  first  of  the  superior 
class  of  private  edifices  which  are  now  so  numerous  in  many  parts 


CITY  IMPROVEMENTS. 


415 


of  the  city,  and  particularly  on  Montgomery  street.  The  stone 
for  this  huilding  was  prepared  in  China  and  put  up  in  San  Fran- 
cisco by  Chinese  workmen.  It  was  erected,  and  is  owned 
by  Mr.  John  Parrott.  More  to  the  south,  great  changes  were 
taking  place  for  the  better.  The  faithful  "paddy"  or  steam- 
excavator  never  tired.  Market  street  was  cut  through  from 
Battery  to  Kearny  street ;  while  the  sand-hills  at  the  adjoining 


Parrott's  Granite  Block. 


ends  of  First  and  Second  streets  were  rapidly  disappearing. 
Bush  street,  that  recently  had  been  only  a  huge  mound  of  sand, 
was  levelled.  California,  Sacramento  and  other  streets  leading 
to  the  west,  were  cutting  through  or  climbing  over  the  obstruct- 
ing eminences.  Higher  grades  were  being  adopted  for  the  streets 
in  most  of  the  lower  quarters  of  the  city,  to  which  the  houses 
were  being  gradually  conformed. 

On  the  whole,  a  vast  improvement  had  taken  place  in  the 
aspect  of  the  town,  and  in  the  elegance  and  substantial  comfort 
of  the  newer  buildings.    No  longer  could  conflagrations,  like  the 


416 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


great  fires  of  '50  and  '51,  destroy  the  centre  and  most  valuable 
parts  of  the  city.  The  fire  department  was  organized  on  the 
most  efficient  scale,  and  included  among  its  members  many  of 
the  most  respectable  inhabitants.  The  different  companies  were 
supplied  with  an  excellent  stock  of  engines  and  other  apparatus. 
The  men  were  enthusiastic,  bold  fellows,  capable  of  enduring  the 
severest  fatigues,  and  ever  ready  to  hazard  life  and  limb  upon  the 
least  alarm  of  fire,  when  their  services  could  be  made  useful.  An 
unlimited  supply  of  water  could  not  be  depended  upon ;  but 
generally  there  was  enough  in  the  many  artificial  reservoirs 
formed  at  the  intersection  of  the  chief  streets,  to  extinguish  any 
ordinary  conflagration.  Confidence  was  now  felt  in  the  stability 
of  the  city  and  its  comparative  immunity  from  fire.  Two  fire 
insurance  agencies,  one  for  a  New  York  and  the  other  for  a 
London  company,  were  established,  so  that  the  cautious  could  in- 
sure their  properties  at  reasonable  rates.  This  was  a  striking 
sign  of  the  improved  times.  Lenders  upon  stored  goods  and  on 
real  estate  could  now  secure  their  advances  against  all  hazard 
from  fire  ;  while  the  speculative  owners  of  property  were  encour- 
aged to  undertake  permanent  and  most  expensive  improvements. 

In  the  vicinity  of  the  city  numerous  brick  fields  had  long  been 
established.  The  new  style  of  fire-proof  buildings  occasioned  a 
constant  demand  for  this  material.  California-made  bricks  are 
certainly  much  inferior  to  well-burned  English  or  United  States 
bricks,  yet  they  are  considerably  cheaper,  and  when  painted  or 
in  some  way  protected  from  the  weather  serve  their  purpose  very 
well.  Besides  these  extensive  manufactories  of  brick,  there  were 
other  manufactories  and  workshops  which  were  being  constantly 
formed.  In  the  district  of  Happy  Valley  particularly, — which  had 
been  early  selected  for  the  site  of  such  estabhshments, — there 
existed  numerous  flour  mills  and  timber  saw-mills,  iron-foundries, 
marine  and  land  steam-engine  works,  and  steamer  and  other 
boat-building  yards.  In  addition  to  these  larger  and  more  im- 
posing establishments,  there  were  many  workshops,  in  various 
parts  of  the  city,  of  upholsterers,  saddle  and  harness  makers,  boot 
and  shoe  makers,  carpenters,  blacksmiths,  painters,  jewellers  and 
other  craftsmen.  All  manufactured  articles  were  no  longer  im- 
ported direct  from  the  distant  maker ;  but  some  of  the  more 


NEW  GOLD  DISCOVERIES. 


417 


necessary  were  beginning  to  be  made  on  the  spot  from  the  raw 
material.  The  letter-press  printers,  as  might  have  been  antici- 
pated from  the  character  of  the  American  people,  were  a  numer- 
ous body  ;  and  on  the  many  newspapers  and  in  extensive  job 
work  found  ample  employment  at  lucrative  rates. 

The  shops  were  daily  assuming  a  more  splendid  appearance, 
while  on  their  well  loaded  shelves  and  the  neatly  laid  out  window 
fronts  and  counters  were  displayed  a  brilliant  assortment  of  the 
particular  goods  they  dealt  in.  Stylishly  dressed,  and  often  lovely 
women  were  constantly  seen,  in  fine  weather,  promenading  the 
principal  streets,  and  idling  their  time  (which  they  knew  not 
how  otherwise  to  "kill,")  and  spending  somebody's  money  in 
foolish  shopping,  just  as  is  the  custom  with  the  most  virtuous 
dames  in  the  great  cities  on  both  sides  of  the  Atlantic.  Omni- 
buses and  superb  public  carriages  plied  through  the  streets,  and 
beautiful  private  equipages  glittered  and  glided  smoothly  along. 
While  the  ladies  dressed  extravagantly,  perhaps  to  please  the 
other  sex,  perhaps  only  to  please  themselves  or  annoy  some 
meaner  souled  or  less  rich  sister,  the  gentlemen  were  scarcely  be- 
hind them  in  this  respect.  The  days  of  the  blouse,  the  colored 
shirt  and  the  "  shocking  bad  hat "  had  fled,  never,  like  time,  to 
return. 

The  incessant  immigration  gave  liveliness  to  the  streets,  and 
caused  much  profitable  business  to  be  done.  At  the  same  time 
there  was  a  vast  emigration.  Not  only  were  the  usual  number 
of  departures  to  the  Eastern  States  taking  place  ;  but,  as  we 
have  seen,  the  discovery  of  gold  in  Australia  was  attracting 
many  Californians  to  that  country.  The  whole  world  seemed  to 
be  restless  and  morbidly  excited  by  the  cry  of  gold.  "Where  it 
was  all  to  end  who  could  tell  ?  Originally  the  Americas  had 
been  peopled  by  the  same  intense  desire  for  the  precious  metals. 
Now,  the  portions  of  the  New  World  that  had  been  overlooked, 
and  Australia, — a  continent  in  itself, — were  being  filled  by  gold 
hunters,  who  would  assuredly  in  the  course  of  time  play  an  im- 
portant part  in  the  history  of  mankind.  San  Francisco  itself 
possessed  a  share  of  the  precious  metal.  Gold  was  found  in 
pieces  of  quartz  quarried  from  Telegraph  Hill,  in  earth  excavated 
in  Broadway,  in  the  sand  taken  from  a  great  depth  in  sinking 
27 


418 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


wells  in  Stockton  street,  and  at  various  other  parts  of  the  city,  in 
1850.  Indeed,  we  have  seen  hundreds  of  persons  occupied  in  gath- 
ering it  in  small  particles  from  the  surface  of  the  plaza  itself, 
after  a  long  continued  rain.  But  all  these  deposits  in  the  centre 
of  the  city,  there  is  reason  to  "believe,  were  scattered  through  the 
careless  or  mischievous  behavior  of  parties  who  were  either  unable 
or  too  indifferent  to  take  care  of  the  precious  metal  brought  by 
themselves  or  others  from  the  well  known  mining  regions,  and 
some  of  whom  doubtless  felt  repaid  for  the  cost  in  the  wonder- 
ment they  excited. 

Over  all  California,  however,  gold  was  continually  being  dis- 
covered in  new  places.  It  was  the  mineral  wealth  of  the  country 
that  had  created  San  Francisco,  and  which  was  the  source  of  its 
continued  prosperity.  If  this  should  suddenly  fail,  or  the  cry 
increase  of  other  and  richer  gold  countries,  easily  accessible  like 
Australia,  the  city  would  undoubtedly  receive  a  great  shock. 
Thousands  were  already  moving  away,  and  it  was  only  the  un- 
usually great  immigration  of  the  year  that  prevented  their  loss 
from  being  seriously  felt  by  the  city  and  the  country  at  large. 
In  the  end  it  was  found  that  the  Australia  mines  were  not  better 
places  for  making  a  speedy  fortune  than  were  those  of  California, 
while  the  former  were  less  salubrious  and  agreeable  to  the 
American  personally.  The  emigration  therefore  to  Australia 
began  sensibly  to  slacken  towards  the  close  of  this  year ;  while 
gradually  many  of  those  who  had  gone  thither  early  began  now 
to  return. 

In  our  review  of  1851,  we  had  occasion  to  remark  the  general 
fall  in  the  prices  of  merchandise,  and  the  serious  losses  sustained 
by  shippers  of  goods  to  the  San  Francisco  market  during  all  that 
year.  The  "  good  time  "  that  had  been  long  looked  for  by  mer- 
chants came  at  last ;  and  during  the  close,  and  generally  over 
the  greater  part  of  this  year,  not  only  remunerating  but  extrava- 
gantly high  prices  were  obtained  for  most  goods,  particularly  for 
all  kinds  of  provisions.  Flour,  that  had  been  only  eight  dollars  a 
barrel  in  March,  by  November  had  risen  to  upwards  of  forty  dol- 
lars, with  a  firm  market.  Rice,  that  was  usually  worth  only  a 
few  cents  a  pound,  advanced,  in  the  course  of  the  year,  to  forty- 
five  and  fifty  cents.    The  Chinese,  who  preferred  rice  to  every 


HIGH  PEICES  OF  GOODS  AND  PROVISIONS.  419 

other  kind  of  food,  suffered  severely  from  these  high  prices. 
Butter  ranged  from  fifty-five  to  seventy  cents  a  pound,  over  the 
early  and  greater  part  of  the  year.  Other  provisions  and  indeed 
most  kinds  of  merchandise  rose  in  proportion.  The  usual  reac- 
tion, though  long  delayed,  had  taken  place — the  scarcity  followed 
the  glut  ;  and  the  fortunate  holders  of  goods  realized  large 
profits,  that  compensated  those  who  had  continued  in  trade  for 
the  losses  of  the  previous  seasons.  Late  in  the  year,  when  mar- 
kets, in  particular  articles,  were  at  the  highest,  it  was  known 
that  a  large  fleet  of  clipper  ships  was  on  the  passage  with  sup- 
plies, many  of  which  vessels  were  overdue  ;  hut  as  the  stock 
actually  on  hand  was  very  limited,  and  day  by  day  was  lessening 
in  amount,  which  might  be  totally  exhausted  before  the  expected 
arrivals  happened,  consumers  had  to  submit  to  necessity  and  pay 
the  rates  demanded.  Time  was  every  thing  in  such  a  market  as 
San  Francisco,  where  prices  of  merchandise  usually  fluctuated  as 
do  "  fancy  stocks "  on  the  'Change  of  New  York,  London  or 
Paris.  A  week  lost  or  gained  in  the  arrival  of  a  well  selected 
cargo  might  just  be  a  fortune  lost  or  gained  to  the  shipper.  The 
clipper  ships,  as  we  have  already  remarked,  were  peculiarly  the 
consequence  of  such  a  trade  and  the  natural  creation  of  the 
needs  and  commerce  of  our  city.  These  clippers  after  being  has- 
tily unloaded,  were  dispatched  to  India  or  China,  where  they 
either  competed  successfully  with  English  ships  for  return  car- 
goes to  the  Atlantic,  or  were  profitably  employed  in  bringing 
from  the  latter  country  many  thousands  of  Chinese  emigrants  to 
California.  Year  by  year,  the  clipper  character  of  ship  was  being 
more  adopted,  until  it  became,  commercially  speaking,  foolish 
and  dangerous  to  freight  any  other  kind  of  vessel  to  San  Fran- 
cisco. 

Cholera  again  visited  the  city  in  the  fall  of  this  year  ;  though 
its  ravages  were  slight.  However  much  may  be  said  for  the 
general  healthiness  of  the  place,  little  praise  can  be  given  for  the 
very  dirty  state  in  which  the  greater  part  was  allowed  to  remain 
— and  nearly  the  same  may  just  be  said  of  its  condition  in  1854. 
The  streets  were  thickly  covered  with  black  rotten  mud.  These 
were  the  proper  dunghills  of  the  town,  and  were  made  a  general 
depot  for  all  kinds  of  rubbish  and  household  sweepings,  offals  and 


420 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


filth.  Sometimes  the  rains  came  and  scattered  the  abominable 
stuffs,  carrying  part  of  them  into  the  bay  ;  at  other  times,  the 
heats  gradually  dried  them  up.  Eats — huge,  fat,  lazy  things, 
prowled  about  at  pleasure,  and  fed  on  the  dainty  garbage.  The 
pedestrian  at  night,  stumbling  along  the  uneven  pavements,  and 
through  streets  that  were  only  a  series  of  quagmires,  would  occa- 


A  Street-scene  on  a  rainy  night. 

sionally  tread  on  the  loathsome,  bloated,  squeaking  creatures,  and 
start  back  in  disgust  and  horror,  muttering  a  curse  or  two  at  such 
a  villainously  unclean  town.  These  animals  abounded  in  such 
great  numbers  that  entire  sacks  and  barrels  of  flour  and  bread  have 
been  destroyed  by  them  on  a  single  night  in  a  storehouse.  They 
were  of  several  varieties,  each  differing  in  color.  Besides  the 
common  grey  rat,  there  were  others  white,  blue  and  black. 
These  latter  descriptions  have  materially  decreased  in  numbers 
of  late  ;  the  gray  fellows,  being  the  stronger,  having,  it  is  said, 
either  driven  away  or  destroyed  them.    Sickening  stenches  per- 


PECULATIONS  OF  OFFICIALS. 


421 


vaded  every  quarter.  Owing  to  the  raising  of  the  streets  in  the 
lower  part  of  the  city  when  establishing  the  grades,  many  of  the 
building  blocks  became  great  hollow  spaces,  surrounded  on  the 
four  sides  by  high  banks  of  earth.  In  these  places  also,  which 
had  no  drainage,  every  foul  thing  and  unsightly  rubbish  were 
carelessly  thrown,  and  soon  deep  pools  of  stagnant  water  collect- 
ed in  the  midst.  Beneath  the  houses  and  streets  which  had  been 
formed  over  the  bay,  and  which  had  been  only  partially  filled  up, 
there  was  accumulating  a  vast  mass  of  putrid  substances,  from 
whence  proceeded  the  most  unwholesome  and  offensive  smells. 
In  any  other  place  as  near  the  tropic  these  things  would  un- 
doubtedly have  generated  a  pestilence  ;  but  here  the  cool  winds 
from  the  ocean  which  prevail  during  the  summer  season,  and 
which  at  times  are  so  unpleasant  to  the  shivering  inhabitant,  had 
the  beneficial  effect  of  neutralizing  many  of  the  bad  effects  which 
must  otherwise  have  arisen  from  the  want  of  cleanliness  over  all 
the  city.  From  the  dead  level  preserved  in  that  part  of  the  city 
which  was  built  across  the  bay,  it  would  seem  impossible  that  a 
thorough  drainage  can  ever  now  be  had  in  the  lower  and  most 
valuable  district.  This  is  one  of  the  inconveniences  which  the 
indefinite  extension  of  the  town  eastward  has  produced.  Perhaps 
it  would  have  been  better,  if  instead  of  streets  and  houses,  there 
had  been  constructed  substantial  quays  and  wet  docks  sufficient 
to  contain  all  the  shipping  that  had  ever  visited  the  harbor. 
Ships  then  would  have  lain  in  safety  from  the  "  South-casters" 
and  the  "  North-easters,"  which  now  so  terribly  plague  and 
damage  them  when  lying  exposed  at  anchor  in  the  tidal 
channel. 

Crime,  during  1852,  was  perhaps  not  sensibly  diminished  ; 
but  in  the  increasing  importance  of  other  matters  of  public  dis- 
cussion, lower-class  criminals  were  tolerated,  or  less  pursued. 
Legalized  robberies,  in  the  shape  of  "  Peter  Smith  "  purchases, 
more  occupied  the  attention  of  the  citizens.  It  would  be  unjust 
to  individuals  and  to  human  nature,  to  challenge  every  public 
officer  in  San  Francisco  with  gross  peculation  and  corruption  in 
office  ;  yet  it  was  confessed  on  all  sides  that  almost  every  citizen, 
who  had  a  chance  of  preying  upon  the  corporation  means,  unhesi- 
tatingly and  shamefully 1  took  advantage  of  his  position.  His 


422 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


brother  harpies  kept  him  in  countenance.  This  gave  rise  to  a 
general  opinion  that  the  city  never  could  possibly  obtain  a  pure 
and  good  government  until  the  bone  of  contention  among  rival 
candidates  for  office, — its  property,  to  wit, — was  all  exhausted, 
squandered,  stolen  or  gifted  away.  When  that  perhaps  happy 
day  came, — as  its  advent  seemed  close  at  hand, — the  "fathers" 
and  salaried  servants  of  the  city  might  possibly  work  only  for  the 
common  good,  and  not  chiefly  for  their  own.  Had  matters  been 
prudently  and  patriotically  managed,  San  Francisco  might,  at 
this  day,  have  been  the  richest  city,  of  its  size,  in  the  world.  As 
the  case  stands,  it  is  one  of  the  poorest,  as  certainly  its  inhabi- 
tants are  perhaps  the  most  heavily  taxed  of  any  community  for 
a  feeble  aud  inefficient  government.  This  is  chiefly  to  be  attri- 
buted to  the  people  themselves.  Incapable,  weak  and  corrupt 
officials  are  blamable,  but  the  people  who  choose  them,  and  of 
whom  they  are  part,  are  perhaps  much  more  in  fault.  Where 
the  mass  think,  and  talk,  and  act,  without  any  particular  regard 
to  high  moral  principle,  it  can  scarcely  be  expected  that  their 
chosen  representatives  should  differ  materially  from  them.  When 
even  a  man  of  severe  probity  and  high  talent  is  elected  to  an 
office  of  trust,  he  finds  often  insuperable  difficulties  in  his  way, 
from  the  want  of  co-operation,  and  the  carelessness  or  corruption 
of  his  own  constituents.  The  most  righteous  judge  can  do  little 
good  on  the  bench  when  interested  witnesses  disguise  the  truth, 
and  juries  will  return  verdicts  in  defiance  of  it. 

However,  in  spite  of  local  jobbery  and  mismanagement,  enor- 
mous municipal  expenses,  and  iniquity  every  where,  the  city  grew 
in  size,  beauty  and  importance.  Its  admirable  maritime  position, 
and  chiefly  the  determined  energy  and  perseverance  of  its  people, 
who  believed  in  its  glorious  future,  and  found  their  own  interest 
in  the  work,  were  raising  it  year  by  year  to  still  more  remarkable 
grandeur.  Many  of  the  citizens  were  opulent,  while  none  needed 
to  be  in  poverty.  Intemperance  and  dissipation  alone  could 
squander  the  enormous  wages  of  the  most  inferior  laborers  and 
the  large  profits  of  capital  in  every  kind  of  business.  Then,  as 
now,  no  healthy  man  of  ordinary  strength  need  want  lucrative 
and  honest  employment  of  some  kind  or  other.  As  for  the  sick 
and  weak,  San  Francisco  is  indeed  not  a  place  for  them,  although 


GROWING  IMPORTANCE  OF  THE  CITY. 


423 


hospitals  and  occasional  private  charities  may  serve  to  alleviate 
for  a  time  their  hapless  situation.  San  Francisco  is  a  place  for 
work — real,  useful,  hard  work.  If  any  man  can  give  that — it 
may  sometimes  he  with  the  head,  but  oftener  with  the  hand,  he 
is  sure,  not  merely  of  subsistence,  but  of  a  competence,  and  in- 
deed a  fortune  in  the  long  run.  If  lazy,  or  incapable  of  such 
work,  the  sooner  the  useless  thing  takes  his  departure,  the  better 
for  himself  and  the  place. 

No  important  change  had  occurred  in  the  social  or  moral  con- 
dition of  San  Francisco  during  1852.  The  characteristics  of  the 
people  which  were  noticed  in  our  review  of  the  previous  year,  still 
existed.  The  old  dizzy  round  of  business  and  pleasure  continued. 
There  were  now  only  more  people,  greater  wealth,  finer  houses, 
more  shops  and  stores,  more  work,  trade  and  profits,  more  places 
of  dissipation  and  amusement,  more  tippling  and  swearing,  more 
drunkenness  and  personal  outrages,  nearly  as  much  public  gam- 
bling and  more  private  play.  There  were  also  a  few  more  modest 
women,  and  many  more  of  another  class  ;  more  benevolent  insti- 
tutions and  orphans'  asylums  ;  more  fire  companies,  military 
companies,  and  masonic  lodges.  Likewise  there  were  more  newspa- 
pers, that  discoursed  eloquently,  ever  railing  "  in  good  set  terms  " 
against  corruption  in  high  places,  but  which  not  being  supported 
by  the  sincere  feeling  of  a  pure  and  honest  people,  made  no  such 
irresistible  body  of  public  opinion  as  they  sometimes  do  in  other 
countries.  Then  there  were  more  churches,  more  moral  teachers 
and  religious  publications,  more  Sabbath  and  day  schools ;  and, 
too,  more  of  every  thing  that  was  beautiful  and  bad,  more  vice, 
debauchery  and  folly,  and  perhaps  also  a  little  more  real  religion, 
and  sometimes  a  deal  of  outward  decency.  The  moral  sepulchre 
was  occasionally  receiving  a  fresh  coat  of  paint.  It  should  not 
be  forgotten,  at  the  same  time,  that  with  the  increase  of  popula- 
tion, there  was  also  an  increase  of  occasional  charities  and  high- 
minded  liberal  deeds.  These  things  are  done  in  secret,  or  they 
lose  their  noble  character.  The  public  generally  know  not  of 
them.  However  much  the  sordid  pursuit  of  wealth  may  cloud 
the  true  friendships  and  generous  actions  of  many  of  the  San 
Franciscans,  the  native  worth  of  heroic  and  pure  souls  will  at 
times  shine  through  all.    As  kings  reigned  before  Agamemnon. 


424 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


so  there  are  here  great  and  worthy,  honest  and  true  men,  as  well 
as  there  have  been  elsewhere.  Their  exact  number  cannot  be 
counted,  but  the  student  of  human  nature,  according  to  his 
temperament  and  means  of  information,  may  hazard  an  estimate 
on  the  subject. 

Residents  of  a  few  years'  standing — the  landmarks,  by  turns, 
of  the  ancient  village,  town  and  city,  began  now  to  disappear. 
These  perhaps  had  made  a  fortune,  and  sown  their  "wild  oats" 
in  the  place.  They  now  retired  to  the  Atlantic  States  or  Europe, 
— to  home,  in  short, — to  enjoy  their  gains  at  ease,  astonish  quiet 
neighbors  with  their  wondrous  tales,  speculate  on  the  future  of 
San  Francisco,  and  become  disgusted  and  ennuied  with  the  slow- 
ness, tameness,  decorum  and  insipidity  of  the  conventional  mode 
of  existence  they  were  leading.  New  faces  and  new  names  were 
rising  into  importance,  in  place  of  the  earliest  pioneers  and  the 
"forty-niners."  The  majority,  however,  of  the  first  settlers  had 
faith  in  the  place  ;  they  relished  its  excitements  as  well  of  business 
as  of  pleasure  ;  they  had  no  family  or  fond  ties  elsewhere,  or 
these  had  been  long  rudely  broken  ;  and  so  they  adhered  to  San 
Francisco.  Many  of  these  persons  had  waxed  very  rich,  in  spite 
of  themselves,  by  the  sudden  rise  in  the  value  of  real  estate,  or  by 
some  unexpected  circumstance,  while  others,  after  expending  a 
world  of  ingenuity,  wickedness  and  hard  work,  remained  almost 
as  poor  as  when,  hopeful  and  daring,  they  landed  in  the  ship's 
boat  at  Clark's  Point,  or  when  the  tide  was  high,  at  the  first  rude 
wharf  that  ran  a  short  distance  out  from  the  beach  at  Mont- 
gomery street.  There  is  a  fascination  in  even  the  loose,  unset- 
tled kind  of  fife  at  San  Francisco.  Of  many  who  have  left  the 
city,  after  a  residence  of  years,  and  when  they  have  accumulated 
a  handsome  fortune,  a  considerable  number  have  gladly  returned. 
For  many  months,  perhaps  for  even  a  year  or  two,  the  immigrant 
thinks  he  can  never  worthily  or  rationally  enjoy  existence  in  such 
a  place  ;  so  he  determines  to  make  a  fortune  as  soon  as  possible, 
and  decamp  for  ever.  But  fortunes  are  now  made  more  slowly, 
and  the  old  citizen — a  few  years  here  make  one  old  in  sensation, 
thought  and  experience — changes  his  sentiments,  and  he  begins 
to  like  the  town  and  people  for  their  own  sake.  The  vices  and 
follies,  the  general  mode  of  living,  that  frightened  and  shocked 


SAN  FRANCISCO  MORALS. 


425 


him  at  first,  seem  natural  to  the  climate,  and,  after  all,  are  by 
no  means  so  very  disagreeable.  If  he  returned  to  settle  in  ultra 
or  pseudo-civilized  and  quiet  States,  he  would  surely  feel  himself 
but  a  "  used-up "  man ;  so  he  continues  where  he  made  his 
money,  still  to  feel,  speculate  and  enjoy,  to  work  and  contend 
with  real  men,  in  their  keenest  and  strongest  characters. 

It  may  be  thought  by  some  that  we  have  said  many  over- 
harsh  things  in  this  and  other  chapters  of  this  work,  regarding 
our  fellow  citizens.  We  cannot  help  that,  for  the  occasions  seem 
to  justify  the  language  used.  If  unmingled  praise,  or  hesitating 
censure  were  adopted  when  talking  of  San  Francisco,  people  else- 
where would  not  believe  the  tale,  while  those  here  would  only 
laugh  in  their  sleeve  at  the  decent  hypocrisy  and  cant  of  the 
writer.  Better  proclaim  the  worst  at  once  ;  and  then  let  who 
will  find  explanations,  excuses  and  palliations.  These  will  be 
readily  advanced  by  the  wiser  portion  of  mankind,  who  know  the 
temptations  that  beset  poor  human  nature,  and  how  often  it  falls 
when  fatal  opportunity  offers.  Let  it  be  always  understood  that 
we  describe  the  place  as  at  particular  periods,  and  not  what  we 
think  will  be  its  grand  coming  destiny.  San  Francisco  was,  at 
the  times  of  which  we  have  discoursed,  and  it  still  is,  in  a  state 
of  moral  ferment.  When  the  ebullition  ceases,  though  years 
may  elapse  before  that  happens,  the  natural  qualities  of  its  ad- 
venturous and  clever  people  will  be  more  clearly  and  generously 
developed.  The  scum  and  froth  of  its  strange  mixture  of  peo- 
ples, of  its  many  scoundrels,  rowdies  and  great  men,  loose  women, 
sharpers  and  few  honest  folk,  are  still  nearly  all  that  is  visible. 
The  current  of  its  daily  life  is  muddied  and  defiled  by  the  wild 
effervescence  of  these  unruly  spirits.  It  may  be  said  that  nearly 
all  came  to  the  city  only  as  devout  worshippers  of  mammon ; 
scarcely  one,  to  find  a  home,  which  might  unjustly  have  been  de- 
nied him  elsewhere.  In  order  to  accumulate  the  greatest  heap 
of  gold  in  the  shortest  possible  time,  schemes  and  actions  had 
often  to  be  resorted  to,  which  nice  honor  could  not  justify  nor 
strict  honesty  adopt.  In  the  scramble  for  wealth,  few  had  con- 
sciences much  purer  than  their  neighbors  ;  few  hands  were  much 
cleaner.  Some  were  found  out  and  victimized ;  others  were 
wise  and  provoked  not  discussion.    The  few  lamented,  and  the 


426 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


wise  and  good  hoped  and  foresaw  better  things.  Time,  and  a 
sounder  public  opinion,  will  cure  most  of  the  evils  we  have  allud- 
ed to,  leaving  the  undoubted  talent,  shrewdness,  capacity  for 
hard,  practical  work,  and  the  original  honesty,  honor  and  high 
liberal  spirit  of  the  people  free  to  show  themselves.  Cities,  like 
men,  have  their  birth,  growth  and  maturer  years.  Some  are 
born  Titans,  and  from  the  beginning  promise  to  be  mighty  in 
their  deeds,  however  wilful  and  destructive.  Few  spring  into 
being  full  armed,  wise  and  sedate  as  Minerva.  San  Francisco, 
while  it  can  show  so  many  enduring  marvels  for  its  few  years,  has 
also  wasted  much  of  its  means  in  "  riotous  living  ; "  but  its  young 
hot  blood  will  cool  by  and  by.  Then  ripened  years  and  wisdom 
will  subdue  its  foolish  levities  and  more  disgraceful  vices.  Mean- 
while, let  us  treat  the  noble  city  kindly,  just  as  we  deal  with  the 
beautiful  woman  that  offends  us — look  upon  her  face  and  forget 
her  follies.  We  pardon  the  careless,  extravagant,  yet  high  spir- 
ited youth,  who  lavishes  his  substance  in  wild  pleasure,  when  he 
stops  short  and  vows  repentance  ;  nay,  even  though  he  break  out 
again  and  again,  we  cannot  seriously  feel  offended  with  the 
charming  gallant,  so  only  that  he  hurts  nobody  but  himself. 
Let  us  view  San  Francisco  in  something  of  the  same  gentle  and 
forgiving,  if  not  sympathizing  spirit. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 


1853. 


Commerce. — Mercantile  Library  Association. — The  Limantour  claim. — Election  of  delegates  to  revise 
the  City  Charter.— Third  annual  celebration  of  the  organization  of  the  Fire  Department— Steam- 
ships lost — Extension  of  the  city  water  front — United  States  Marine  Hospital. 

January. — We  have  taken  occasion  to  notice  in  various  parts 
of  this  work  the  progress  of  commerce  in  San  Francisco.  Year 
by  year,  the  number  of  vessels  visiting  the  harbor  was  increasing. 
We  present  here  some  statements  on  the  subject,  compiled  from 
a  table  of  statistics  by  Colonel  Cost,  of  the  naval  office. 

ARRIVALS  AND   CLEARANCES   IN   THE   PORT  OF  SAN   FRANCISCO    DURING  THE 

YEAR  1852. 

Arrivals.  Clearances. 


Nations. 


Vessels. 


American  346 

British  225 

French   29 

Chilian   37 

Mexican   41 

Danish   12 

Bremen   11 

Norwegian   4 

Hamburg   20 

Dutch   15 

Hawaiian   28 

Peruvian   14 

Prussian   2 

Swedish   4 

Portuguese   3 

Brazilian   1 

Sardinian   3 

Austrian   1 

Am.  Coasters  351 


Tons. 

188.575 
74,931 
11,286 
9,393 
5,279 
2,215 
3,132 
1,100 
4,628 
6,965 
3,562 
2,024 
960 
1,156 
675 
738 
1.038 
521 
196,282 


Nations. 


Vessels. 


Total  1147  514,460 

In  1851,  the  arrivals 

were   847  245,678 


Increase-   300  268,782 


American  405 

British  196 

French   33 

Chilian   25 

Mexican   34 

Danish   10 

Bremen   11 

Norwegian   2 

Hamburg   20 

Dutch   5 

Hawaiian   25 

Peruvian   8 

Prussian   2 

Swedish   5 

Portuguese   2 

Brazilian   1 

Sardinian   7 

Austrian   1 

Am.  Coasters  833 


Tons. 
216,642 
76,270 
12,949 
6,444 
4,567 
1,959 
2,977 

576 
4,185 
1,523 
3,190 
1,599 

540 
1,700 

450 

728 
1,383 

300 
115,462 


Total  1625  453,444 

In  1851  the  clearances 

were   1315  422,043 


Increase   310  31,401 


428 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


The  shipments  of  gold  dust  during  1852  from  San  Francisco, 
as  appears  from  the  custom-house  record  of  clearances,  amounted 
in  all  to  $46,599,044.  Of  this  amount  the  value  of  $45,251,724 
was  cleared  for  Panama  ;  $511,376,  for  San  Juan  ;  $482,596,  for 
Hong  Kong  ;  and  the  remainder  principally  for  various  ports  on 
the  Pacific.  Sums  carried  away  by  individuals  are  not  included 
in  the  amounts  mentioned. 

January  25th. — Election  of  officers  of  the  Mercantile  Libra- 
ry Association.  It  had  long  been  evident  that  such  an  associa- 
tion was  much  needed  in  San  Francisco.  In  the  absence  of  any 
thing  like  a  home  or  domestic  comfort,  all  classes  seemed  to  be 
alike  forced  to  frequent  places  of  public  recreation,  and  were  ex- 
posed to  the  many  degrading  influences  which  drink,  gambling, 
and  still  worse  vices  have  upon  the  personal  character.  To  with- 
draw youths  in  particular  from  the  haunts  of  dissipation,  and  to 
give  to  persons  of  every  age  and  occupation  the  means  of  mental 
improvement,  and  a  suitable  place  for  passing  their  leisure  hours, 
were  the  great  objects  of  the  Mercantile  Library  Association. 
Public  meetings  were  held,  at  which  the  purposes  and  advan- 
tages of  the  proposed  institution  were  strongly  urged  by  its  benevo- 
lent projectors  and  patrons  ;  and  committees  were  formed  to  col- 
lect contributions  of  books  and  subscriptions  from  the  general 
public.  By  these  means  a  considerable  deal  of  interest  was  ex- 
cited on  the  subject,  and  liberal  donations  and  subscriptions  were 
procured.  The  following  gentlemen  were  unanimously  elected  as 
the  first  officers  : — 

President. — David  S.  Turner. 
Vice-President. — J.  P.  Haven.        Treasurer. — 0.  E.  Bowers,  jr. 
Recording  Sec'y. — R.  H.  Stephen.    Corresponding  Sec'y. — Dr.  H.  Gibbons. 
Directors— E.  E.  Dunbar,  J.  B.  Crockett,  D.  H.  Haskell  and  E.  P.  Flint. 

The  rooms  of  the  association,  which  were  on  the  second  floor 
of  the  California  Exchange, — a  central  and  most  convenient  lo- 
cality,— were  first  opened  on  the  evening  of  the  1st  of  March  of 
this  year.  The  largest  apartment  was  elegantly  fitted  up  as  a 
reading  and  lecture  room,  and  was  abundantly  supplied  with 
local  newspapers,  and  with  some  of  the  leading  journals  of  the 
Eastern  States,  as  well  as  with  a  choice  selection  of  magazines 
and  reviews.    The  library  contained  fifteen  hundred  volumes  by 


THE  LIMANTOUR  CLAIM.  429 

the  best  authors,  and  was  being  constantly  increased  by  dona- 
tions and  purchases.  Only  one  year  later,  it  numbered  about 
three  thousand  volumes,  comprising  many  of  the  best  standard 
works  in  the  English  language,  besides  many  valuable  works  in 
French,  Spanish,  German,  &c. 

This  institution  is  of  the  most  excellent  character,  and  de- 
serves the  active  support  and  well  wishes  of  every  liberal-minded 
citizen.  It  is  the  best  substitute  for  a  portion  of  the  comforts  of 
a  home  that  can  be  provided  in  the  present  condition  of  San 
Francisco.  Occasional  lectures  on  interesting  topics,  literary  and 
dramatic  essays  and  readings,  and  frequent  public  debates  on 
political  and  other  subjects  of  the  day,  give  variety  and  excite- 
ment to  the  ordinary  business  of  the  association.  The  pleasures 
and  advantages  of  this  institution  have  not  hitherto  been  suf- 
ficiently understood,  or  sought  by  the  people  for  whom  they  were 
intended  ;  but  it  may  be  presumed  that  the  intrinsic  and  grow- 
ing merits  of  the  association  will  in  future  excite  more  fruitful 
notice  from  all  classes  of  the  community.  The  terms  of  mem- 
bership are  very  moderate,  being  an  entrance  fee  of  ten  dollars 
(since  reduced  to  five  dollars,  "  for  clerks  and  others  in  employ"), 
and  a  monthly  payment  of  one  dollar.  A  subscription  of  twen- 
ty-five dollars,  and  a  monthly  payment  of  one  dollar,  entitle  the 
party  to  one  share  in  the  stock  of  the  institution,  and  to  the  pro- 
fits arising  on  the  same.  The  library  and  reading  rooms  are  open 
every  day,  from  9  o'clock  A.  M.  to  10  o'clock  p.  m.  For  two  hours 
after  noon  they  are  only  open  to  ladies,  and  gentlemen  accompa- 
nying ladies.  The  chambers  of  the  association  are  now  in  the 
Court  Block,  Merchant  street. 

February  5th. — The  claim  of  Jose  Yves  Limantour  present- 
ed to  the  Board  of  Land  Commissioners.  San  Francisco,  which 
had  survived  the  Leavenworth  and  Colton  grants,  the  Peter 
Smith  sales,  and  other  legalized  robberies  and  "  squatters  "  with- 
out number,  though  it  suffered  terribly  in  the  struggle,  was  now 
threatened  by  a  claim,  which  if  held  valid,  would  turn  over  to  a 
single  individual  one-half  of  its  real  estate,  owned  partly  by  the 
city  itself,  and  partly  by  thousands  of  onerous  and  bona  fide  hold- 
ers, who  fancied  their  possessions  were  their  own  by  the  strongest 
legal  titles.    Limantour,  who  was  a  Frenchman  by  birth,  and 


430 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


had  been  a  trader  along  the  coast,  stated,  that  he  had  advanced, 
in  the  year  1843,  to  Manuel  Micheltorrena,  who  was  then  Mexi- 
can Governor  and  Commandante-General  of  the  Californias,  con- 
siderable sums  of  money  for  the  use  of  the  departmental  govern- 
ment of  that  country,  at  a  period  when  it  was  impoverished.  In 
return  for  this  service,  or  as  it  is  expressed  in  the  deed  itself,  "in 
consideration  of  loans  in  merchandise  and  ready  money  which  he 
has  made  to  this  government  at  different  times "  (somewhere 
about  $4000),  Limantour  said  that  he  had  received  a  complete 
grant  of  certain  large  tracts  of  land  in  the  neighborhood  of  Yerba 
Buena.  The  deed  of  conveyance  and  several  relative  papers 
have  been  produced  to  the  Board  of  Commissioners,  and  appear 
at  first  sight  regular  and  legal  documents.  The  first  seems  to 
have  been  given  at  Los  Angeles,  the  27th  day  of  February, 
1843,  and  is  signed  by  Micheltorrena.  It  conveys  "the  land 
contained  from  the  line  of  the  pueblo  de  la  Yerba  Buena,  distant 
four  hundred  varas  from  the  settlement  house  (casa  fundadora) 
of  Don  William  Richardson  to  the  south-east,  beginning  on  the 
beach  at  the  north-east,  and  following  it  along  its  whole  edge 
(mar gen),  turning  round  the  point  of  Rincon  to  the  south-east, 
and  following  the  bay  as  far  as  the  mouth  of  the  estuary  of  the 
mission,  including  the  deposits  of  salt  water,  and  following  the 
valley  (canada)  to  the  south-west,  where  the  fresh  water  runs, 
passing  to  the  north-west  side,  about  two  hundred  varas  from 
the  mission  to  where  it  completes  two  leagues  north-east  and 
south-west  to  the  Rincon,  as  represented  by  the  plat  (diseno) 
No.  1,  which  accompanies  the  Expediente. 

"  Second  :  Two  leagues  of  land,  more  or  less,  beginning  on 
the  beach  of  the  c  Estacada '  at  the  ancient  anchorage  of  the 
port  of  San  Francisco,  below  the  castle  (castillo)  following  to 
the  south-east,  passing  the  "presidio"  (military  post) — follow- 
ing the  road  of  the  mission,  and  the  line  to  the  south-west  as  far 
as  the  beach  which  runs  to  the  south  from  the  port,  taking  the 
said  beach  to  the  north-west,  turning  round  the  Point  Lobos, 
and  following  to  the  north-east,  along  the  whole  beach  of  the 
castle  (castillo)  two  hundred  varas,  and  following  the  beach  as 
far  as  the  •  Estacada,'  where  begins  the  plat  (  diseno)  No.  2." 

The  tracts  of  land  contained  within  the  boundaries  men- 


THE  LIMANTOUR  CLAIM. 


431 


tioned  (which  are  vague  and  very  unsatisfactorily  given),  com- 
prise four  square  leagues,  and  include  a  great  part  of  the  most 
valuahle  portion  of  the  city.  It  may  also  he  mentioned  here, 
that,  in  addition  to  these  four  square  leagues,  Senor  Limantour 
likewise  claimed  the  Islands  of  Alcantraz  and  Yerba  Buena  in 
the  bay,  and  the  whole  group  of  the  Farallones,  which  lie  twenty 
or  thirty  miles  off  the  Heads,  and  a  tract  of  land,  one  square 
league  in  extent,  situated  opposite  the  Island  of  Los  Angeles,  at 
the  westward  of  Racoon  Straits.  Besides  these  islands  and 
square  leagues,  Limantour  has  also  claimed  before  the  Board  of 
Land  Commissioners  still  more  extensive  properties  in  various 
parts  of  the  State,  amounting  in  all  to  considerably  more  than  a 
hundred  square  leagues  of  land.  All  other  claims  are  a  bagatelle 
to  this. 

These  great  claims  seemed  so  ridiculous  and  untenable  at 
first  sight,  that  the  press  and  individuals  pecuniarily  interested 
were  generally  disposed  to  think  very  lightly  of  them.  That 
Limantour  should  have  been  so  long  silent  as  to  his  alleged 
rights  was  a  very  odd  circumstance  that  generated  suspicion  all 
was  not  told.  He  had  looked  on  during  years  when  the  property 
included  in  his  grants  was  being  transferred  over  and  over  again 
to  new  buyers,  always  rising  in  value  at  every  sale,  and  had 
tacitly  appeared  to  assent  to  the  existing  state  of  things.  When 
the  ground  was  worth  many  millions  of  dollars,  and  hundreds,  if 
not  thousands  of  individuals  were  pecuniarily  interested  in  it, 
then  Limantour  first  declared  his  pretensions.  His  claim  seemed 
monstrous — to  one  half  of  the  great  City  of  San  Francisco,  with 
all  its  houses  and  improvements  and  future  prosperity  ! — a  claim 
that  had  been  mysteriously  concealed  for  eight  or  ten  years ! 
Pshaw  !  it  could  not  be  an  honest,  valid  one.  So  folks  said  to 
themselves.  As  while  we  write  the  matter  remains  under  judi- 
cial consideration, — though  some  years  may  pass  before  a  judg- 
ment can  be  obtained, — we  are  prevented  from  examining  mi- 
nutely the  nature  both  of  the  claim  and  the  objections  to  it.  We 
may  only  state  generally  that  many  believe  the  former  is  "  false, 
fraudulent,  or  simulated  ; "  while  Gen.  James  Wilson,  Liman- 
tour's  attorney,  says — "  With  a  perfect  knowledge  of  all  the  pa- 
pers and  documents  in  the  careful  consideration  of  all 


432 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


the  testimony  taken,  I  am  constrained  to  say,  and  I  do  most 
conscientiously  say,  that  there  is  not,  and  in  my  firm  belief  there 
cannot  possibly  be,  the  slightest  indicia  of  fraud  in  it,  or  in  any 
way  connected  with  it.  '  Fraud  is  to  be  proved,  not  inferred.' " 
In  the  pamphlet  from  which  these  quotations  are  made,  and 
which  was  printed  and  published  by  order  of  Limantour,  Gen. 
Wilson  discusses  Micheltorrena's  alleged  grant,  and  finds  it 
abundantly  proved.  He  thus  settles  his  client's  cause  with  a 
thunder-clap  sentence,  which  must  frighten  the  very  souls  of 
Limantour's  "  nimble  adversaries  :  " — "  Say  that  deed  of  grant  is 
not  valid !  Never — Never  !  It  cannot  be  so  said  without 
rushing  roughshod  and  blindfold  over  all  the  facts  in  the  case, 
and  all  the  law  and  equity  in  Christendom."  If  proof  and  the 
Land  Commissioners  sanction  Limantour's  claim,  there  will  be  a 
day  of  reckoning  and  lament  to  many  of  our  citizens,  who  have 
fondly  imagined  themselves  the  true  proprietors  of  much  valuable 
real  estate.  Then  will  be  tried  the  truth  and  worth  of  the  max- 
im— Justitia  fiat,  mat  Caelum. 

February  16th. — Election  of  delegates  from  the  different 
wards  to  a  convention  to  revise  the  city  charter.  The  following 
parties  were  elected  : — 

First  Ward. — Henry  Meigs,  Edward  McGowan,  William  Carr. 
Second  Ward. — F.  L.  Jones,  James  Gallagher,  E.  W.  Graham. 
Third  Ward. — D.  A.  Magellan,  Eugene  Casserly,  W.  H.  Martin. 
Fourth  Ward.— 8.  W.  Holliday,  C.  S.  Biden,  J.  R.  Dunglisson. 
Fifth  Ward— Louis  R.  Lull,  T.  D.  Greene,  F.  0.  Wakeman. 
Sixth  Ward. — James  Grant,  Henry  Richardson,  David  Jobson. 
Seventh  Ward. — A.  C.  Wakeman,  James  Hagan,  Henry  Sharpe. 
Eighth  Ward. — Thomas  Hayes,  I.  D.  White,  William  Green. 

These  parties  met  on  the  7th  of  March  at  the  council  cham- 
bers in  the  City  Hall,  and  proceeded  to  discuss  the  provisions  of 
the  existing  charter  and  the  proposed  alterations  upon  it.  The 
charter,  as  revised,  was  afterwards  submitted  to  the  people  at 
the  annual  election  of  municipal  officers.  Little  interest  seemed 
to  be  manifested  on  the  subject,  except  by  the  inhabitants  of  the 
eighth  ward,  whose  personal  interests  were  particularly  affected 
by  the  contemplated  measure.  Though  rejected  by  six  wards,  it 
was,  on  the  whole,  approved  of  by  a  majority  of  votes.  Subse- 


firemen's  celebration. 


433 


quently  it  was  laid  before  the  Legislature,  to  be  formally  passed  by 
it  as  a  new  charter  of  the  city.  At  the  date  of  writing  this 
notice,  that  event  has  not  taken  place.  It  differs  materially 
from  the  former  charter,  and  the  propriety  of  some  of  its  decla- 
rations, particularly  what  maybe  called  the  "squatter"  pro- 
visions, has  been  much  disputed.  In  many  other  respects,  it  is 
a  decided  improvement  upon  the  present  charter. 

February  22d. — The  anniversary  of  the  birth-day  of  Wash- 
ington had  been  adopted  on  previous  occasions  as  a  fit  time  to 
celebrate  the  organization  of  the  fire  companies  of  the  city.  On 
this  day,  the  third  annual  celebration  took  place.    It  was  dis- 
tinguished by  the  large  attendance  of  the  firemen,  the  splendor 
of  the  procession,  the  fineness  of  the  weather,  and  the  great 
number  of  citizens,  who  as  sympathetic  spectators  participated  in 
the  festivities  of  the  occasion.    The  firemen  were  dressed  in  the 
uniform  of  the  different  companies,  and  their  engines  and  various 
apparatus  were  burnished  as  brightly  and  decorated  as  beauti- 
fully as  hands  could  manage.    Several  bands  of  music  formed 
part  of  the  procession,  while  banners  and  devices  of  various  kinds 
gave  increased  animation  to  the  scene.    The  chief  interest,  how- 
ever, of  the  exhibition  lay  in  the  appearance  of  the  men  them- 
selves.   These  were  of  every  class  in  the  community,  and  were  a 
fine  athletic  set  of  fellows.    Their  voluntary  occupation  was  a 
good  and  grand  one,  and  required  much  skill  and  courage,  while 
it  was  pursued  under  circumstances  involving  great  personal 
danger,  and  often  much  inconvenience  and  pecuniary  loss  to 
individuals,  who,  at  the  call  of  duty,  cheerfully  forsook  their  own 
private  business  to  save  the  community  from  a  terrible  calamity. 
At  the  awful  peal  of  the  alarm-bell,  no  matter  at  what  hour  or 
place,  or  how  occupied,  the  fireman  rushed  to  his  post,  to  drag 
and  work  his  pet  engine  where  most  needed.  1  At  busy  noon,  he 
threw  aside  his  cash-book  and  ledger  ;  in  the  evening,  he  ab- 
ruptly left  the  theatre,  or  other  place  of  amusement  ;  at  mid- 
night, he  started  from  sleep,  and  only  half-dressed,  leaped  and 
ran  to  his  appointed  quarters.    A  few  minutes  later,  and  the 
whole  city  might  be  in  a  blaze  !    This  thought  gave  speed  to  his 
heels  and  strength  to  his  arms.    Scarcely  had  the  first  heavy 
strokes  of  the  alarm-bell  ceased  to  vibrate  on  the  panic-stricken 
28 


434 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


ear,  when  were  heard  the  lighter,  cheerful  peals  of  the  bells  of  the 
engines,  as  they  were  wheeled  from  their  houses  and  hurried 
rapidly  through  the  streets. 

Fires  in  San  Francisco  used  to  be  dreadful  affairs,  and  no 
pen  can  adequately  describe  the  terror,  confusion  and  despair 
that  spread  far  and  wide  when  the  wild  cry  was  heard.  The 
danger  and  horror  of  conflagration  are  now  much  lessened,  partly 
by  the  increase  of  fire-proof  brick  buildings,  and  partly  by  the 
continually  growing  efficiency  of  the  fire  companies.  Still  the 
alarm  of  fire  can  never  be  listened  to  without  many  sad  misgiv- 
ings as  to  the  possible  result.  The  centre  and  business  part  of 
the  city  may  now  seem  to  be  beyond  the  reach  of  total  destruction 
or  even  of  a  serious  loss  ;  yet  large  districts  lying  around  the  fire- 
proof nucleus  may  any  day  be  altogether  consumed,  if  it  were  not 
for  the  unflagging  and  desperate  efforts  of  the  unpaid,  volunteer 
firemen.  From  the  peculiar  risk  and  circumstances  attending 
conflagrations  in  San  Francisco,  these  noble  men  have  always  had 
a  difficult  and  dangerous  task  to  perform.  Their  boldness,  their 
alertness,  energy,  and  unwearied  perseverance  in  their  praise- 
worthy calling,  have  been  long  celebrated  in  America  ;  and,  to 
this  day,  it  is  a  high  term  of  honor  over  the  civilized  world  to 
belong  to  their  body.  Many  foreigners  are  members  of  the  differ- 
ent companies.  Later  in  this  year,  some  of  the  French  inhabi- 
tants of  the  city  formed  themselves  into  a  company  by  them- 
selves, called  the  "  Lafayette." 

On  the  occasion  of  the  anniversary  of  the  Fire  Department 
of  this  year,  the  procession  alluded  to  moved  through  the  princi- 
pal streets,  attended,  admired,  and  cheered  by  a  large  concourse 
of  people.  Indeed  the  whole  city  seemed  to  have  turned  out  en 
masse.  The  firemen  then  proceeded  to  the  American  Theatre, 
where  an  occasional  address  was  delivered  by  Frank  M.  Pixley. 
The  house  was  filled  to  overflowing,  and  presented  a  fine  show. 
There  was  a  large  attendance  of  ladies  in  the  boxes. 

March  6th. — The  Pacific  mail  steamship  Tennessee  went 
ashore  this  morning  at  Tagus  Beach,  in  Bolinas  Bay,  about  three 
or  four  miles  north  of  the  Heads,  at  the  entrance  to  the  Bay  of 
San  Francisco.  Dense  fogs,  which  had  misled  the  captain  as  to 
the  ship's  position,  were  the  cause  of  the  vessel  striking  the 


STEAMSHIPS  LOST. 


435 


shore.  These  fogs  are  very  prevalent  along  the  coast,  and  have 
often  been  the  cause  of  serious  shipwrecks.  The  Tennessee  had 
about  six  hundred  passengers  on  board,  one  hundred  of  whom 
were  women  and  children.  By  happy  chance,  the  ship  went 
upon  a  small,  sandy  beach,  on  both  sides  of  which  at  a  short  dis- 
tance were  enormous  cliffs,  on  which  if  the  vessel  had  struck  she 


Wreck  of  the  Tennessee. 


would  have  gone  immediately  to  pieces,  and  probably  most  of 
those  on  board  would  have  perished.  As  it  was,  and  the  sea 
being  smooth,  the  passengers  were  all  safely  landed,  as  well  as 
the  mail-bags  and  express  matter.  It  was  expected  that  the 
Tennessee  would  afterwards  have  been  safely  towed  off.  The 
Goliah  and  the  Thomas  Hunt,  steam-tugs,  were  sent  to  perform 
that  operation  ;  but  after  some  trials,  it  was  found  to  be  imprac- 
ticable. After  removing  therefore  a  considerable  quantity  of 
cargo,  stores,  &c,  the  vessel  was  abandoned,  and  shortly  after- 
wards went  to  pieces. 

The  loss  of  the  Tennessee  was  the  first  known  of  a  series  of 
calamities  at  sea,  which  happened  about  this  time,  and  in  which 


436 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


San  Francisco  was  deeply  interested.  The  most  terrible  and 
disastrous  of  these  was  the  loss  of  the  steamship  Independence, 
of  Vanderbilt's  Independent  Line,  from  San  Juan  to  San  Fran- 
cisco. Upon  the  morning  of  the  16th  of  February,  about  day- 
break, and  when  the  atmosphere  was  perfectly  clear,  the  ship 
struck  upon  a  sunken  reef,  about  a  mile  from  the  shore  of  Mar- 
garita Island,  off  the  coast  of  Lower  California.  The  sea  was 
quite  smooth  at  the  time.  The  engine  was  backed,  and  the 
ship  hove  off  the  reef.  As  she  was  making  water  rapidly,  it  was 
thought  best  to  beach  her.  She  was  accordingly  run  ashore  in  a 
small  cove  on  the  south-west  side  of  the  island,  about  five  miles 
distant  from  the  place  where  she  had  first  struck.  At  this  time 
it  was  discovered  that  the  vessel  was  on  fire.  The  people,  who 
had  hitherto  been  quiet  and  self-possessed,  now  lost  all  control 
of  themselves ;  and  many  in  a  frantic  state  leaped  overboard. 
All  order  seemed  to  be  lost,  and  everybody  thought  only  how 
best  to  save  himself.  The  scene  is  said  to  have  been  horrible 
in  the  extreme.  The  crew  and  passengers  amounted  to  four 
hundred  and  fourteen  persons  ;  and  of  this  number  nearly  two 
hundred  perished,  among  whom  were  seventeen  children  and  fif- 
teen females.  When  intelligence  of  the  sad  occurrence  reached 
San  Francisco,  it  caused  much  excitement  and  general  sorrow. 
Many  had  to  mourn  the  loss  of  a  relative  or  friend,  whose  com- 
ing had  been  fondly  expected.  Liberal  contributions  were  made 
by  the  citizens  to  alleviate  the  sufferings  of  the  surviving  passen- 
gers of  the  Independence,  and  to  carry  them  to  a  place  of  safety 
from  the  desolate  and  dangerous  island  upon  which  they  were 
thrown,  naked,  and  without  food  or  shelter. 

On  the  morning  of  the  9th  April  following,  the  steamship 
S.  S.  Lewis,  of  the  Nicaragua  line,  went  ashore  at  a  place  six 
miles  north  of  Bolinas  Bay,  and  about  fifteen  miles  north  of  the 
Heads.  Dense  fogs  were  the  cause  of  this  loss,  as  they  bad  been 
the  cause  of  the  loss  of  the  Tennessee.  There  were  three  hundred 
and  eighty-five  persons  on  board  when  the  ship  struck,  all  of 
whom  were  saved,  as  well  as  the  greatest  part  of  their  personal 
baggage.  The  sea  was  running  high  at  the  time,  and  soon  after- 
wards the  vessel  went  to  pieces. 

Thus  were  three  of  the  large  ocean  steamers  connected  with 
San  Francisco  lost  within  little  more  than  a  month,  two  of  which 


WATER  FRONT  EXTENSION. 


437 


had  gone  ashore  within  the  distance  of  a  few  miles  from  the  city. 
It  was  remarked  that  there  seemed  to  be  a  kind  of  fatality 
attending  the  passenger  steamers  connected  with  our  port.  Eleven 
vessels  of  that  description,  some  of  which  were  of  a  magnificent 
character,  had  been  lost  within  the  previous  two  years.  The  list 
is  as  follows  : — 

Commodore  Preble. — May  3d.  1851,  on  Humboldt  Bar. 
Union. — July  5th,  1851,  at  San  Quentin. 

Chesapeake. — Rudder  lost  at  sea,  put  into  Port  Oxford  for  repairs,  October  10th, 

1851;  proceeded  to  Humboldt,  and  was  condemned  and  sold. 
Sea  Gull— Jim.  26th,  1852,  on  Humboldt  Bar. 
General  Warren. — Jan.  31st,  1852,  Clatsop  Spit. 
North  America. — Feb.  27th,  1852,  forty  miles  south  of  Acapulco. 
Pioneer. — Aug.  17th,  1852,  San  Simeon's  Bay. 

City  of  Pittsburg. — Oct.  24th,  1852,  burned  in  the  Bay  of  Valparaiso,  on  her 

way  to  California. 
Independence. — Feb.  16th,  1853,  burned  at  Margarita  Island. 
Tennessee. — March  6th,  1853,  entrance  to  San  Francisco  Bay. 
Lewis. — April  9th,  1853,  three  miles  north  of  Bolinas  Bay. 

April. — For  some  months  back  the  citizens  have  been  much 
excited  by  the  introduction  and  progress  through  the  legislative 
chambers,  of  a  bill  to  extend  the  water  front  of  the  city  six 
hundred  feet  beyond  the  existing  boundary  line.  It  appears  that 
the  annual  expenditure  of  the  State  was  year  by  year  greatly 
exceeding  its  income,  and  financial  difficulties  were  the  natural 
consequence.  To  procure  some  relief  from  these,  Governor  Bigler, 
in  a  message  to  the  Senate  and  House  of  Assembly,  recommended 
that  the  limits  of  San  Francisco  should  be  extended  towards  the 
water,  and  that  such  extension  should  be  sold  or  leased  for  the 
benefit  of  the  State.  This  counsel  appeared  most  unjust,  and 
caused  much  alarm  to  the  inhabitants  of  the  city.  The  mayor 
and  the  boards  of  aldermen  and  assistant  aldermen  severally  is- 
sued messages  and  reports  against  the  passage  of  the  contem- 
plated measure.  The  board  of  aldermen,  on  the  31st  January, 
unanimously  adopted  a  memorial  to  the  Legislature,  in  which 
they  represented  that  any  measure  of  the  nature  suggested  by 
the  governor  would  be  productive  of  incalculable  hurt  to  the 
prosperity  of  San  Francisco. 

"  Your  memorialists,"  the  document  said,  "  have  spared  no  labor  to  procure 
a  full  and  frank  expression  of  opinion  by  the  most  competent  to  decide  upon 


438 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


the  merits  of  the  proposed  extension,  and  have  received  the  concurrent  testi- 
mony of  every  captain  and  merchant  in  the  city,  that  the  sanction  of  your 
honorable  bod}*  to  such  a  proceeding  would  place  in  jeopardy  the  entire  ship- 
ping of  the  port,  by  depriving  it  of  the  protection  and  shelter  of  the  head- 
lands which  it  at  present  enjoys. 

••  Your  memorialists  feel  warranted  in  asserting,  from  their  own  observation, 
as  well  as  from  the  assurance  of  the  present  distinguished  officer  in  command 
of  the  Hydrographical  Party  of  the  United  States  Coast  Survey,  that  the  ex- 
tent to  which  the  present  filling  up  of  the  City  Front  has  been  pushed,  has 
worked  material  injury  to  the  safe  anchorage  of  vessels  already,  by  shoaling 
the  waters  of  the  harbor,  and  compelling  ships  of  heavy  draft  to  anchor  fur- 
ther out,  exposed  to  the  full  force  of  the  tide  and  the  fur)'  of  the  strong 
gales  from  the  south-east  that  prevail  during  the  rainy  season." 

These  opinions  were  fully  shared  in  by  the  inhabitants  gen- 
erally. Not  only  would  San  Francisco,  the  commercial  metropo- 
lis of  the  State,  be  materially  damaged  as  a  port,  but  much  griev- 
ous wrong  would  be  committed  against  the  owners  of  property 
upon  the  line  of  the  existing  water  front.  By  the  Act  of  26  th 
March,  1851,  which  leased  the  State's  interest  in  the  water  lots 
for  ninety-nine  years,  and  which  specifically  defined  the  boundary 
lines,  it  was  declared  that  the  same  "  shall  be  and  remain  a  per- 
manent water  front "  of  the  city.  In  the  knowledge  and  faith 
of  this  constitutional  and  binding  declaration,  the  water  lots  had 
been  sold  and  improvements  made  upon  them.  The  present 
owners  had  every  reason  to  believe  that  the  water  front  could  not 
legally,  and  would  not  illegally  and  inequitably,  be  further  ex- 
tended. The  doing  so  would  be  most  prejudicial  to  their  rights, 
while  at  the  same  time  it  would  be  a  most  serious  injury  to  the 
general  interests  and  privileges  of  the  city. 

Notwithstanding  these  and  other  objections,  the  obnoxious 
bill  passed  the  House  of  Assembly  by  a  majority  of  four,  in  which 
majority  were  two  of  the  representatives  from  San  Francisco. 
The  other  five  representatives,  who  had  voted  against  the  mea- 
sure, and  some  of  whom  had  spoken  often  and  forcibly  upon  its 
manifest  injustice,  now  resigned  their  seats,  and  appealed  to  their 
constituents  for  an  approval  of  their  conduct,  by  standing  as 
candidates  for  re-election.  On  the  14th  of  April,  a  new  election 
took  place.  The  course  taken  by  the  old  representatives  was 
chiefly  opposed  by  a  certain  small  section  of  the  community, 
which  was  supposed  to  be  personally  interested  in  the  passing  of 


WATER  FRONT  EXTENSION. 


439 


the  bill  complained  of.  On  the  2d  of  January,  in  the  preceding 
year,  at  one  of  the  noted  Peter  Smith's  sales,  already  mentioned, 
a  great  belt  of  land  "  covered  with  water,"  and  extending  six 
hundred  feet  beyond  the  existing  and  recognized  water  front,  and 
embracing  many  thousand  distinct  lots,  had  been  sold  by  the  sheriff 
for  something  less  than  $7000,  in  order  to  satisfy  a  judgment  against 
the  city.  The  particular  nature  of  the  right  of  the  city  to  this 
ground  "  covered  with  water,"  and  the  rights  of  the  party  holding 
the  judgment,  and  of  the  sheriff  to  sell  it,  were  matters  imper- 
fectly understood.  Therefore  the  exact  rights  acquired  by  the 
purchasers  nobody  could  distinctly  estimate.  As  things  stood, 
the  buyers,  who  had  speculated  on  a  fortune  of  twice  as  many 
millions  as  they  had  paid  thousands,  could  do  nothing.  But  by 
enlisting  the  State  on  their  side,  and  exciting  the  cupidity  of  the 
government,  the  Peter  Smith  jobbers  might  hope  to  derive  incal- 
culable benefits  from  their  desperate  bargains,  by  making  a  "com- 
promise "  with  the  commissioners  proposed  to  be  appointed  under 
the  contemplated  bill.  By  the  express  terms  of  this  bill,  they 
would,  most  probably,  have  secured  two-thirds  of  their  purchases. 
To  raise  a  fund  for  carrying  on  their  scheme,  and  to  interest 
parties  personally  in  its  success,  certain  of  the  new  water  lots 
were  disposed  of  at  low  or  nominal  prices. 

It  was  these  original  and  subsequent  buyers  then,  and  their 
immediate  friends  and  those  whom  they  could  in  any  way  influ- 
ence, that  opposed  the  re-election  of  the  representatives  to  the 
House  of  Assembly.  The  people  generally  felt  that  this  matter 
was  one  of  the  utmost  consequence  to  the  welfare  of  the  com- 
munity. On  the  day  of  election  many  of  the  leading  citizens 
closed  their  places  of  business,  and  devoted  themselves  to  watch- 
ing over  the  polls.  The  question  at  issue  was  one  of  principle, 
and  not  the  mere  personal  choice  of  favorite  candidates.  The 
anti-extensionists,  as  they  were  called,  were  completely  successful. 
Five  votes  to  one  of  those  polled  were  in  favor  of  the  old 
representatives  ;  while,  if  it  had  been  necessary,  a  still  larger 
majority  would  have  been  obtained.  At  the  close  of  the  poll, 
the  following  parties  were  elected,  viz.  : — Samuel  Flower,  John 
Sime,  John  H.  Saunders,  James  M.  Taylor,  and  Elcan  Heydenfelt. 

Meanwhile,  the  bill  had  been  carried  into  the  Senate,  and 


440 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


the  parties  for  and  against  it  seemed  nearly  balanced.  Repeated 
public  meetings  were  held  at  San  Francisco  on  the  subject,  at 
which  resolutions  were  passed  strongly  condemnatory  of  the  bill 
and  its  known  supporters.  All  classes  of  the  community,  except 
the  reckless  speculators  who  hoped  to  profit  by  the  iniquitous 
Act,  were  bitterly  opposed  to  the  measure.  If  adopted,  it  would 
certainly  have  the  effect  of  injuring  the  harbor  and  city  to  an 
incalculable,  an  irreparable  extent ;  while,  by  throwing  back  the 
existing  water  front,  and  altering  the  grades  of  the  streets,  an 
immense  deal  of  damage  would  be  done  upon  private  property. 
And  all  for  what  ?  Principally  to  enrich  a  few  water-lot  game- 
sters, and  perhaps  put  a  little  money  in  the  exhausted  exchequer 
of  the  State.  The  pecuniary  advantage  of  the  transaction  to 
the  State  was  exceedingly  doubtful  at  the  best ;  while  it  was 
abundantly  evident  that  interminable  litigation  and  grievous  loss 
to  private  parties  and  to  the  port  itself  were  sure  to  arise.  A 
large  number  of  the  members  of  the  Legislature  seem  to  have 
been  at  all  times  opposed  to  the  prosperity  of  San  Francisco  ; 
and  would  fain  lay  upon  it  what  has  often  been  considered, — by 
the  citizens  themselves,  at  all  events, — more  than  a  proportionate 
share  of  the  burdens  of  the  State.  In  the  case  in  question,  if 
even  the  government  had  the  legal  right  to  carry  out  the  measure 
proposed  by  the  obnoxious  bill,  which  right  was  disputed  by  able 
and  disinterested  lawyers,  the  advantage  to  be  derived  by  the 
State  was  very  paltry  in  comparison  with  the  vast  amount  of 
damage  that  would  be  occasioned  to  the  city  and  individual  citi- 
zens. This  consideration  plead  for  mercy  from  the  spoiler,  but 
it  had  little  effect.  The  Senate,  like  the  House  of  Assembly, 
seemed  determined  to  kill  the  bird  that  laid  the  golden  egg — for 
such  were  the  taxes  that  San  Francisco,  in  its  prosperity,  paid 
into  the  coffers  of  the  State. 

To  show  further  the  injustice  and  impropriety  of  the  steps 
contemplated  by  the  Extension  Bill,  we  give  an  extract  from  a 
Report  made  by  a  portion  of  the  committee  appointed  by  the  Sen- 
ate on  the  subject  : 

"  The  harbor  known  in  1849  as  the  harbor  of  San  Francisco,  flanked  north 
and  south  by  the  headlands  of  North  and  Rincon  Points,  and  stretching  in- 
wards somewhat  in  the  form  of  a  crescent  as  far  as  Montgomery  street,  is  now 
almost  entirely  filled  up  and  occupied  as  the  business  part  of  the  city.  The 


WATER  FRONT  EXTENSION. 


441 


boundary  line  of  this,  the  eastern  front,  as  fixed  and  declared  permanent  by 
the  4th  section  of  an  act  of  the  Legislature,  passed  March  26th,  1851,  extends 
even  a  little  farther  out  into  the  bay  than  the  headlands,  and  when  the  same 
shall  be  fully  built  up  to  and  improved,  the  city  will  have  a  water  front  of 
sufficient  extent  and  adequate  depth  of  water  to  supply  all  the  wants  of  her 
commerce  and  trade.  The  farther  extension  of  said  front  six  hundred  feet 
into  the  bay  would  not  materially  increase  the  extent  on  the  eastern  front, 
while  a  greater  depth  of  water  than  the  present  front  now  enjoys,  would  not 
be  necessary  to  enable  vessels  of  the  largest  class  to  lie  at  the  wharves. 

"  So  far,  therefore,  as  the  eastern  front  of  the  city  is  concerned,  we  can  dis- 
cover no  public  necessity  or  conveniency  which  demands  any  action  on  the 
part  of  the  Legislature,  conflicting  either  in  letter  or  spirit  with  the  guarantee, 
or  at  least  the  declaration,  that  '  the  said  boundary  line  shall  be  and  remain  a 
permanent  water  front  of  said  city,'  contained  in  the  act  above  referred  to. 

"  The  testimony  taken  by  the  committee  conclusively  shows  that  the  ship- 
ping of  the  harbor  would  be  materially  injured  by  the  further  extension. 
Protection  to  the  headlands,  which  is  still  to  some  extent  enjoyed,  would  be 
destroyed,  and  the  roadstead  between  the  city  and  Goat  Island,  with  a  rapid 
current,  and  subject  to  strong  south-easterly  and  north-westerly  gales,  would 
be  materially  contracted.  This  acknowledged  injury,  it  has  been  suggested, 
can  be  counteracted  by  the  erection  of  breakwaters  off  either  or  both  North 
and  Rincon  Points.  In  a  bay  with  such  a  variety  of  powerful  currents,  it 
would  be  difficult  to  predict  the  effect  should  such  a  plan  be  carried  into  exe- 
cution. It  might  prove  a  greater  injury  to  the  water  front  than  any  yet  in- 
flicted upon  it.  But  were  the  erection  of  breakwaters  clearly  demonstrated  to 
be  of  great  service,  the  practicability  of  accomplishing  such  a  task  by  the 
State  in  so  deep  and  turbulent  a  bay,  by  any  expenditure  within  her  means, 
is  extremely  doubtful.  Any  appropriation  adequate  even  to  the  commence- 
ment of  such  a  work,  would,  under  Art.  8  of  the  Constitution,  have  to  be  sub- 
mitted to  the  people  for  their  approval. 

"  No  necessity  now  exists  for  such  a  hazardous  project,  and  it  would  be 
truly  impolitic  to  create  a  necessity  for  it  by  making  the  proposed  extension. 

But  should  the  Legislature  determine  in  any  manner  to  extend  the  city 
front,  we  are  decidedly  of  opinion  that  the  necessity  or  use  of  erecting  break- 
waters would  follow ;  and  that  if  profit  to  the  treasury  should  be  a  mo- 
tive in  making  such  extension,  the  connection  of  any  breakwater  scheme  with 
it  would  entail  upon  the  treasury  losses  infinitely  greater  than  any  imaginary 
or  hoped-for  profits  could  liquidate.  The  cost  of  breakwaters  can  only  be 
reckoned  by  millions,  and  if  the  State  embarks  in  the  project  with  the  hope 
that  the  proceeds  of  the  sales  of  water  lots  will  raise  an  adequate  fund  for 
that  purpose,  she  will  surely  be  disappointed. 

"  The  right  of  the  State  to  sell  lots  in  the  place  indicated  would  be  ques- 
tioned perhaps  by  men  most  anxious  for  the  sale  to  proceed ;  the  title  of  the 
State  could  not  escape  being  clouded  in  the  minds  of  purchasers,  when  it  ia 
considered  that  a  variety  of  interests  adverse  to  the  State  would  no  doubt  be 
in  active  operation.  With  these  interests  the  public  are  familiar,  and  from 
one  of  them  has  proceeded  the  only  proposition  before  the  Legislature  for  an 


442 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


extension,  and  that  proposition  is  based  upon  the  assumption  of  a  title  adverse 
to  and  independent  of  the  State,  coupled  with  the  proffer  of  a  partnership 
interest  of  an  entangling  and  intricate  nature,  as  a  consideration  for  the  influ- 
ence and  authority  of  the  State  in  carrying  into  effect  a  plan  which  your  com- 
mittee believe  destructive  to  commerce,  injurious  to  the  property  of  a  large 
class  of  citizens,  and  inconsistent  in  legislation. 

"  Respectful  and  temperate  language  cannot  be  employed  in  giving  com- 
plete expression  to  the  sentiments  entertained  of  this  proposition,  and  there- 
fore your  committee  refrain  from  further  allusion  to  it." 

The  Report,  from  which  the  above  extract  is  taken,  then 
discusses  at  length  the  nature  of  the  various  rights  claimable  by 
Congress,  by  the  State,  and  by  the  city,  to  the  land  "  covered 
with  water,"  in  question  ;  and  concludes  thus  :  "  Even  if  the 
water  front  right,  being  a  vested  right,  could  be  successfully  ques- 
tioned, bad  faith  to  the  citizens  of  San  Francisco  would  be  truly 
chargeable  against  the  government,  were  an  act  passed  by  which 
said  water  front  privileges  and  advantages  would  be  destroyed." 

The  united  people  of  San  Francisco,  excepting  always  the 
small  clique  of  speculators  already  mentioned,  considered  that 
all  law,  justice,  and  expediency,  were  opposed  to  the  projected 
extension  ;  the  supporters  of  the  bill  in  the  Legislature  could 
only  talk  of  the  absolute  and  wilful  right  of  the  State  to  do  what 
it  chose  with  its  own  pretended  property,  without  regard  to 
those  who  might  be  ruined  by  its  so  doing.  After  several  de- 
bates, the  bill  came  to  a  final  vote  in  the  Senate  upon  the  26th 
of  April,  when  thirteen  members  voted  for,  and  the  like  number 
against  it.  Happily,  the  president  of  the  chamber,  Lieutenant- 
Governor  Purdy,  who  in  cases  of  parity  possesses  a  casting  vote, 
gave  his  against  the  bill.  Thus,  by  the  narrowest  chance,  San 
Francisco  escaped  this  severe  stroke.  Perhaps  the  Peter  Smith 
speculators  in  extension  water  lots  may  at  some  future  time 
renew  their  attempt  to  carry  out  their  views,  and  may  persuade 
even  a  majority  of  the  Legislature — at  all  times  jealous  of  the 
greatness  and  independence  of  San  Francisco — to  further  their 
iniquitous  schemes.  The  citizens,  therefore,  will  require  to  be 
ever  watchful  on  this  subject,  until  a  constitutional  and  legal 
declaration  be  obtained,  and  which  will  be  beyond  all  cavil  or 
question,  that  the  existing  boundary  line  shall  be  really  and  truly 
the  permanent  water  front  of  the  city. 


UNITED  STATES  MARINE  HOSPITAL. 


443 


Amu,  7tli. — The  corner-stone  laid  of  the  United  States  Ma- 
rine Hospital,  when  the  usual  interesting  ceremonies  observed  on 
similar  occasions,  were  performed.  On  the  10th  of  December, 
1852,  the  mayor  approved  of  an  ordinance,  which  the  common 
council  had  passed,  by  which  he  was  directed  to  convey  to  the 
Government  of  the  United  States  six  fifty-vara  lots,  situated  at 


United  States  Marine  Hospital. 


Rincon  Point.  These  were  intended  for  the  silo  of  the  magnifi- 
cent structure,  the  corner-stone  of  which  was  laid  to-day.  The 
building  was  erected  in  the  course  of  this  year  (completed  De- 
cember 12th),  and  is  now  a  striking  ornament  to  the  city.  It  is 
built  of  brick,  and  is  four  stories  high.  It  is  182  feet  long  by 
96  feet  wide.  At  one  time  five  hundred  patients  can  be  com- 
fortably lodged,  while,  in  cases  of  necessity,  so  many  as  seven 
hundred  can  be  accommodated.  The  total  cost  has  been  about 
a  quarter  of  a  million  of  dollars.  This  hospital  has  been  built 
and  will  be  supported  by  the  United  States,  from  the  fees  paid 
into  the  treasury  by  the  sailors  of  every  American  vessel  entering 
our  ports.  The  sum  of  twenty  cents  a  month  is  deducted  from 
their  wages,  and  paid  by  the  master  of  every  vessel  to  the  custom- 


444 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


house.  In  return,  every  sick  and  disabled  seaman  reaching  San 
Francisco  is  entitled  to  a  certificate  from  the  collector  for  admis- 
sion to  the  hospital.  As  sailors  under  foreign  flags  pay  no  fees, 
they  are  of  course  not  entitled  to  the  privileges  of  the  institution. 
This  hospital  and  the  State  Marine  Hospital  sufficiently  provide 
at  present  for  the  wants  of  the  sick  in  San  Francisco.  There 
are  several  other  hospitals  of  a  semi-public  or  private  nature, 
which  take  care  of  such  sick  persons  as  may  not  be  entitled  to 
admission  into  either  of  the  two  mentioned,  or  who  may  prefer 
the  accommodations  of  less  public  institutions. 

April  11th. — The  Jenny  Lind  steamer,  when  on  her  passage 
from  Alviso  to  San  Francisco,  with  about  one  hundred  and  twenty- 
five  passengers  on  board,  met  with  a  dreadful  accident.  At  half- 
past  twelve  o'clock,  when  nearly  opposite  the  Pulgas  Eanch,  and 
when  the  company  on  board  were  about  sitting  down  to  dinner  in 
the  after  cabin,  a  portion  of  the  connecting  steam-pipe  was  blown 
asunder,  and  instantly  the  destructive  vapor  burst  open  the  bulk- 
head of  the  cabin,  and  swept  into  the  crowded  apartment. 
Many  were  dangerously  scalded,  and  a  large  number  instantly 
struck  dead,  by  inhaling  the  intensely  heated  atmosphere. 
Thirty-one  persons  were  either  killed  on  the  spot,  or  soon  after- 
wards died,  from  the  effects  of  injuries  received  from  the  explo- 
sion. This  catastrophe  occurring  immediately  after  the  losses  of 
so  many  fine  steamships  at  sea,  already  noticed,  excited  much 
sorrowful  interest  in  the  city. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 


1853. 

Boss's  garden.— The  German  population.— May-day  celebration  by  school-children.— Burning  of  the 
Eassette  House.— Mountain  Lake  Water  Company.— General  State  Hospital — Drinking  houses.— 
Clipper  ships  and  short  passages.— Military  parade  and  celebration  of  4th  of  July. — Dedication  of 
the  First  Congregational  Church.— St.  Mary's  (Catholic)  Church.— Unitarian  Church.— Seamen's 
Bethel.— Squatter  difficulties.— Store-ships  burned.— Strikes  by  mechanics  and  laborers  for  higher 
wages.— Anniversary  of  the  Gorman  Turnverein.— City  and  county  election. — Lafayette  Hook 
and  Ladder  Company  organized. — The  French  inhabitants.— S  n  eeney  &  Baugh's  electric  telegraph. 

May  1st. — May-day  was  celebrated  by  a  large  number  of  our  Ger- 
man citizens  in  the  cheerful  and  imposing  style  observed  in  Father- 
land. Tbe  Turner  Gesang  Verein  (Gymnastic  Musical  Union) 
took  the  most  active  part  in  the  festivities.  Dressed  in  loose 
brown  linen  coats  and  pantaloons,  proper  for  their  exercises,  they 
marched,  with  banners  flying,  and  musical  instruments  sounding, 
to  the  gardens  of  Mr.  Russ,  near  the  Mission  road.  There 
somewhere  about  eighteen  hundred  persons  of  German  blood  par- 
ticipated in  the  different  enjoyments  of  the  day.  They  leaped, 
balanced  and  twirled,  danced,  sang,  drank,  smoked  and  made 
merry,  as  only  such  an  enthusiastic  race  of  mortals  could.  The 
weather  happened  to  be  very  fine,  and  the  grounds  seemed  beau- 
tiful beyond  all  expression  of  praise  from  the  full  heart  that 
could  only  enjoy,  while  it  knew  not  and  cared  not  why.  Das 
Deutsche  Vaterland  was  chanted  in  the  most  rapturous  manner, 
and  for  the  moment  the  different  performers  seemed  to  forget  all 
their  native  local  distinctions  and  the  very  land  that  now  gave 
them  shelter,  to  become  in  heart  and  spirit  only  members  of  the 
one  common  brotherhood  of  Germans.  Prizes  to  the  best  per- 
formers in  the  various  athletic  and  other  games  were  distributed, 
and  several  appropriate  addresses  were  afterwards  delivered. 

The  German  population  in  San  Francisco  has  always  been 


446 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


very  large,  and  may  now  (1854)  be  estimated  at  between  five 
and  six  thousand.  They  are  an  orderly  and  intelligent  people, 
and  show  fewer  criminals  than  a  proportionate  number  of  anv 
other  class  of  citizens.  They  learn  the  English  language  very 
readily,  and  many  of  them  are  naturalized  citizens.  Very  differ- 
ent from  the  French  population  in  this  respect,  they  appear  to 
have  little  wish  to  return  to  their  native  country.  When  Ger- 
mans do  leave  California,  it  is  generally  for  the  Atlantic  States, 
from  whence  most  of  them  directly  came.  In  San  Francisco, 
they  take  considerable  interest  in  local  affairs,  and  easily  enter 
into  the  spirit  of  the  place.  The  different  fire  companies  show 
many  Germans  on  their  rolls.  This  people  have  a  daily  news- 
paper in  their  own  language,  and  at  one  time  had  two.  They 
also  possess  a  school,  and  at  different  times  have  supported  a 
national  theatre,  while  they  often  have  both  vocal  and  instru- 
mental concerts.  The  professional  musicians  in  San  Francisco 
are  chiefly  Germans.  Various  other  occupations  are  extensively 
and  almost  exclusively  followed  by  them.  The  cigar  and  beer- 
shops  are  chiefly  kept  by  them.  A  large  number  of  the  Jews  in 
San  Francisco  are  of  German  blood,  many  of  whom  are  from 
Prussian  Poland. 

Though  comparatively  few  Germans  intend  to  return  to 
Fatherland,  they  all  bear  a  strong  feeling  towards  it,  and  wheii 
opportunity  serves  are  always  ready  to  celebrate  their  nationality 
and  praise  the  old  country  customs.  Some  of  these  are  of  an 
interesting  and  most  pleasing  character,  in  which  music  generally 
bears  a  leading  part.  Though  usually  somewhat  phlegmatic 
both  in  person  and  mind,  and  not  so  brilliantly  gay  as  the 
French,  or  so  carelessly  wanton  in  their  mirth  as  the  Hispano- 
Americans,  the  Germans  are  perhaps  the  most  thoroughly  cheer- 
ful of  all  the  national  races  in  San  Francisco.  Though  many  of 
them  possess  considerable  property,  they  are  not  as  a  class  distin- 
guished for  wealth  ;  and  they  are  generally  of  a  saving,  and 
sometimes  a  penurious  character.  Touch  their  nationality,  or 
their  pecuniary  interests,  and  they  may  spend  money  lavishly  ; 
but  in  most  other  matters  they  are  totally  opposed,  in  feeling 
and  behavior,  to  the  princely  extravagance  of  native  Americans. 
The  Germans  pursue  all  professions,  while  they  monopolize  a  cer- 


school-children's  celebration. 


447 


tain  few,  and  number  some  rich  and  many  highly  educated  indi- 
viduals among  their  people.  Some  of  these  have  formed  them- 
selves into  the  Deutsches  Club.  The  Germans  have  a  society  for 
the  protection  of  immigrants,  and  various  other  benevolent  and 
social  institutions.    Many  of  their  naturalized  citizens  manifest 


Liuier  Bier  Politicians. 


a  lively  interest  in  the  politics  of  our  country,  which  they  discuss 
with  much  warmth  in  their  favorite  beer-house  . 

May  2d. — May-day  happening  upon  Sunday,  a  procession  of 
school-children,  to  celebrate  the  occasion,  took  place  the  next 
day.  This  was  a  new  and  pleasant  sight  in  San  Francisco,  and 
the  event  is  worthy  of  being  recorded.  There  were  about  a 
thousand  children  of  both  sexes  in  the  train.  They  appeared  all 
in  holiday  costume,  the  girls  being  dressed  in  white.  Each  one 
carried  a  bouquet  of  fresh  and  beautiful  flowers.  There  was  the 
usual  "  Queen  of  May,"  with  her  "  Maids  of  Honor,"  and  various 
other  characters,  all  represented  by  the  juvenile  players.  The 
children  of  seven  schools  hore  distinctive  banners.  A  fine  band 
of  music  accompanied  the  happy  procession.    After  proceeding 


448 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


through  the  principal  thoroughfares,  the  children  moved  to  the 
school-house  in  Broadway.  Here  some  pleasant  ceremonies, 
songs,  and  occasional  addresses  took  place,  in  which  the  children 
themselves  were  the  chief  actors.  A  repast  of  such  delicate  eat- 
ables as  suited  youthful  palates  was  next  enjoyed,  after  which 
the  glad  multitude  dispersed. 

About  eleven  o'clock  on  the  evening  of  this  day,  the  Rassette 
House,  at  the  corner  of  Bush  and  Sansome  streets,  and  some  of 
the  adjoining  buildings,  were  destroyed  by  fire.  The  Rassette 
House  was  a  first-class  hotel,  well  known  in  the  city.  It  was  a 
frame  building,  of  five  stories  in  height,  including  the  basement. 
The  fire  began  in  a  room  above  the  kitchen,  and  in  a  few  min- 
utes spread  over  the  enormous  structure  of  dry  timber.  The 
hotel  happened  to  be  well  filled  with  lodgers  at  the  time,  nearly 
all  of  whom  were  in  bed  when  the  flames  broke  out.  There 
were  four  hundred  and  sixteen  boarders  at  the  house,  the  most 
of  whom  also  lodged  there.  The  horror  and  danger  of  their 
situation,  in  the  midst  of  such  a  combustible  mass,  may  be  ima- 
gined, but  can  scarcely  be  described.  A  north-east  wind  was 
blowing  fresh  at  the  time,  and  strong  fears  were  entertained  lest 
the  conflagration  should  spread  over  that  district  of  the  city 
which  had  escaped  all  the  great  fires  of  1850  and  '51.  The 
firemen  were  early  in  attendance,  and  did  all  that  men  could  do 
in  the  circumstances.  Though  they  could  not  save  the  blazing 
pile  of  lumber,  nor  some  of  the  neighboring  houses,  they  pre- 
vented the  conflagration  spreading  beyond  a  limited,  short  dis- 
tance. The  loss  of  property  was  estimated  at  nearly  §100,000, 
without  including  the  valuable  property  belonging  to  the  many 
lodgers  in  the  Rassette  House.  Several  of  the  inmates  of  the 
latter  building  were  severely  burned,  and  it  was  supposed  for  a 
considerable  time  that  some  had  perished.  A  new  hotel  has 
since  been  built  on  the  same  site.  It  is  one  of  the  most  mag- 
nificent, as  it  is  the  largest  private  edifice,  devoted  to  a  single 
business,  in  the  city. 

In  the  week  previous  to  that  in  which  the  fire  just  noticed 
occurred,  several  very  extensive  conflagrations  had  taken  place  in 
various  districts  of  the  city.  However,  the  numerous  fire-proof 
brick  tenements,  and  the  rapid  movements  and  unwearied  exer- 


MOUNTAIN  LAKE  WATER  COMPANY.  449 

tions  of  the  firemen,  prevented  these  fires  from  spreading  far. 
The  daring  and  persevering  labors  of  the  Fire  Department  were 
constant  themes  of  praise  and  public  gratitude. 


New  Eassette  House. 


May  14th. — The  origin  and  privileges  of  the  Mountain  Lake 
Water  Company  have  been  already  noticed.  The  commence- 
ment of  their  works  was  this  day  celebrated  by  some  imposing 
ceremonies  at  the  foot  of  the  hill  near  the  presidio.  The  com- 
pletion of  this  important  undertaking  has  been  considerably  de- 
layed, and  while  we  write  the  works  are  at  a  stand.  Want  of 
funds  is  presumed  to  be  the  reason.  The  cost  has  far  exceeded 
the  first  calculations  of  the  projectors.  Doubtless  the  necessary 
moneys  will  be  raised  before  long,  and  the  original  project  carried 
fully  out.  No  single  measure  is  of  so  much  vital  importance  to 
the  city  as  this,  and  all  good  citizens  must  wish  well  to  the  suc- 
cess of  the  enterprise.  Hitherto  San  Francisco  has  been  chiefly 
provided  with  fresh  water  from  a  considerable  number  of  artesian 


450 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


wells  sunk  in  various  parts  of  the  city,  and  from  supplies  brought 
in  tanks  by  small  steamers  from  Saucelito,  on  the  opposite  side 
of  the  entrance  to  the  bay.  The  water  from  all  these  sources  is 
deficient  at  the  best,  and  its  cost  forms  a  considerable  item  in 
the  expenses  of  housekeepers.  It  is  expected  that  the  Mountain 
Lake  Water  Company  will  be  enabled,  with  a  handsome  profit 
to  itself,  to  supply  millions  of  gallons  daily  of  the  softest  and 
purest  fresh  water  at  greatly  lower  rates  than  what  are  now  being 
paid  for  much  smaller  supplies.  In  a  place  like  San  Francisco, 
so  much  exposed  from  position  and  circumstances  to  conflagra- 
tion, the  unlimited  supply  of  water  for  extinguishing  fires  is  par- 
ticularly requisite  ;  and  that  will  surely  be  obtained  when  this 
company  has  completed  its  works.  Its  name  is  taken  from  the 
Mountain  Lake,  which  is  but  a  small  sheet  of  water,  and  of  itself 
could  not  yield  the  expected  supplies.  This  lake  has  no  visible 
outlet.  A  few  hundred  yards  from  its  northern  margin,  there 
gushes  through  the  ground  a  full  stream  of  water,  which  is  be- 
lieved to  be  amply  sufficient  for  all  the  purposes  of  a  city  thrice 
the  size  of  San  Francisco.  It  is  matter  of  doubt  whether  this 
great  spring,  or  rather  subterranean  river,  is  the  vent  of  the 
small  Mountain  Lake,  or  whether  it  is  not  the  open  end  of  a 
natural  siphon,  which  discharges  the  rains  and  dews  that  fall 
among  the  mountains  on  the  opposite  shores  of  the  bay. 

May  19th. — We  have  already  noticed  various  acts  of  the  Le- 
gislatuie  establishing  a  State  Marine  Hospital  at  San  Francisco. 
Of  this  date,  an  act  was  passed  which  considerably  altered  the 
constitution  of  the  existing  establishment,  and  which  was  hence- 
forward intended  to  be  the  sole  general  State  Hospital  in  Califor- 
nia. The  administration  of  the  hospital  was  declared  to  be  under 
the  control  of  a  board  of  five  trustees,  to  be  annually  elected  by 
the  Legislature,  in  joint  convention.  The  trustees  should  them- 
selves choose  by  ballot  a  president  and  vice-president  from  their 
own  number.  A  treasurer,  with  a  salary  of  $2,000  should  also  be 
chosen  by  them.  The  Legislature  should  elect  every  two  years 
two  resident  and  two  visiting  physicians,  the  former  to  receive  an- 
nually the  sum  of  $4,000,  and  the  latter  the  same  sum,  each,  in 
both  cases  payable  quarterly.  Particular  provisions  are  made  in 
the  act  as  to  the  respective  duties  of  the  trustees,  the  treasurer 


THE  STATE  HOSPITAL. 


451 


and  physicians.  All  invalid  persons  desirous  of  being  received 
into  the  hospital  should  apply  to  the  resident  physicians  or  either 
of  them,  and  on  their  certificate  should  be  admitted.  Indigent 
sick  persons,  not  residents  of  any  county  in  the  State  might  like- 
wise be  admitted  to  the  hospital,  as  State  patients  ;  as  also  the 
indigent  sick  of  the  city,  upon  such  terras  as  the  municipal  au- 
thorities and  the  board  of  trustees  might  determine.  All  the  State 
patients  in  the  Sacramento  and  Stockton  State  Hospitals  at  the 
time  when  these  should  be  abolished  by  law  should  be  admitted 
as  patients  into  the  State  Marine  Hospital  at  San  Francisco.  There 
should  be  set  apart  by  the  State  Treasurer,  as  a  hospital  fund,  the 
net  amounts  accruing  to  the  State  Treasury,  as  follows,  viz.  : — 
Three-fifths  of  the  amount  derived  as  a  commutation  or  tax  on 
passengers  arriving  at  the  ports  of  the  State,  and  the  fines  and 
penalties  collected  by  reason  of  a  violation  of  the  laws  regulating 
the  same  ;  and  all  sums  paid  into  the  State  Treasury  for  license 
for  auction,  gaming,  billiards,  ten-pin  or  bowling  alleys,  hawkers 
and  peddlers,  or  collected  as  fines  or  penalties  for  a  violation  of  the 
same.  Of  the  amounts  derived  from  these  several  sources,  the 
one-half  should  be  appropriated  to  the  support  and  maintenance 
of  the  State  Marine  Hospital  at  San  Francisco,  and  the  other  half 
should  be  distributed  to  each  organized  county  in  the  State,  pro- 
portionably  to  the  population  of  said  counties,  as  a  special  fund, 
to  be  appropriated  exclusively  to  the  support  and  maintenance  of 
the  indigent  sick  of  such  counties  respectively.  It  was,  however, 
provided  that  such  allowance  to  the  hospital  at  San  Francisco 
should  not  exceed  the  sum  of  $100,000,  and  that  if  it  did  not 
amount  to  that  sum  then  the  State  Comptroller  should  draw  his 
warrant  for  the  deficiency,  if  the  necessities  of  the  hospital  should 
require  it. 

The  State  Marine  Hospital  at  San  Francisco  is,  while  we 
write,  located  in  Stockton  street,  in  a  large  and  commodious 
building  (formerly  at  various  periods,  the  American  Hotel,  the 
Marine  Hospital,  the  Kremlin,  and  the  Clarendon  Hotel),  and 
which  is  rented  at  a  large  sum.  It  has  been  much  enlarged,  and 
was  expressly  fitted  up  for  the  purposes  of  a  hospital.  The  sit- 
uation is  pleasant  and  healthy,  although  the  inhabitants  of  the 
adjacent  houses  have  grumbled,  with  some  reason,  that  such  an 


452 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


establishment  should  have  been  located  in  a  thickly  peopled  and 
fashionable  part  of  the  town.  This  hospital  is  efficiently  conduct- 
ed, and  as  might  naturally  have  been  expected,  has  been  produc- 
tive of  much  benefit  to  both  foreigners  and  Americans.  The 
average  number  of  patients  is  about  two  hundred  and  fifty.  The 
only  other  State  Hospital  is  one  solely  for  insane  persons  at 
Stockton. 

June. — For  some  things  San  Francisco  has  been  always  par- 
ticularly notorious.  Among  these  may  be  mentioned  its  gambling 
saloons  and  drinking  bars.  Many  keepers  of  these  places  have 
made  large  fortunes.  A  great  proportion  of  the  community  still 
gamble — -the  lower  classes  in  public,  and  the  upper,  or  richer 
classes  in  private.  Very  many  also  continue  the  habit  of  occa- 
sionally taking  a  daily  "  drink,"  or  two  ;  while  most  of  the  in- 
habitants take  many  more  "  drinks"  than  they  would  perhaps 
care  to  confess  to  a  rigidly  sober  acquaintance.  In  the  Christian 
Advocate  (a  San  Francisco  weekly  newspaper),  about  this  date, 
there  appeared  some  information  which  exhibits  the  intemperance 
and  dissipation  of  San  Francisco  in  a  very  alarming  light.  Reli- 
gious journals  are  not  always  trustworthy,  especially  in  facts  and 
figures,  when  commenting  on  the  vices  of  the  age  ;  but  in  this 
case  there  is  ample  room  for  all  possible  exaggeration  in  the  state- 
ments, and  still  there  would  be  statistics  enough  left  to  grieve 
the  philanthropist.    We  copy  the  following  from  the  Herald  : 

"  The  Christian  Advocate  has  found,  by  actual  count,  the  whole  number 
of  places  where  liquor  is  sold  in  this  city  to  be  five  hundred  and  thirty-seven. 
Of  these,  eighty-three  are  purely  liquor,  in  retail  line,  and  fifty-two  wholesale  ; 
making  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  places  which  do  not  keep  an  onion  to 
modify  the  traffic.  Of  the  four  hundred  and  twelve  places  where  it  is  sold  in 
connection  with  other  business,  one  hundred  and  forty-four  are  tavern  restau- 
rants ;  one  hundred  and  fifty-four  groceries  ;  forty-six  gambling-houses  ;  and 
forty-eight  supposed  to  be  kept  by  bawds.  Some  of  these  appear  genteel, 
others  are  dance-houses  and  such  like,  where  Chinese,  Mexican,  Chilian  and 
other  foreign  women  are  assembled.  There  were  five  hundred  and  fifty-six  bar- 
tenders present  in  the  various  places  at  the  time  when  the  memoranda  were 
taken.  We  think  we  may  safely  add  one-quarter,  if  not  one-third,  as  reserve 
corps,  making,  including  women,  seven  hundred  and  forty-three  bar-tenders  in 
our  city." 

These  statements,  in  all  conscience,  make  matters  black  and 
and  bad  enough.    Opposed  to  such  an  array — "  seven  hundred 


i 


1 


CLIPPER  SHIPS  AND  SHORT  PASSAGES.  453 

and  forty-three  bar-tenders  !  "—all  the  "  Sons  of  Temperance," 
the  clergymen,  churches,  religious  publications,  Mercantile  Libra- 
ry Associations  and  the  like,  can  hope  to  do  little  good  for  strict 
sobriety.  It  happens  to  be  the  custom  in  San  Francisco  to  take 
a  "drink"  occasionally,  while  the  great  mass  of  the  people  either 
have  not,  or  will  not  avail  themselves  of  any  places  of  recreation 
or  of  retirement  at  the  close  of  daily  labor  and  business  other  than 
those  where  liquor  is  sold.  The  usual  active  and  speculative  mode 
of  life  at  San  Francisco  encourages,  if  it  does  not  necessarily  lead 
to  much  indulgence  in  intoxicating  liquors.  Yet  though  so  many 
are  tasting  again  and  again,  in  the  course  of  the  day,  there  is  not 
so  much  gross  drunkenness  visible  as  one  might  expect.  Many 
of  the  thirsty,  better  class  San  Franciscans  are  more  tipplers  than 
downright  drunkards.  Among  the  lowest  and  the  rowdy  classes, 
however,  there  is  much  brutal  and  degrading  drunkenness,  the 
effects  of  which  are  seen  at  all  hours  of  day  and  night  upon  our 
streets.  It  is  in  the  mixed  dance  and  drinking-houses  above  no- 
ticed, that  so  many  noisy  brawls  and  desperate  assaults,  often 
ending  in  murders,  chiefly  take  place,  that  make  San  Francisco 
so  infamous  for  its  crimes.  It  is  impossible  at  present  completely 
to  close  such  places  without  bringing  perhaps  worse  evils  upon  soci- 
ety. Only  time,  a  naturally  better  set  of  citizens,  the  example 
and  benefits  of  good  men  and  good  institutions,  homes  and  do- 
mestic society,  and  an  improved  public  opinion,  will  gradually  re- 
duce the  number  of  the  haunts  of  vice,  close  the  drinking  and  gam- 
bling-saloons, and  purify  the  general  moral  condition  of  the  city. 

We  have  already  described  the  character  of  the  "clipper  ships" 
which  the  trade  and  necessities  of  San  Francisco  created,  and 
have  mentioned  several  of  the  shortest  passages  that  had  been  per- 
formed by  these  vessels  between  the  Atlantic  ports  and  our  city. 
These  passages  were  the  quickest  that  had  ever  been  made.  The 
voyage  from  San  Francisco  to  the  Atlantic  ports  is  generally  ac- 
complished in  a  considerably  shorter  period,  which  arises  chiefly 
from  the  prevalence  of  westerly  winds  in  the  region  of  Cape  Horn, 
by  reason  of  which  homeward-bound  ships  are  speedily  wafted 
round  that  dreaded  place,  where  usually  so  much  delay  is  caused 
to  outward-bound  vessels.  The  Northern  Light  sailed  from  San 
Francisco,  on  the  13th  of  March  this  year,  and  arrived  at  Boston 


454 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCU. 


on  the  29th  May  thereafter,  thus  accomplishing  the  voyage  in  the 
wonderfully  short  space  of  seventy-six  days.  This  is  the  fastest 
passage  that  has  ever  been  made  between  the  places  by  any  ship, 
not  a  steamer. 


First  Congregational  Church. 


July  4th. — Independence-day  this  year  was  chiefly  remarka- 
ble in  San  Francisco  for  the  first  battalion  parade  of  the  military 
companies.  These,  numbering  seven  in  all,  inclusive  of  the  "  Sutter 
Rifles,"  from  Sacramento  City,  which  were  here  on  a  visit,  form- 
ed into  line  and  passed  in  review  before  Major  General  John  A. 
Sutter  and  a  brilliant  staff.    The  benevolent  and  true  hearted  old 


UNITARIAN  CHURCH. 


455 


pioneer  was  rapturously  welcomed  wherever  he  appeared.  The 
battalion  afterwards  marched  to  the  gardens  of  Mr.  Russ,  about  a 
mile  and  a  half  from  the  plaza,  where  Mrs.  C.N.  Sinclair  present- 
ed it  with  a  set  of  colors. 

Independence-day  being  the  great  annual  festival  of  the  Ame- 
rican people,  was  otherwise  celebrated  in  the  usual  manner.  The 
Irish  population  turned  out  in  large  numbers,  and  marched  in 
procession  through  the  city,  preceded  by  a  band  of  music.  In 
the  evening  there  was  a  discharge  of  fireworks  on  the  plaza,  at  th* 
city's  expense. 

July  10th. — Dedication  of  the  new  First  Congregational 
Church,  at  the  south-w.  corner  of  Dupont  and  California  streets. 
This  is  a  very  elegant  brick  building,  and  forms  one  of  the  stri- 
king ornaments  of  the  city.  It  is  sixty  feet  in  front,  by  one  hun- 
dred feet  deep,  and  is  seated  for  about  twelve  hundred  persons. 
According.to  the  plan  there  is  to  be  a  steeple  one  hundred  and 
sixty  feet  in  height,  but  this  has  been  as  yet  only  raised  to  the 
top  of  the  tower,  leaving  the  spire  to  be  constructed  at  some  fu- 
ture date.  The  cost  of  the  building  was  $40,000.  The  pastor 
of  the  congregation,  the  Kev.  T.  Dwight  Hunt,  was  the  first  regu- 
lar clergyman  in  San  Francisco. 

July  17th. — The  various  religious  bodies  of  the  city  are 
gradually  improving  the  style  of  their  churches.  The  old,  small 
wooden  buildings  that  served  the  purposes  of  religious  meeting- 
houses well  enough  a  few  years  back  are  being  discarded,  and 
magnificent  brick  structures  are  rising  in  their  stead.  This  day 
the  corner-stone  of  a  new  Eoman  Catholic  church  was  laid,  at 
the  north-east  corner  of  Dupont  and  California  streets,  with  the 
many  imposing  ceremonies  performed  on  similar  occasions  by  that 
body  of  Christians.  A  long  train  of  priests  and  dignitaries  offici- 
ated on  the  occasion.  The  building,  St.  Mary's,  is  still  in  course 
of  erection. 

The  same  day  the  dedication  of  the  First  Unitarian  Church 
took  place.  The  exterior  of  this  church  is  not  yet  finished  ;  the 
interior  is  very  fine.  It  is  situated  on  Stockton  street,  near  Sa- 
cramento street.  The  services  at  the  dedication  were  conducted 
by  the  pastor  of  the  church,  the  Kev.  F.  T.  Gray. 

These  are  among  the  most  imposing  and  substantial  edifices 


456 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


for  public  religious  worship  that  have  yet  been  erected  in  the 
city.  The  most  of  the  other  churches  are  still  of  wood.  Among 
them  may  be  noticed  that  eminently  useful  place  the  Seaman's 
Chapel,  or  Bethel.  This  structure  has  been  formed  upon  the  hull 
of  an  old  forsaken  ship,  and  exhibits  a  remarkably  chaste  and 
beautiful  interior.    As  congregations  get  larger  and  wealthier, 


Uuitarian  Church. 

the  many  churches  constructed  of  frame  which  are  now  existing 
will  gradually  be  supplanted  by  handsome  edifices  of  brick  or 
stone,  in  conformity  with  the  improved  character  of  other  build- 
ings throughout  the  city. 

July  20th. — The  under-sheriff,  John  A.  Freaner,  was  shot  on 
Mission  street  by  one  Redmond  McCarthy,  a  "  squatter,"  when 
the  former,  in  the  performance  of  his  duty,  was  endeavoring  to 
execute  a  writ  of  ejectment  against  the  latter.  Revolvers  were 
produced  and  fired  by  both  parties,  and  both  were  severely 
wounded.  The  circumstance  is  particularly  mentioned  as  illus- 
trative of  the  "  times  "  in  San  Francisco.    About  this  period  the 


SQUATTER  DIFFICULTIES. 


457 


"  squatters  "  on  city  lands  became  suddenly  more  numerous  and 
daring  than  ever.  These  were  not  like  the  legitimate  "  settlers," 
who  took  possession  of  vacant  unclaimed  lands,  under  the  ordina- 
ry pre-emption  laws  of  the  United  States.  On  the  contrary, 
many  of  the  squatters  seized  upon  lands  known  to  be  claimed  by 
others,  and  who  held  them  by  the  strongest  legal  titles  known. 
As  these  titles,  however,  happened  in  almost  all  cases  to  have 
some  nice  legal  doubt  affecting  them,  "squatters"  settled  the 
matter  in  their  own  way,  and  at  once  forcibly  seized  upon  every 
piece  of  ground  that  had  no  permanent  improvements  made  upon 
it.  They  "  squatted  "  every  where  ;  not  only  on  choice  lots  along 
the  line  of  public  streets,  and  among  the  distant  sand  hills,  but 
on  the  public  and  private  burying  grounds  and  on  the  open 
squares  of  the  city.  If  they  had  the  least  colorable  title  adverse 
to  the  party  in  constructive  possession,  good  and  well ;  but  gene- 
rally there  was  no  other  right  pretended  than  that  of  force.  The 
intruder  displayed  only  his  six-shooter  and  with  a  scowl  and  a 
sullen  curse  would  mutter  to  the  offended  owner — My  title  is  as 
good  as  yours  ;  I  have  now  the  ground,  and  I  will  keep  it,  ay, 
until  death.  Out  of  the  way  !  Of  course  those  who  considered 
themselves  the  proper  owners  were  not  inclined  tamely  to  sub- 
mit to  this  violation  of  their  rights.  Sometimes  they  took  coun- 
sel and  aid  from  the  law,  but  nearly  as  often  they  met  the  in- 
vader with  his  own  weapons,  the  axe  to  destroy  fences  and  build- 
ings, and  the  revolver  to  frighten  or  kill  his  antagonist.  Hired 
persons  on  both  sides  sometimes  helped  to  carry  on  the  war. 
Occasionally  one  "  squatter "  would  envy,  and  seek  to  steal  the 
already  stolen  possession  of  another  ;  and  then  both  would  have 
a  bloody  fight  about  the  matter.  "  To  the  victors  belonged  the 
spoils." 

Many  lives  were  lost  in  these  savage  contests,  and  bitter  en- 
mity engendered  among  rival  claimants.  The  law  was  almost 
powerless  to  redress  wrong  and  punish  guilt  in  such  cases.  It 
said  that  the  owner  of  ground  was  entitled  by  every  means  in  his 
power,  to  prevent  unlawful  and  hostile  intrusion  upon  it ;  and 
thus  men  had  not  the  slightest  scruple  to  use  fire-arms  upon  all 
occasions.  In  the  confusion  and  conflict  of  adverse  titles,  it  could 
not  be  instantly  determined  who  were  the  true  owners,  and 


458 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


judges  therefore  could  not  punish  the  trespassers  and  murder- 
ers. If  even  the  title  of  one  slain  in  such  a  struggle  were  clear, 
juries  could  not  be  found  who  would  bring  in  the  slayer  guilty 
of  murder.  His  plea,  however  false  and  ridiculous,  of  supposed 
title  to  the  ground  which  was  the  cause  of  the  fatal  dispute,  was 
always  held  sufficient  to  save  him  from  any  verdict  that  would 
justify  the  extreme  penalty  of  the  law.  Probably  one  or  more 
of  the  jurors  themselves  had  committed  similar  outrages,  and 
would  not  condemn  in  the  prisoner  their  own  principles  of  action, 
and  weaken  the  titles  to  their  own  properties.  It  was  supposed 
that  many  of  these  "squatters"  were  secretly  instigated  in  their 
reckless  proceedings  by  people  of  wealth  and  influence,  who  en- 
gaged to  see  their  pupils  out  of  any  legal  difficulty  into  which 
they  might  fall.  Such  wealthy  speculators  shared,  of  course,  in 
the  spoils  of  the  proceedings.  To  this  day,  many  of  the  most 
valuable  districts  in  and  around  San  Francisco  are  held  by 
"  squatter's  titles,"  which  had  been  won  perhaps  at  the  cost  of 
bloodshed,  and  in  defiance  of  other  titles,  that,  if  not  the  best  in 
law,  had  at  least  a  colorable  show,  and  should  have  been  always 
strong  enough  to  resist  the  strong-hand  claim  of  the  mere  robber. 
In  this  way  the  city  itself,  the  great  victim  of  real  estate  specu- 
lators, "  squatters  "  and  plunderers,  has  lost,  for  a  time  at  least, 
much  of  its  remaining  property.  The  new  charter,  if  passed  by 
the  Legislature,  will  make  many  of  these  temporary  losses,  final 
and  irretrievable  ones.  If  it  were  desirable  to  enlarge  on  this 
painful  subject,  as  showing  the  independent  and  lawless  state  of 
society  in  California,  a  history  might  be  given  of  the  great  gang 
of  squatters  who  have  stolen  the  broad  rich  acres  of  the  native 
Peraltas  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  bay,  in  Contra  Costa.  How- 
ever, it  is  sufficient  merely  to  mention  the  subject,  in  illustration 
of  the  like  practices  that  had  been  long  carried  on,  and  at  this 
time  seemed  to  be  at  their  height  in  San  Francisco  and  its  en- 
virons. 

July  24th. — Fire  broke  out  in  the  store-ship  Manco,  which 
lay  in  close  proximity  to  the  wharves,  near  the  corner  of 
Mission  and  Stewart  streets.  The  store-ship  Canonicus — an 
old  "forty-niner," — which  was  moored  alongside,  next  caught 
fire.    The  firemen  turned  out,  as  usual,  but  from  the  want  of 


STRIKES  FOR  HIGHER  WAGES. 


459 


proper  resting-places  found  much  difficulty  in  working  their 
engines  with  effect.  There  happened  to  be  a  large  quantity  of 
gunpowder  on  board  the  Manco  at  the  time,  the  knowledge  of 
which  fact,  when  circulated,  speedily  sent  to  a  respectful  distance 
the  curious  crowd  that  had  gathered  on  the  neighboring  ships, 
and  wherever  they  could  procure  a  view  of  what  was  going  on. 
The  firemen,  however,  gallantly  stuck  to  their  posts,  and  poured 
vast  quantities  of  water  into  the  hold  of  the  burning  ship.  By 
these  means  the  powder  was  so  damped  that  only  partial  explo- 
sions of  small  quantities  took  place.  At  last,  the  ship  was  scut- 
tled, and  she  sank  iu  shallow  water.  The  flames  continued,  and 
were  only  extinguished  a  considerable  time  afterwards.  The  loss- 
es sustained  by  both  the  Manco  and  Canonicus  were  estimated 
at  about  $50,000. 

July — August. — There  was  a  succession  of  "  strikes  "  during 
these  months,  among  most  classes  of  mechanics  and  laborers, 
when  wages  were  generally  raised  from  fifteen  to  twenty  per  cent. 
The  following  may  be  quoted,  as  being  the  average  rate  of  daily 
wages  payable  at  this  time  to  journeymen  : — Bricklayers,  $10  ; 
stone-cutters,  $10  ;  ship  carpenters  and  caulkers,  $10  ;  plaster- 
ers, $9  ;  house  carpenters,  $8  ;  blacksmiths,  $8  ;  watchmakers 
and  jewellers,  $8  ;  tinners,  $7  ;  hatters  (but  few  employed),  $7  ; 
painters  and  glaziers,  $6"  ;  tenders,  $5  ;  'longshoremen,  $6  ; 
tailors,  $4  ;  shoemakers,  $100  per  month,  without  boarding  ; 
teamsters,  $100  to  $120  per  month,  finding  themselves  ;  firemen 
on  steamers,  $100  per  month  ;  coal-passers,  $75  per  month  ; 
farm  hands,  $50  per  month,  and  found.  These  wages  are  at 
least  five  times  higher  than  what  are  paid  similar  workers  in 
the  Atlantic  States ;  while  they  are  about  double  the  highest 
rates  of  wages  that  are  now  (1854)  given  mechanics  and  laborers 
in  the  gold-producing  country  of  Australia.  Most  trades  and 
occupations  other  than  those  above  named  were  paid  equally  well. 
The  printers,  who  have  been  always  a  highly  remunerated  class, 
could  earn,  according  to  skill  and  employment,  from  $10  to  $15 
a  day.  Perhaps  the  former  sum  may  be  taken  as  a  low  average. 
As  we  have  elsewhere  said,  there  is  no  place  in  the  world  where 
so  high  remuneration  is  given  for  labor — useful,  wanted  labor,  as 
in  San  Francisco.    The  rates  above  mentioned  do  not  vary  much 


460 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


in  the  course  of  the  year  ;  and  may,  in  1854,  be  still  quoted  as 
nearly  correct.  At  the  same  time  it  should  be  mentioned  that 
it  is  not  always  the  case  that  the  applicant  can  find  constant 
employment  at  his  particular  trade.  However,  if  necessity 
should  compel  him  to  work  for  a  time  at  an  inferior  occupa- 
tion, and  provided  only  he  have  bodily  strength,  he  may  always 
fairly  calculate  in  finding  employment  as  a  laborer  in  coarse 
work,  or  in  doing  odd  jobs,  at  from  $3.50  to  $5  a  day.  The  im- 
migrant, however,  must  work  at  something,  unless  he  means  to 
starve  outright.  The  expenses  of  living  are  very  much  greater 
in  San  Francisco  than  in  the  dearest  of  the  Atlantic  cities,  while 
there  is  very  little  charity  or  sympathy  bestowed  on  idle,  healthy 
men.  People  who  would  honestly  succeed  in  this  country  must 
be  prepared  to  turn  their  hand  and  attention  to  any  kind  of  labor 
that  promises  to  2KlUi  n0  matter  how  disagreeable,  or  how  little 
used  to  it  may  be  the  hesitating  beginner.  That  has  been  the 
case  with  many  of  the  most  respectable  and  wealthy  citizens,  who 
at  earlier  times  in  San  Francisco  have  been  without  a  dime  in 
their  pocket  or  a  friend  to  give  them  a  gratuitous  meal.  They 
had  to  strip  to  the  shirt,  and  earn  the  beginning  of  their  present 
fortunes  by  "  the  sweat  of  their  brow."  If  all  employment 
should  by  possibility  fail  in  the  city,  the  robust  immigrant  has  still 
the  gold  mines  to  fall  back  upon  for  sustenance  and  wealth,  as 
well  as  the  rich  unclaimed  lands  of  the  United  States,  that  seek 
only  a  tiller  to  produce  marvellous  crops,  or  he  may  always  se- 
cure a  situation  as  an  agricultural  laborer  for  others.  Again, 
then,  we  say,  there  is  no  country  in  the  world  to  be  compared  for 
wages  and  profits  to  California.  It  is  emphatically  the  poor 
working-man's  paradise  on  earth. 

August  14th. — The  second  anniversary  of  the  German 
Turnverein  (the  gymnasts  already  noticed)  was  observed  to-day, 
in  the  park  of  Dr.  Wedekind,  in  the  southern  quarter  of  the  city. 
This  affair  was  a  very  grand  one  with  the  whole  German  race 
here  ;  and  nearly  three  thousand  persons  participated  in  the  fes- 
tivities of  the  occasion.  Besides  Dr.  Wedekind's  grounds,  the 
gardens  of  Mr.  Russ  adjoining  were  thrown  open  to  the  people, 
where  athletic  games  and  many  amusing  sports,  music,  dancing 
and  singing,  and  the  indispensable  smoking  and  drinking  were 


CITY  ANT)  COUNTY  ELECTION. 


461 


kept  up  till  a  late  hour  at  night.  The  amusements  were  resumed 
on  the  following  day. 

September  7th.— The  annual  election  of  city  and  county  of- 
ficers.   The  following  parties  were  chosen  : — 

Senate. 

E.  J.  Moore,  Samuel  Brannan,  and  subsequently  on 

W.  M.  Lent  (for  short  term),  his  resignation,  David  Mahoney. 

Assembly. 

J.  C.  Hubbard,  A.  A.  Green,  N.  Hubert, 

E.  P.  Purdy,  W.  J.  Swasey,  Elijah  Nichols, 

F.  W.  Koll,  J.  W.  Bagley,  James  A.  Gilbert. 

Sheriff. — William  R.  Gorham. 
County  Judge.— T.  W.  Freelon  (J.  D.  Creigh.  to  Jill  vacancy.) 
District  Attorney.— Henry  H.  Byrne.       County  Clerk.—  Thos.  Hayes. 
County  Recorder.— James  Grant.  County  Treasurer. — G.  W.  Green. 

County  Surveyor. — James  J.  Gardner.      Coroner. — J.  W.  Whaling. 
Public  Administrator. — S.  A.  Sheppard.  County  Assessor. — J.  W.  Stillman. 

Mayor. — C.  K.  Garrison. 
Recorder— Geo.  W.  Baker.  Tax  Collector.— W '.  A.  Matthews. 

Comptroller. — Stephen  R.  Harris.         City  Attorney. — S.  A.  Sharp. 
Treasurer. — Hamilton  Bowie.  Street  Commissioner. — John  Addis. 

Marshal. — B.  Seguine.  Harbor  Master. — Robert  Haley. 

Clerk  of  the  Supreme  Court. — Henry  Haskell. 
Assessors. — Robert  Kerrison.  Jas.  H.  Keller,  Richard  Parr. 

Aldermen. 

H.  Meiggs,  Richard  M.  Jessup,    John  D.  Brower,    John  Nightingale, 

Chas.  0.  West,     Joseph  F.  Atwill,      D.  II.  Haskell,       Jas.  Van  Ness. 

Assistant  Aldermen. 
Chas.  II.  Corser,     Geo.  0.  Ecker,     Wm.  II.  Talmage,     Saml.  Gardner, 
C.  D.  Carter,         J.  R.  West,        Frank  Turk.  J.  G.  W.  Schulte. 

On  this  occasion  the  proposed  new  charter  of  the  city,  framed 
by  the  delegates  already  mentioned,  was  submitted  to  the  people 
for  their  approval  or  rejection.  There  were  given  for  it  747 
votes,  and  against  it  620  ;  showing  a  majority  of  127  votes  in 
its  favor.  In  all  the  wards,  except  the  2d  and  8th,  there  were 
considerable  majorities  against  it.  In  the  2d  ward,  the  numbers 
were  nearly  equal ;  and  in  the  8th  almost  the  whole  votes  were 
for  it.  The  people,  except  perhaps  in  the  last-named  ward, 
seemed  to  take  little  interest  in  the  proposed  measure. 

September  19th. — The  French  inhabitants  of  the  city  organ- 


462 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


ized  among  themselves  the  "  Lafayette  Hook  and  Ladder  Com- 
pany." The  uniform  they  adopted  was  that  common  to  firemen 
in  France.  We  have  at  different  places  alluded  to  the  public 
spirit  of  this  class  of  citizens,  and  their  appearance  in  large 
bodies  on  occasions  of  public  ceremonial.  They  are  nearly  as 
numerous  as  the  Germans  in  San  Francisco,  and  may  now  (1854) 


French  Shoeblacks. 

number  about  5000  persons  of  both  sexes.  They  preserve  many 
of  their  national  characteristics,  and  do  not  seem  capable  of  thor- 
oughly adopting  American  thoughts  and  fashions.  But  a  small 
proportion  seek  to  become  naturalized  citizens,  and  they  do  not 
readily  acquire  our  language.  California,  and  America  itself,  are 
but  places  where  money  may  be  made  to  enable  them  to  return 
to  their  own  land  in  Europe.  In  San  Francisco  they  have  mo- 
nopolized many  professions  of  a  semi-artistic  character.  They  are 
the  chief  shoeblacks  and  hairdressers,  cooks,  wine  importers  and 
professional  gamblers.    In  the  first-named  capacity,  they  form 


THE  FRENCH  INHABITANTS. 


463 


one  of  the  street  features  of  the  place.  They  are  posted  at 
many  of  the  prominent  corners,  with  seats  for  their  customers, 
whose  boots  they  are  ever  ready  to  polish  at  the  charge  of 
twenty-five  cents  ;  and  some  of  them  have  at  this  singular  busi- 
ness gathered  money  enough  to  open  shops,  neatly  furnished,  for 
the  same  purposes.  It  is  not  uncommon  to  see  a  dozen  of  these 
shoeblacks  in  a  row  upon  the  edge  of  the  side- walks,  scouring  and 
scrubbing  away  at  the  muddy  or  dusty  boots  of  their  patrons. 
But  besides  these  occupations,  this  people  pursue  all  other  call- 
ings here,  and  many  of  them  are  among  the  most  distinguished, 
wealthy  and  respectable  inhabitants  of  the  city.  They  are  par- 
tial to  public  amusements,  and  have  often  a  theatre  open,  when 
plays,  vaudevilles  and  operas  in  their  own  language  are  performed. 
They  have  a  society  for  the  relief  of  poor  immigrants,  besides 
several  other  benevolent  associations.  Two  tri-weekly  newspa- 
pers are  published  in  their  language,  a  portion  of  one  of  which 
is  written  in  Spanish. 

The  presence  of  the  French  has  had  a  marked  influence  upon 
society  in  San  Francisco.  Skilled  workmen  of  their  race  have 
decorated  the  finer  shops  and  buildings,  while  their  national  taste 
and  judicious  criticism  have  virtually  directed  the  more  chaste 
architectural  ornaments,  both  on  the  exterior  and  in  the  interior 
of  our  houses.  Their  polite  manners  have  also  given  an  ease  to 
the  ordinary  intercourse  of  society  which  the  unbending  Ameri- 
can character  does  not  naturally  possess.  The  expensive  and 
fashionable  style  of  dressing  among  the  French  ladies  has  greatly 
encouraged  the  splendid  character  of  the  shops  of  jewellers,  silk 
merchants,  milliners  and  others  whom  women  chiefly  patronize, 
while  it  has  perhaps  increased  the  general  extravagance  among 
the  whole  female  population  of  the  city. 

There  are  in  San  Francisco  many  natives  of  Switzerland  and 
Alsace,  those  debatable  lands  between  the  French  and  German 
people.  The  Alsatians  are  claimed,  and  sometimes  rejected  by 
both.  There  does  not  seem  much  sympathy  between  the  rival 
races,  less  a  great  deal  than  is  between  either  of  them  and  the 
Americans.  The  French  complain  that  they  are  not  treated  so 
kindly  by  the  last  as  are  the  Germans.  The  reason  seems  obvi- 
ous.   It  is  because  they  do  not  take  the  same  pains  to  learn  the 


464 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


American  language  and  character.  The  naturalized  Germans 
are  professed  and  acknowledged  brethren  ;  the  French — foreign 
in  manner  and  physical  appearance,  in  thoughts  and  hopes — can 
never  be  considered  as  such.  The  occasional  devotion  of  Germans 
to  old  Fatherland  does  not  so  fill  their  hearts  that  they  become 
insensible  to  the  numberless  political  and  social  blessings  which 


Outer  Telegraph  Station. 


they  receive  in  their  adopted  country.  But  the  wild  glorification 
of  Frenchmen  to  every  thing  connected  with  their  beautiful 
France,  is  often  a  neglectful  insult  to  the  land  that  shelters  them, 
and  which  they  would  ignore,  even  although  they  seek  not  to 
become  its  permanent  citizens.  Both  races  have  played  a  prom- 
inent part  in  the  industrial  history  of  San  Francisco,  and  in  that 
of  California  generally.  Their  numbers  are  very  large  in  the 
various  mining  districts  ;  while,  as  we  have  seen,  they  form  a  con- 
siderable proportion  of  the  population  of  the  city.  They  are  not 
the  dominant  spirits  of  the  place — for  these  are  of  the  true  Ameri- 
can type  that  ever  cry  go  ahead ! — but  they  help  to  execute  what 
the  national  lords  of  the  soil,  the  restless  and  perhaps  unhappy 
people  of  progress  contrive.  The  character  of  a  man  may  at 
least  partially  be  inferred  from  his  "  drinks."  The  true  Germans 
dote  on  lager-bier — and  they  are  a  heavy,  phlegmatic,  unambi- 


FIRST  ELECTRIC  TELEGRAPH  IN  CALIFORNIA.  465 

tious  race  ;  the  French  love  light  wines — and  they  are  as  sparkling, 
yet  without  strength  or  force  of  character  ;  the  genuine  Yankee 
must  have  a  burning  spirit  in  his  multitudinous  draughts — and 
lie  is  a  giant  when  he  begins  to  work,  tearing  and  trampling  over 
the  impossibilities  of  other  races,  and  binding  them  to  his  abso- 
lute, insolent  will. 


Inner  Telegraph  Station. 

September  22d. — Opening  of  the  first  electric  telegraph 
in  California  celebrated.  This  extended  eight  miles,  between 
San  Francisco  and  Point  Lobos,  and  was  erected  by  Messrs. 
Sweeny  &  Baugh,  to  give  early  information  of  shipping  arrivals. 
Early  in  1849  this  enterprising  firm  had  erected  a  station- 
house  on  Telegraph  Hill,  which  commanded  a  view  of  the 
entrance  to  the  Golden  Gate  and  the  ocean  in  that  immediate 
vicinity  ;  and  having  adopted  a  variety  of  appropriate  signals, 
well  understood  by  merchants  and  others  in  the  city,  were  ena- 
bled to  give  early  intimation  of  the  approach  and  peculiar  char- 
acter of  all  vessels  coming  into  the  harbor.  This  firoved  of  im- 
mense value  to  newspaper  publishers  and  other  business  men, 
from  whom  the  enterprise  received  a  liberal  patronage,  it  being 
principally  supported  by  voluntary  contributions.  Thus  encour- 
aged, Messrs.  Sweeny  &  Baugh  afterwards  established  another 
30 


466 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


station  at  Point  Lobos,  overlooking  the  ocean,  from  which,  on  a 
clear  day,  vessels  may  be  distinguished  many  miles  distant. 
This  station  is  in  full  view  of  that  on  Telegraph  Hill,  which,  re- 
ceiving early  signals  from  it,  communicated  them  at  once  to  the 
citizens,  who  were  thus  apprised  of  the  arrival  many  hours  before 
the  vessel  entered  the  harbor.  The  electric  telegraph  is  still 
another  improvement,  and  increases  materially  the  facilities  pre- 
viously afforded  by  the  method  of  signalling.  Occasionally 
heavy  fogs  prevented  the  signals  from  being  intelligible,  or  even 
seen,  which  difficulty  is  measurably  obviated  by  the  electric  tele- 
graph. The  proprietors  have  also  established  in  Sacramento 
street,  near  Montgomery,  a  Merchants'  Exchange,  supported  by 
subscription,  in  the  spacious  rooms  of  which  are  always  to  be 
found  the  latest  papers  from  all  parts  of  the  world.  These 
enterprises  have  proved  exceedingly  lucrative  to  their  projectors. 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 


1853. 

Important  legal  decision  of  the  Supremo  Court  confirming  Alcaldes'  grants.— Burning  of  the  St. 
Francis  Hotel. — Opening  of  tho  telegraph  communication  to  Marysville.— Lone  Mountain  Ceme- 
tery.—Anniversary  of  the  day  of  St.  Francis.— The  Mission  Dolores.— The  Spanish  races  in  Cali- 
fornia.—The  Custom  House  Block.— The  steamship  WinfieM  Soott  wrecked. — Election  of  officers 
of  the  Fire  Department— The  Sonorian  Filibusters.— Opening  of  the  Metropolitan  Theatre.— 
Great  sales  of  water  lots. — Montgomery  block. 

October  13th. — The  most  important  decision  ever  given  by 
the  Supreme  Court  of  California  was  pronounced  to-day  in  the 
case  of  Cohas  vs.  Rosin  and  Legris.  Previous  decisions  both  of 
this  and  the  lower  legal  tribunals  had  established  principles  which 
unsettled  the  city  titles  to  nearly  every  lot  of  ground  within  the 
municipal  boundaries,  and  mightily  encouraged  squatterism.  By 
these  decisions,  one  title  had  just  seemed  as  good  or  as  bad  as 
another  ;  possessio?i  being  better  than  any.  The  alarming  conse- 
quences of  these  doctrines  forced  both  bench  and  bar  into  further  in- 
quiries and  minute  researches  into  the  laws,  usages  and  customs  of 
Spanish  or  Mexican  provinces  and  towns.  The  new  information  thus 
acquired  was  brought  to  bear  upon  the  suit  above  named,  where 
principles  were  evolved  and  a  precedent  formed  of  the  utmost 
consequence  to  the  community,  and  which  have  nearly  settled, 
though  not  quite,  the  "  squatter  "  questions.  The  decision  was 
pronounced  by  Judge  Heydenfeldt,  and  was  concurred  in  by 
Chief  Justice  Murray  (although  upon  somewhat  different  grounds) 
and  Judge  Wells.  Without  entering  upon  the  merits  of  the 
particular  case  in  question  we  give  the  "  conclusions  "  come  to  : 

"  Firstly,  That  by  the  laws  of  Mexico,  towns  were  invested  with  the 
ownership  of  lands. 

"Secondly,  That  by  the  law,  usage  and  custom  in  Mexico,  alcaldes  were 
the  hea  ls  of  the  Ayuntamicntos,  or  Town  Councils,  were  the  executive  officers 


468 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


of  the  towns,  and  rightfully  exercised  the  power  of  granting  lots  within  the 
towns,  which  were  the  property  of  the  towns. 

"  Thirdly,  That  before  the  military  occupation  of  California  by  the  array 
of  the  United  States,  San  Francisco  was  a  Mexican  pueblo,  or  municipal  cor- 
poration, and  entitled  to  the  lands  within  her  boundaries. 

"  Fourthly,  That  a  grant  of  a  lot  in  San  Francisco,  made  by  an  alcalde, 
whether  a  Mexican  or  of  any  other  nation,  raises  the  presumption  that  the 
alcalde  was  a  properly  qualified  officer,  that  he  had  authority  to  make  the 
grant,  and  that  the  land  was  within  the  boundaries  of  the  pueblo." 


St.  Francis  Hotel  immediately  after  the  fire. 

These  conclusions  sustain  all  alcaldes'  grants  in  the  city,  no 
matter  though  the  alcalde  himself  had  been  illegally  appointed 
and  had  made  a  dishonest  use  of  his  power.  By  this  decision — 
all  opposing  precedents  having  been  expressly  set  aside  by  the 
court— many  notoriously  fraudulent  alcalde  grants  have  been  legal- 
ized ;  but  that  seems  a  small  price  to  pay  for  the  full  assurance 
of  title  now  given  to  the  proprietors  of  the  most  valuable  part 
of  the  ground  within  the  municipal  bounds. 

October  22d. — Destruction  by  fire  of  the  St.  Francis  Hotel, 
at  the  corner  of  Dupont  and  Clay  streets.  This  was  a  famous 
house  in  the  history  of  San  Francisco.  It  was  built  in  the  fall 
of  1849,  and  in  the  basement  story  the  polls  were  held  of  the 


LONE  MOUNTAIN  CEMETERY. 


469 


first  State  election.  It  was  afterwards  converted  into  a  first- 
class  hotel.  The  structure  was  composed  of  the  slightest  and 
most  inflammable  materials  ;  and  it  had  long  been  matter  of  sur- 
prise that  it  had  escaped  the  many  conflagrations  which  had  so 
repeatedly  destroyed  great  portions  of  the  city.  When,  at  last, 
it  was  consumed,  people  were  not  only  no  whit  surprised,  but 
many  were  absolutely  glad  that  it  was  so,  since  the  danger  of 
its  long  anticipated  burning  spreading  to  the  neighboring  tene- 
ments was  thereby  put  an  end  to.  The  strenuous  exertions  of 
the  firemen  confined  the  fire  to  the  building  in  which  it  originated. 
The  damage  was  estimated  at  .$17,000.  One  lodger  was  burned 
to  death  ;  and  several  firemen  were  very  severely  injured  by  the 
flames.  The  masterly  efforts  of  the  Fire  Department  on  this  oc- 
casion were  much  praised. 

October  24th. — First  telegraphic  communication  between 
San  Francisco  and  Marysville.  This  was  the  completion  of  the 
line  of  the  State  Telegraph  Company,  already  noticed.  The 
whole  length  of  the  wire  is  two  hundred  and  six  miles  ;  and  it 
was  erected  in  seventy-five  days.  The  rates  charged  were,  and 
are  now  as  follows  :  From  San  Francisco  to  Stockton,  Sacra- 
mento or  Marysville,  two  dollars  for  the  first  ten  words  ;  and  for 
each  additional  five  words,  seventy-five  cents.  From  San  Fran- 
cisco to  San  Jose,  for  the  first  ten  words,  one  dollar,  and  for  each 
additional  five  words  forty  cents. 

November. — The  "Lone  Mountain  Cemetery"  projected. 
A  tract  of  land  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  in  extent,  lying 
between  the  presidio  and  the  mission,  is  to  be  laid  out  in  a  pro- 
per manner  as  a  new  resting-place  for  the  dead,  the  cemetery  of 
Yerba  Buena  being  considered,  by  the  planners  of  the  new 
grounds,  too  near  the  city  for  a  permanent  burial-place.  The 
new  cemetery  is  located  near  the  well-known  "  Lone  Mountain," 
situated  three  or  four  miles  west  of  the  plaza.  From  the  sum- 
mit of  this  beautifully  shaped  hill  may  be  obtained  one  of  the 
finest  and  most  extensive  views  of  land  and  water.  At  the  date  of 
writing,  very  material  and  expensive  improvements  are  being  made 
upon  the  grounds,  to  adapt  them  for  the  purposes  of  a  cemetery. 

November  9th. — The  day  of  St.  Francis,  the  anniversary 
of  the  foundation  of  the  Mission  Dolores,  in  1776.    In  the  pre- 


470 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


ceding  pages,  occasional  allusions  have  been  made  to  the  for- 
mer grandeur  and  subsequent  decline  of  this  mission.  At  present, 
the  chief  tiling  worthy  of  notice  about  the  place  is  the  old  church. 
This  is  constructed  of  adobes,  and  is  a  spacious  building.  The 
exterior  is  partially  whitewashed  and  is  very  plain  in  appearance, 
although  the  front  pretends  to  some  old-fashioned  architectural 


Interior  of  a  Mission  Church. 


decorations,  and  shows  several  handsome  bells.  The  capacious 
interior  is  dark,  cold  and  comfortless.  The  walls  and  roof  are 
roughly  painted,  and  upon  the  former  are  several  common  paint- 
ings of  saints  and  sacred  subjects.  The  ornaments  upon  and 
around  the  great  altar  are  of  the  tinsel  character  usually  adopted 
in  ordinary  Roman  Catholic  churches.  It  is  presumed  they  are 
of  no  great  pecuniary  value.  Public  worship  is  still  regularly 
celebrated  in  this  huge  and  gloomy  temple.  The  usual  audiences 
are  a  few  women,  whose  features  and  dress  proclaim  their  Spanish 
origin.  If  any  of  the  fast-thinking,  doing  and  living  people  of 
San  Francisco  could  be  induced  to  "  pause  and  moralize  a  while," 
there  is  no  spot  so  fitted  to  encourage  the  unwonted  mood,  as 
the  dismal,  silent  and  deserted  interior  of  the  Mission  Church. 


THE  SPANISH  RACES. 


There  is  an  awe  and  apparent  holiness  about  the  place  which  the 
casual  heretical  visitor  cares  not  to  disturb,  as  he  perhaps  hum- 
bly kneels  on  the  damp,  earthen  floor,  and  worships  in  secret 
his  own  Grod.  A  walk  round  the  small  graveyard  attached  to 
the  church  will  only  deepen  his  meditation  as  he  gazes  on  the 
tombs  of  departed  pioneers  and  gold-hunters,  and  reflects  upon 
the  glory  of  the  ancient  patriarchal  times  of  tame  Indians  and 
their  ghostly  keepers. 

The  mission  has  always  been  a  favorite  place  of  amusement 
to  the  citizens  of  Ban  Francisco.  Here,  in  the  early  days  of  the 
city,  exhibitions  of  bull  and  bear  fights  frequently  took  place, 
which  attracted  great  crowds ;  and  here,  also,  were  numerous 
duels  fought,  which  drew  nearly  as  many  idlers  to  view  them.  At 
present,  there  are  two  race-courses  in  the  neighborhood,  and  a 
large  number  of  drinking-houses.  Two  plank-roads  lead  thither 
from  the  city,  upon  both  of  which  omnibuses  run  every  half  hour. 
The  mission  lies  within  the  municipal  bounds,  and  probably  will 
soon  be  united  with  the  city  by  a  connected  line  of  buildings.  The 
highway  to  San  Jose  and  the  farther  south,  runs  through  the  vil- 
lage, while  around  it  are  fine  green  hills  and  fertile  fields,  and 
hotels  and  places  of  public  recreation.  These  things  all  make  the 
old  home  of  the  "fathers"  a  place  of  considerable  importance  to 
our  health  and  pleasure  seekers.  On  fine  days,  especially  on  Sun- 
days, the  roads  to  the  mission  show  a  continual  succession,  pass- 
ing to  and  fro,  of  all  manner  of  equestrians  and  pedestrians,  and 
elegant  open  carriages  filled  with  ladies  and  holiday  folk. 

Since  we  have  given  elsewhere  short  separate  notices  of  some 
of  the  leading  races,  not  American,  that  people  San  Francisco, 
we  may  here  say  a  few  words  upon  that  one  which  first  settled  in 
the  country — the  Spanish.  Over  the  whole  of  California,  there 
may  be  probably  about  20,000  persons  of  Spanish  extraction  ; 
and  in  San  Francisco  alone,  some  3,000.  It  is  of  the  last  only 
that  we  would  speak.  Few  of  them  are  native  Californians.  Per- 
haps one-half  of  the  number  are  Mexicans,  and  one-third  Chilians. 
The  remaining  sixth  consists  of  Peruvians  and  natives  of  Old  Spain, 
and  of  parts  of  Spanish  America  other  than  Mexico,  Chili  and 
Peru.  The  Hispano-Americans,  as  a  class,  rank  far  beneath  the 
French  and  Germans.    They  are  ignorant  and  lazy,  and  are  con- 


472 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


sequently  poor.  A  few  of  their  number  may  have  a  high  social 
standing  in  the  city,  while  some  more  bear  a  respectable  position. 
For  these  there  is  one  page  of  a  French  tri-weekly  newspaper 
written  in  the  Spanish  language.  It  is  not  of  them,  nor  of  the 
few  native  Californians,  who  are  gentlemen  by  nature,  that 
we  speak,  but  of  the  great  mass  of  the  race.  Many  of  the  Chili- 
ans are  able  both  to  read  and  write ;  few  of  the  Mexicans  can. 
Both  peoples,  when  roused  by  jealousy  or  revenge,  as  they  often 
are,  will  readily  commit  the  most  horrid  crimes.  In  proportion 
to  their  numbers,  they  show  more  criminals  in  the  courts  of  law 
than  any  other  class.  The  Mexicans  seem  the  most  inferior  of  the 
race.  They  have  had  no  great  reason  to  love  the  American  cha- 
racter, and,  when  safe  opportunity  offers,  are  not  slow  to  show- 
detestation  of  their  conquerors.  The  sullen,  spiteful  look  of  the 
common  Mexicans  in  California  is  very  observable.  The  Chilians 
in  the  time  of  the  "  Hounds "  were  an  oppressed  and  despised 
people.  Since  that  period  the  class  has  perhaps  improved.  The 
Hispano-Americans  fill  many  low  and  servile  employments,  and 
in  general  engage  only  in  such  occupations  as  do  not  very  severe- 
ly tax  either  mind  or  body.  They  show  no  ambition  to  rise  be- 
yond the  station  where  destiny,  dirt,  ignorance  and  sloth  have 
placed  them.  They  seem  to  have  no  wish  to  become  naturalized 
citizens  of  the  Union,  and  are  morally  incapable  of  comprehend- 
ing the  spirit  and  tendencies  of  our  institutions.  The  most  infe- 
rior class  of  all,  the  proper  "  greaser,"  is  on  a  par  with  the  com- 
mon Chinese  and  the  African  ;  while  many  negroes  far  excel  the 
first-named  in  all  moral,  intellectual  and  physical  respects. 

The  Hispano-Americans  dwell  chiefly  about  Dupont,  Kearny 
and  Pacific  streets — long  the  blackguard  quarters  of  the  city.  In 
these  streets,  and  generally  in  the  northern  parts  of  the  city,  are 
many  dens  of  gross  vice,  which  are  patronized  largely  by  Mexicans 
and  Chilians.  Their  dance,  drink  and  gambling  houses  are  also 
the  haunts  of  negroes  and  the  vilest  order  of  white  men.  In  the 
quarrels  which  are  constantly  arising  in  such  places  many  treach- 
erous, thieving  and  murderous  deeds  are  committed.  A  large 
proportion  of  the  common  Mexican  and  Chilian  women  are  still 
what  they  were  in  the  days  of  the  "  H  >unds,"  abandoned  to  lewd 
practices,  and  shameless. 


firemen's  election. 


473 


The  large  and  elegant  building  called  "  Custom-House  Block," 
at  the  south-east  corner  of  Sansome  and  Sacramento  streets,  was 
completed  and  partially  occupied  during  this  month.  It  was  con- 
structed at  a  cost,  exclusive  of  the  land,  of  $140,000  ;  and  is 
a  substantial  structure,  three  stories  high,  besides  a  basement, 
fronting  eighty  feet  on  Sansome  and  one  hundred  and  eighty-five 


Custom-IIouse  Block. 


feet  on  Sacramento  street.  The  various  offices  connected  with  the 
custom-house  and  naval  department,  besides  a  billiard  room,  and 
sundry  other  offices  and  stores,  are  in  the  second  and  third  stories. 

December  2d. — The  mail  steamship  Winjield  Scott,  on  her 
way  from  San  Francisco  to  Panama,  was  wrecked  on  the  rocky 
and  desolate  Island  of  Anacapa,  near  the  Island  of  Santa  Cruz, 
off  Santa  Barbara.  The  passengers  and  most  of  the  mail  bags 
were  saved,  but  the  ship  was  a  total  loss.  The  accident  was  caus- 
ed by  dense  fogs  and  ignorance  of  the  exact  position  of  the  ship> 

December  5th. — Annual  election  of  the  Fire  Department, 
when  the  following  officers  were  chosen  :    Chief  Engineer. — 


474 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


Charles  P.  Duane.  Assistant  Engineers. — E.  A.  Ebbetts,  Joseph 
Caprise  and  Charles  F.  Simpson. 

December  13th. — The  Barque  Anita  sailed  with  about  two 
hundred  and  forty  volunteers  to  join  a  small  band  of  adventurers 
that  had  lately  left  San  Francisco  on  a  filibustering  expedition 
against  Lower  California  and  Sonora.  The  circumstances  at- 
tending this  expedition  show  in  a  remarkable  manner  the  wild 
and  restless  spirit  that  influences  so  many  of  the  people  of  Cali- 
fornia.  Not  content  with  their  own  large  territory,  much  of 
which  is  still  unexplored,  and  nearly  all  of  which  that  is  known 
is  characterized  by  extraordinary  richness  in  minerals,  fertility  of 
3oil,  beauty  of  scenery,  and  mildness  and  salubrity  of  climate — 
by  everything,  in  short,  that  could  tempt  an  energetic  immigrant 
to  develope  its  unusual  advantages — many  of  our  restless  people 
sighed  for  new  countries,  if  not  like  Alexander  for  new  worlds,  to 
see  and  conquer.  The  Mexican  province  of  Sonora  had  long  been 
reputed  to  be  among  the  richest  mineral  regions  in  the  world. 
Its  mines,  however,  had  never  been  properly  developed.  The 
Mexican  character  is  not  a  very  enterprising  one.  At  the  same 
time,  the  ravages  of  the  numerous  tribes  of  warlike  Indians  that 
inhabit  many  parts  of  Sonora  and  its  frontier,  had  farther  checked 
all  efforts  to  work  the  known  gold  and  silver  mines  there.  The 
country  otherwise  was  a  fine  agricultural  and  pastoral  one  ;  and, 
if  slaves  could  only  be  introduced  to  cultivate  and  reap  the  teem- 
ing: fields,  the  owners  would  draw  immense  revenues  from  them. 
To  conquer,  or  steal  this  rich  country,  was  therefore  a  very  desira- 
ble thing.  That  it  belonged  in  sovereignty  to  a  friendly  and 
peaceable  power,  and  that  some  seventy  thousand  white  people  in- 
habited and  possessed  the  land,  appeared  matters  of  no  great  con 
sequence.  The  government  of  Mexico  was  a  worthless  one,  sure- 
ly, and  the  citizens  of  Sonora  were,  or  should  be,  dissatisfied  with 
it,  and  had  a  right  to  rebel,  and  call  upon  foreigners  to  aid  them 
in  their  rebellion.  If  they  did  not,  why,  their  culpable  negli- 
gence was  certainly  no  fault  of  the  filibixsters.  The  Sonorians 
ought  to  rise,  proclaim  their  independence,  and  cry  for  help  from 
all  and  sundry.  That  was  erough.  The  filibusters  needed  no 
particular  invitation.  They  were  determined  to  succor  the  poor 
Sonorians,  and  themselves  ;  and  so  they  gathered  together  with 


THE  SONORA  FILIBUSTERS. 


475 


arras  and  ammunition  for  the  purpose.  Walker  was  another 
Lopez  ;  Sonora,  another  Cuba. 

About  a  twelvemonth  before  this  date  the  grand  scheme  was 
first  projected,  and  during  the  following  summer  was  matured. 
Scrip  was  largely  printed  and  circulated  at  fair  prices  among 
speculative  jobbers.  This  paper  was  to  be  redeemed  by  the  first 
proceeds  of  the  new  government.  The  nominal  and  perhaps  real 
leader  of  the  movement  was  a  gentleman,  William  Walker  to 
wit,  who  has  already  figured  in  these  pages,  as  the  champion  of 
the  press  and  popular  rights  against  the  alleged  corrupt  judiciary 
of  former  times.  Walker  is  said  to  be  personally  a  brave,  highly 
educated  and  able  man,  whatever  may  be  thought  of  his  discre- 
tion and  true  motives  of  conduct  in  the  expedition.  He  seems 
to  have  taken  a  high  moral  and  political  position  in  the  affair, 
though  his  professions  were  peculiar  and  their  propriety  not 
readily  admitted  by  downright  sticklers  for  equity  and  natural 
justice.  A  few  of  his  coadjutors  were  perhaps  also  men  of  a 
keen  sense  of  honor,  who  forgot,  or  heeded  not,  in  the  excitement 
of  the  adventure,  the  opinions  of  mere  honest  men  upon  the  sub- 
ject. But  the  vast  majority  of  Walker's  followers  can  only  be 
viewed  as  desperate  actors  in  a  true  filibustering  or  robbing  spe- 
culation. The  good  of  the  wretched  and  Apache-oppressed  S<  »- 
norians  was  not  in  their  thoughts.  If  they  succeeded,  they  might 
lay  the  sure  foundations  of  fortunes  ;  if  they  failed,  it  was  only 
time  and  perhaps  life  lost.  In  either  event,  there  was  a  grand 
excitement  in  the  game. 

What  Americans  generally  are  to  other  nations,  so  are  the 
mixed  people  of  California  to  Eastern  Americans  themselves. 
All  the  impulsive  characteristics  of  the  natives  of  the  Atlantic 
States  are  on  the  Pacific  carried  out  to  excess.  Americans,  and 
particularly  those  in  California,  are  not  altogether  devoted  to 
money  ;  they  oftentimes  love  change  and  excitement  better. 
The  golden  gains  to  be  sometimes  won  here  by  strange  specula- 
tions early  engendered  a  most  restless  disposition  in  society. 
The  adventurous  character  of  the  succeeding  immigrants  readily 
received  the  impress  and  spirit  of  the  place.  What,  our  people 
seem  to  think,  is  the  worth  of  life,  wanting  emotion,  wanting  ac- 
tion ?    At  whatever  hazard,  most  persons  here  must  have  occa- 


476 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


sional  excitement — new  speculations,  leading  to  personal  adven- 
ture, change  of  scene  and  variety  of  life.  Danger  to  life  and 
limb  and  loss  of  property  will  not  stand  in  the  way.  They  will 
overlook  the  fairest  prospect  close  at  hand,  with  its  dull  routine 
of  duty  and  labor,  to  seek  for  an  inferior  one  at  a  distance. 
They  are  almost  invariably  dissatisfied  with  their  present  con- 
dition, whatever  that  may  be.  The  world  moves  not  fast  enough 
for  their  boundless  desires.  Thus  a  new  land,  where  hope  and 
fancy  see  all  things,  is  to  them  a  charmed  land.  They  will  seek 
and  know  its  qualities,  or  perish  in  the  attempt.  Discontent  and 
restlessness  make  the  true  spirit  of  "progress"  that  is  ever  un- 
satisfied with  the  dull  present,  the  practical  and  real.  These 
are  the  characteristics  of  all  great  men  and  great  races,  and  are 
the  strongest  signs  of  their  superior  intellect. 

The  spirit  of  progress  is  probably  a  most  unhappy  one  to  in- 
dividuals, although  it  tends  to  raise  a  nation  to  the  height  of 
wealth  and  glory.  Knowledge  is  power,  the  attribute  of  a  god ; 
yet  as  the  satirist  says,  increase  of  knowledge  is  only  increase  of 
sorrow.  Knowledge — power — "  progress,"  is  the  Anglo  Saxon 
disposition,  which  has  been  developed  on  a  large  scale  in  the 
American  character.  Brother  Jonathan,  like  the  Israelite  of  old, 
seems  doomed  everlastingly  to  wander  over  the  earth.  His  jour- 
ney fairly  began  nearly  a  century  since.  On,  on  he  must  go. 
Excelsior  !  is  his  cr)r.  The  morality  of  the  various  steps  in  the 
fated  pilgrimage — as  morals,  social  and  political,  are  commonly 
understood  among  old-fashioned  people — may  be  dubious  ;  yet  the 
weary  work  must  proceed.  It  is  the  fate  of  America  ever  to  "  go 
ahead."  She  is  like  the  rod  of  Aaron  that  became  a  serpent  and 
swallowed  up  the  other  rods.  So  will  America  conquer  or  annex 
all  lands.  That  is  her  "  manifest  destiny."  Only  give  her  time 
for  the  process.  To  swallow  up  every  few  years  a  province  as 
large  as  most  European  kingdoms  is  her  present  rate  of  progress. 
Sometimes  she  purchases  the  mighty  morsel,  sometimes  she 
forms  it  out  of  waste  territory  by  the  natural  increase  of  her  own 
people,  sometimes  she  "  annexes,"  and  sometimes  she  conquers 
it.  Her  "  progress  "  is  still  steadily  onward.  Pioneers  clear  the 
way.  These  are  political  agents  with  money  bags,  or  settlers  in 
neglected  parts  of  the  continent,  or  peaceable  American  citizens 


THE  SONORA  FILIBUSTERS. 


477 


who  happen  to  reside  in  the  desired  countries,  and  who  wish  to 
dwell  under  the  old  "  Stars  and  Stripes,"  or  they  may  be  only  pro- 
per filibusters,  who  steal  and  fight  gratuitously  for  their  own  fast- 
following  Uncle  Sam.  When  they  fail  in  their  schemes,  they 
are  certainly  scoundrels,  and  are  commonly  so  termed  ;  when 
they  succeed,  though  they  be  dubbed  heroes,  they  are  still  the 
old  rogues.  Meanwhile  America  (that  is  the  true  title  of  our 
country)  secures  the  spoils  won  to  her  hand,  .however  dishonest- 
ly they  may  have  come.  That  is  only  her  destiny,  and  perhaps 
she  is  not  so  blamable  as  a  nation  in  bearing  it  willingly.  One 
may  profit  by  the  treason,  yet  hate  the  traitor.  Let  the  distant 
monarchs  of  the  lands  beyond  the  great  lakes  and  the  tawny 
people  of  the  far  south  look  to  it.  America  must  round  her  ter- 
ritories by  the  sea.  Like  Russia,  she  is  steadily  creeping  over 
the  world,  but  different  from  that  empire,  her  presence  bestows 
freedom  and  good  upon  the  invaded  nations,  and  not  despotism, 
ignorance,  and  unmanly,  brutal  desires. 

The  pioneers  into  Sonora  were  Walker  and  his  people.  They 
never  reached  their  destination.  Lower  California  was  .in  the 
way,  and  they  thought  it  best  to  begin  on  the  small  scale,  and 
secure  it  first.  On  the  30th  of  September  of  this  year,  the  brig 
Arrow,  which  was  about  to  be  employed  to  convey  the  filibusters 
to  the  land  of  promise,  was  seized  by  order  of  General  Hitch- 
cock, commanding  the  United  States  forces  on  the  Pacific,  and 
acting  under  orders  or  a  sense  of  his  duty  to  protect  a  neighbor- 
ing friendly  power  from  being  wrongfully  attacked  by  Americans. 
This  measure  involved  General  Hitchcock  in  unpleasant  litigation, 
and  seems  to  have  disgusted  him  with  attempting  to  interfere 
farther  in  the  filibusters'  movements.  For  want  of  sufficient  le- 
gal evidence  to  show  the  destination  of  the  Arrow  and  the  char- 
acter of  the  preparations  making  by  those  connected  with  the 
affair,  or  rather,  perhaps,  through  disinclination  of  the  prosecu- 
tors to  go  on  with  the  proceedings,  the  case  was  abandoned  and 
the  vessel  released.  Meanwhile,  the  other  officials  here  of  the 
United  States  Government,  whose  duty  it  was  to  prevent  all  pi- 
ratical and  filibustering  expeditions  from  leaving  the  port,  gave 
little  attention  to  the  subject,  and  appeared  wilfully  to  neglect 
their  most  urgent  duties.    As  for  the  State  and  city  authorities, 


478 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


it  seemed  to  be  considered  none  of  their  business  to  move  in  the 
matter.  The  newspaper  press  was  neutral,  or  at  all  events  did 
not  (with  one  or  two  exceptions)  loudly  condemn  the  course  in- 
tended to  be  pursued  by  the  known  filibusters.  Encouraged  by 
these  circumstances,  the  adventurers  soon  procured  another  ves- 
sel, the  barque  Caroline,  and  shortly  afterwards  (16th  October), 
fl  n  ty-six  of  their  number  sailed  in  her  from  San  Francisco  for  the 
lower  coast.  Early  in  November,  they  reached  the  town  of  La 
Paz,  situated  within  the  Gulf  of  California,  and  in  the  southern 
division  of  the  peninsula.  There  they  landed,  scattered  the  sur- 
prised inhabitants,  secured  the  governor,  proclaimed  the  indepen- 
dence of  Lower  California,  declared  the  civil  code  of  Louisiana 
the  law  of  the  land,  hauled  down  the  Mexican  flag  and  hoisted 
their  own — all  within  half  an  hour.  A  slight  engagement  after- 
wards took  place  hetween  the  Mexicans  and  the  invaders,  in  which 
the  latter  were  successful,  after  killing  a  few  of  the  enemy.  This 
was  the  battle  of  La  Paz.  Mr.  Walker  then  was  nominated 
"  President  of  the  Republic  of  Lower  California,"  and  chose,  or 
had  chosen  for  him  his  various  Secretaries  of  State,  War  and 
Navy,  and  other  grand  functionaries  of  the  new  government.  As 
there  were  fewer  than  fifty  men  to  select  from,  a  pretty  fair  pro- 
portion of  the  party  became  suddenly  dignitaries  in  the  Republic. 

The  President,  his  staff  and  whole  forces  soon  forsook  La  Paz, 

.  .         .  .  . 

the  particular  reason  for  attacking  which  town  at  this  juncture 

of  events  is  not  plain,  though  perhaps  it  was  only  to  create  a 
"  sensation."  There  was  not  even  the  pretence  made  that  the 
inhabitants  of  the  place,  or  any  of  the  natives  of  Lower  Califor- 
nia, had  invited  the  presence  of  the  spoilers  of  their  property. 
Walker  and  his  party  now  retreated  altogether  from  the  gulf; 
and  carrying  with  them  the  archives  of  the  government,  sailed 
for  Ensenada,  a  place  about  a  hundred  miles  below  San  Diego, 
on  the  Pacific  side  of  the  peninsula.  Here,  in  a  thinly  peopled 
and  unattractive  country,  and  at  a  long  distance  from  any  Mexi- 
can troops,  they  were  safe  for  a  time  ;  and  here  they  established 
their  *'  Head  Quarters,"  until  reinforcements  should  reach  them 
from  San  Francisco.  It  was  understood  that  the  seizure  of  Low- 
er California  was  only  the  first  step  in  the  proposed  conquest  of 
Sonora,  which  was  all  along  the  grand  object  of  the  expedition. 


THE  SONORA  FILIBUSTERS. 


479 


When  news  of  this  short  campaign  reached  San  Francisco, 
there  was  a  mighty  ado  with  the  friends  and  sympathizers  of 
the  expedition.  Among  the  few  initiated  in  the  supposed  secret 
causes  of  the  adventure,  there  were  brilliant  hopes  of  the  indefi- 
nite extension  of  one  of  the  peculiar  "  domestic  institutions  "  of 
the  South,  and  among  all  were  glorious  dreams  of  conquest  and 
plunder.  The  national  flag  of  the  new  Republic  was  run  up  at 
the  corner  of  Kearny  and  Sacramento  streets,  and  an  office  was 
opened  for  the  purpose  of  enlisting  recruits.  The  excitement 
was  great  in  the  city.  At  the  corners  of  the  streets  and  in  bar- 
rooms, groups  of  intending  buccaneers  and  their  friends  collected, 
and  discussed  the  position  of  affairs.  More  volunteers  appeared 
than  there  were  means  of  conveying  to  the  scene  of  action. 
News  next  reached  the  city  of  the  battle  of  La  Grulla,  near 
Santo  Tomas,  where  the  filibusters,  when  said  to  be  in  the  act 
of  helping  themselves  to  the  cattle  and  provisions  of  the  natives, 
were  severely  handled,  and  a  few  of  them  slain.  This,  however, 
only  fired  the  recruits  the  more  to  help  their  oppressed  brethren 
Why  could  not  the  Lower  Californians,  poor,  ignorant  brutes, 
have  been  contented  with  the  beautiful  scrip  of  the  new  Republic 
for  their  paltry  provisions  ?  The  rage  for  war — freedom  to  the 
Mexicans,  death  to  the  Apaches,  and  plunder  to  the  Americans — 
spread  over  all  California,  and  numbers  hastened  from  the  mining 
regions  to  San  Francisco,  to  depart  southward  in  time  and  share 
in  the  spoil  of  the  conquered  land.  The  authorities  meanwhile, 
looked  calmly  on,  and  took  no  steps  to  prevent  the  departure  of 
the  filibusters.  The  newspapers  recorded  their  various  movements 
at  length,  and  in  general  either  indirectly  praised,  or  did  not 
strongly  condemn  them.  People  in  private  circles  laughed,  and 
talked  over  the  business  coolly.  They  generally  thought,  and 
said,  it  was  all  right — at  all  events,  it  was  a  fine  specimen  of  the 
go-aheadism  of  Young  America.  Moneyed  men  even  advanced 
considerable  sums  for  the  use  of  the  expeditionists,  and  the  scrip 
of  the  new  Republic  was  almost  saleable  on  'Change,  at  a  dime 
for  a  dollar. 

We  have  mentioned  this  affair  at  some  length,  more  to  show 
the  general  wild  and  reckless  character  of  the  people,  and  the 
state  of  public  opinion  upon  filibustering,  in  San  Francisco,  and 


480 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


in  California  at  large,  than  to  chronicle  the  particular  doings  of 
the  adventurers.  Our  people  are  mostly  in  the  prime  of  life, 
their  passions  are  of  the  strongest,  they  have  an  acute  intellect, 
absolute  will  and  physical  strength,  hut  they  are  not  distinguished 
by  high  moral  and  political  principle.  They  are  sanguine  in 
whatever  things  they  undertake,  and  are  more  inclined  to  des- 
perate deeds,  than  to  the  peaceful  business  of  ordinary  life. 
Had  Walker's  party  succeeded  in  reaching  Sonora  and  been  able 
to  stand  their  own  for  a  time  or  perhaps  signally  to  defeat  the 
Mexicans  in  a  pitched  battle,  ten  thousand  of  our  mixed  Califor- 
nians  would  have  hastened  to  their  triple-striped  two-star  stand- 
ard. Against  such  a  force  not  all  the  power  of  Mexico  would 
have  been  sufficient  to  dislodge  the  invaders  from  Sonora.  Other 
tens  of  thousands  would  have  flocked  into  the  country,  and  per- 
force it  would  have  been  thoroughly  Americanized.  Undoubtedly 
this  will  happen  some  day.  Is  it  not  "  manifest  destiny  ?  " 
People  here  certainly  look  upon  it  as  such,  and  hence  very  little 
fault  has  been  found,  in  general,  with  the  proceedings  of  the 
filibusters.  The  principles  of  action  now  existing  in  California, 
in  so  far  at  least  as  regards  neighboring  countries,  are  something 
like  those  of  Wordsworth's  hero,  who  acted  upon 

"  The  good  old  rule,  the  simple  plan — 
That  they  should  take  who  have  the  power, 
And  they  should  keep  who  can." 

Rob  Roy  was  a  great  man  in  his  day  ;  and  in  our  own  times  the 
Californians  are  the  greatest  of  a  great  people.    That  is  a  fact. 

To  finish  the  story  of  Walker's  exploits.  The  Anita  safely 
bore  her  contingent  to  "  Head  Quarters"  at  Ensenada,  and  by 
other  opportunities  a  considerable  number  of  volunteers  went 
thither.  They  were  generally  well  armed  with  revolvers,  rifles 
and  knives.  On  their  departure,  the  recorder's  court  at  San 
Francisco  had  much  less  daily  business,  and  the  city  was  hap- 
pily purged  of  many  of  the  old  squad  of  rowdies  and  loafers. 
Strengthened  by  such  an  accession  to  his  forces,  opposed  to  which 
no  body  of  Mexicans  in  that  part  of  Lower  California  could  ap- 
pear in  the  field,  Walker  now,  with  a  stroke  of  his  pen,  for  he  is 
said  to  be  even  abler  as  a  writer  than  as  a  warrior,  abolished  the 


THE  SONOKA  FILIBUSTERS. 


481 


Republic  of  "  Lower  California,"  and  proclaimed  in  its  stead  that 
of  "  Sonora,"  which  comprised  the  province  of  that  name  and 
the  peninsula  itself.  Most  of  the  great  prizes  in  the  lottery  had 
already  been  distributed.  However,  Col.  H.  P.  Watkins,  of  the 
Anita  contingent,  had  the  honor  of  being  appointed  the  "  Vice- 
President."  This  gentleman  and  some  of  his  fellow-dignitaries 
subsequently  underwent  a  trial  at  San  Francisco  for  their  filibus- 
tering practices,  the  result  of  which  will  be  noticed  under  the 
proper  date.  In  Lower  California,  various  "  decrees,"  proclama- 
tions and  addresses  to  the  natives  and  to  his  own  soldiers  were 
made  by  the  "  President."  They  dwelt  upon  the  "  holiness  "  of 
the  invaders'  cause,  and  were  very  grandiloquent.  The  march 
was  being  formed  for  Sonora,  straight. 

Meanwhile,  dissensions  were  breaking  out  among  the  men. 
The  rank  and  file,  the  tag,  rag  and  bobtail  of  the  expedition,  had 
considerable  difficulty  in  digesting  the  stolen  or  scrip-bought  beef, 
always  beef,  and  Indian  corn,  always  corn,  that  formed  their 
rations.  They  fancied  that  their  officers  "fared  sumptuously 
every  day,"  which  very  likely  was  not  the  case.  Any  tiling  will 
serve  as  an  excuse  for  behavior  that  has  been  predetermined. 
So  these  epicures  and  haters  of  beef  and  corn,  to  the  number  of 
fifty  or  sixty,  gave  up,  without  a  sigh,  Walker,  Sonora  and  their 
frugal  meals.  Other  desertions  subsequently  took  place,  and  the 
staunch  filibusters  were  gradually  reduced  to  a  very  few.  To 
improve  the  moral  tone  of  his  army,  Walker  caused  two  of  his 
people  to  be  shot  and  other  two  to  be  flogged  and  expelled,  partly 
for  pilfering  and  partly  for  desertion.  The  San  Fi'anciscan  jour- 
nals had  now  little  mercy  on  the  expedition  and  all  connected 
with  it.  It  was  a  farce,  they  said ;  and  its  end  was  just  what 
they  had  expected.  For  a  while  there  remained  a  remnant  of 
the  filibusters  loafing  about  Ensenada,  or  Santo  Tomas — or  God 
knows  where — looking,  like  the  immortal  Micavvber,  for  "  some- 
thing to  turn  up."  Subsequently,  however,  as  will  hereafter  be 
seen,  they  surrendered  themselves  as  prisoners  to  the  United 
States  authorities. 

December  24th. — Opening  of  the  "  Metropolitan  Theatre." 
Theatricals,  and  especially  that  class  of  them  in  which  music 
bears  a  considerable  share,  have  always  been  largely  patronized 
31 


482 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


by  the  San  Franciscans.  It  was  thought  prefer  to  have  a  more 
magnificent  temple  for  dramatic  and  operatic  entertainments  than 
any  hitherto  erected  in  the  city,  and  the  "  Metropolitan  "  accord- 
ingly was  built  and  opened.  This  is  one  of  the  finest  theatres 
in  America,  and  is  distinguished  by  the  beautiful  and  chaste 
appearance  of  the  interior.  The  house  is  built  of  brick.  The 
management  of  the  theatre  was  under  the  care  of  Mrs.  Catherine 
N.  Sinclair.  She  opened  the  splendid  structure  with  an  excel- 
lent stock  company,  among  whom  there  immediately  began  to 
appear  "stars"  of  the  first  magnitude,  which  have  since  con- 
tinued in  rapid  succession.  The  prices  of  admission  were — for 
the  orchestra  and  private  boxes,  $3,  for  the  dress  circle  and  par- 
quette,  $2,  and  for  the  second  and  third  circles,  $1.  The  School 
for  Scandal,  in  which  Mr.  James  E.  Murdock  played  the  part 
of  "  Charles  Surface,"  and  Mrs.  Sinclair,  the  manageress,  that  of 
"  Lady  Teazle,"  and  the  farce  of  Little  ToddleJcins,  were  the  per- 
formances of  the  evening. 

December  26th. — Great  sale  of  one  hundred  and  twenty 
water  lots  belonging  to  the  city,  when  the  gross  sum  realized 
was  $1,193,550.  These  lots  formed  in  all  four  small  sized  blocks 
of  land,  covered  with  water,  lying  upon  each  side  of  Commercial 
street  wharf.  They  extended  between  Sacramento  and  Clay 
streets,  and  from  Davis  street  eastward  two  blocks.  Most  of  the 
lots  measured  twenty-five  feet  in  front  to  a  street,  and  fifty- 
nine  feet  nine  inches  in  depth.  These  brought  on  an  average 
between  $8,000  and  $9,000  a  lot.  The  corner  lots,  which  faced 
two  streets,  brought  from  $15,000  to  $16,000.  A  few  larger 
lots  brought  from  $20,000  to  $27,000.  There  was  an  average 
depth  of  about  eight  feet  of  water,  at  low  tide,  upon  these  blocks 
of  land  ;  and  to  make  them  fit  to  receive  buildings  would  require 
the  expenditure  of  large  sums  of  money.  The  enormous  prices 
obtained  for  such  small  lots  of  ground,  "  covered  with  water," 
show  the  confidence  which  capitalists  had  in  the  future  prosperity 
of  the  city.  The  sale  was  only  for  ninety-nine  years,  after 
March,  1851,  being  the  period  for  which  the  State  had  conveyed 
the  property  to  the  city.  In  terms  of  the  original  grant,  the 
city  was  obliged  to  pay  over  to  the  State  twenty-five  per  cent,  of 
the  proceeds  of  the  sale.    The  sum  of  $185,000  was  likewise 


SALES  OF  WATER  LOTS. 


483 


appropriated  to  satisfy  any  claims  which  several  of  the  wharf 
companies  adjoining  the  lots  disposed  of  had  pretended  to 
the  slips,  now  sold.  After  these  deductions  were  made,  a  very 
handsome  sum  was  left  to  replenish  the  municipal  exchequer, 
and  relieve  it  from  many  pressing  obligations  which  had  been 
gradually  accumulating. 


Montgomery  Block. 


December  28th. — Great  sale  of  the  State's  interest  in  water 
property,  when  lots  to  the  value  of  $350,000  were  sold.  This 
property  was  situated  between  Broadway  and  Pacific  streets.  It 
was  partly  covered  with  water,  and  partly  dry  land,  although 
covered  with  water  in  1849,  and  is  a  portion  of  the  property  called 
the  "  Government  Keserve  "  on  the  ordinary  maps  of  the  city. 

The  magnificent  structure  known  as  "  Montgomery  Block" 
was  completed  toward  the  close  of  this  year.  This  is  the  largest, 
most  elegant,  and  imposing  edifice  in  California,  and  would  at- 
tract especial  attention  in  any  city,  though  it  occupies  a  site 
that  was  partially  covered  by  the  waters  of  the  bay  as  late  as 
1849.  It  has  a  front  of  122  feet  on  the  west  side  of  Montgom- 
ery street,  from  Washington  to  Merchant  street,  along  which 
streets  it  extends  138  feet,  presenting  an  unbroken  fagade  on 
these  three  streets  of  nearly  400  feet.  It  is  owned  by  the  law 
firm  of  Halleck,  Peachy,  Billings  &  Parke. 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 


1853. 

Numbers  and  description  of  the  population  of  the  State. — Amount  of  gold  produced  from  California 
mines.— San  Francisco  as  related  to  California — Population  of  San  Francisco. — City  improve- 
ments.— Commercial  statistics 


The  year  1853  was  not  remarkable  for  any  great  increase  in  the 
permanent  population  of  California.  A  vast  immigration  cer- 
tainly took  place,  but  the  emigration  was  also  very  great.  Before 
noticing  the  estimated  increase  in  the  number  of  inhabitants  in 
San  Francisco,  we  take  this  opportunity  of  making  a  few  remarks 
on  the  progress  of  population  in  the  country  at  large. 

The  Government  census,  taken  at  the  close  of  1852,  returned 
the  population  of  California  at  264,435  ;  but  this  number  was 
considered  by  those  best  able  to  judge  to  be  considerably  under- 
stated. In  his  message  communicating  the  census  returns  to 
the  Legislature,  the  governor  of  the  State,  commenting  upon 
them,  expressed  his  belief  that  the  population  of  the  country,  at 
the  close  of  1852,  might  properly  be  estimated  at  308,000  per- 
sons of  both  sexes,  and  of  all  races  and  ages.  In  1853,  it  was 
supposed  that  the  immigration  by  land  from  the  United  States 
and  Mexico  amounted  to  about  15,000  persons,  while  the  number 
of  those  leaving  California  by  land  was  too  inconsiderable  to  affect 
materially  any  calculations  on  the  subject.  The  number  of  im- 
migrants by  sea,  who  landed  at  San  Francisco,  was  about  34,000, 
while  the  departures  were  about  31,000.  There  were,  therefore, 
probably  about  18,000  persons,  on  the  whole,  added  to  the 
population  of  the  country.  If  this  number  be  added  to  the 
estimated  number  at  the  close  of  1852,  it  will  appear  that  at  the 
close  of  the  following  year  the  total  population  of  California  was 


POPULATION  OF  CALIFORNIA. 


485 


326,000  persons.  As  while  we  write,  in  the  spring  of  1854,  the 
ordinary  immigration  of  the  year  has  not  fairly  commenced, 
which,  however,  promises  to  be  very  large,  the  last-mentioned 
number  may  be  taken  as  a  fair  approximation  to  the  present 
number  of  inhabitants.  Estimates  have  been  made,  at  different 
times,  of  the  various  races  forming  the  total  number,  but  none 
of  these  can  be  confidently  relied  upon.  The  French  and  Ger- 
man peoples  generally  claim  a  greater  number  of  their  country- 
men in  California  than  the  Americans  are  willing  to  allow.  The 
following  may  be  taken  as  a  rough  calculation  on  this  subject. 
Under  the  term  "Americans'''  are  included  the  natives  of  Great 
Britain  and  Ireland,  who  are  less  easily  distinguishable  from  na- 
tive Americans  than  are  other  foreigners.  Many,  however,  of 
the  British-born,  are  American  by  adoption  and  naturalization. 
Since  the  common  language  of  the  Americans  and  British  is 
English,  and  their  customs  and  habits  of  thought  are  generally 
the  same,  there  seems  no  impropriety  in  calling  them  all  in  Cali- 
fornia simply  Americans.  At  the  same  time,  it  may  be  observed 
that  the  vast  majority  of  those  so  called  are  really  natives  of  the 
United  States : — 

Americans,  204,000  ;  Germans,  30,000  ;  French,  28,000  ; 
Hispano- Americans,  20,000  ;  all  other  foreigners  of  white  ex- 
traction, 5,000  ;  Chinese,  17,000  ;  Indians  (estimated  by  the 
census  agents  at  33,000,  which  number  is  considered  much  too 
high),  20,000  ;  Negroes,  2,000  ;  total,  326,000. 

Of  this  number,  about  100,000  are  believed  to  be  working 
miners,  the  remainder  forming  the  population  of  the  different  towns 
and  the  pastoral  and  agricultural  districts  of  the  country.  It  is 
estimated  that  there  are  about  65,000  women  in  the  country  and 
perhaps  30,000  children.  In  the  mining  regions  the  females  are 
much  fewer  relatively  to  the  local  population  than  in  the  towns. 
As  among  the  Indians  and  the  native  Californians  the  sexes  may 
be  supposed  to  be  nearly  equal,  it  will  be  seen  that  among  the 
other  races,  the  number  of  females  must  be  very  small  in  propor- 
tion to  the  number  of  male  inhabitants.  The  class  of  small 
farmers  and  generally  the  agricultural  population  increased  con- 
siderably during  1853.  They  produced  a  large  portion  of  the 
provisions  which  supplied  the  wants  of  the  people  ;  and  it  is  pro- 


486 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


bable  that  in  a  few  years  the  State  will  be  altogether  independent 
of  foreign  supplies  in  the  great  staples  which  support  life. 

The  quantity  of  gold  produced  from  the  Californian  mines 
cannot  be  correctly  ascertained,  though  reasonable  approximations 
on  the  subject  may  be  made.  The  custom-house  returns  at  San 
Francisco  do  not  show  the  great  amount  of  gold  carried  oft  by 
private  parties,  and  not  manifested,  nor  the  quantity  retained  in 
the  country,  where  the  circulation  of  local  gold  pieces  is  very 
large.  Perhaps  the  quantity  of  gold  dust  deposited  and  coined 
at  the  different  mints  of  the  United  States,  with  a  fair  allowance 
for  what  may  be  shipped  directly  or  transhipped  to  foreign  coun- 
tries, and  used  in  manufactures  throughout  the  Union,  and  as 
coin  in  California  itself,  and  what  may  be  still  in  the  hands  of 
miners  and  others,  may  make  a  sufficiently  exact  statement  on 
the  subject.  This  allowance,  after  a  careful  consideration  of 
many  circumstances,  we  would  put,  for  the  last  five  or  six  years, 
at  $44,000,000,  which  we  think  moderate.  The  total  production 
of  the  different  years  may  therefore  be  estimated,  and  given  as 
follows  : 

Deposits  at  tho  various  mints  of  Californian  gold.  Total  estimated  produce. 

1848   $45,301   $3,000,000 

1849   6,151,360    25,000,000 

1850                                        36,273,097   40,000,000 

1851                                          55,938,232    60,000,000 

1852                                        53,452,567    63,000,000 

1853                                        55,113,487    65,000,000 

Add,  the  manifested  shipments 

of  gold  dust  from  San  Fran- 
cisco in  the  month  of  De- 
cemher,  1853,  but  which 
would  not  he  deposited  at 
the  mints  until  January  fol- 
lowing   4,846,743 

$211,820,787  $256,000,000 

As  manifested  in  the  custom-house,  the  export  of  gold  from 
San  Francisco,  during  1853,  was  $54,906,956  74.  Of  this  amount, 
the  sum  of  $47,914,448  was  for  New  York  ;  $4,795,662  for 
London;  $926,134  for  China ;  $445,778  for  Valparaiso;  $390,781 
for  New  Orleans  ;  $191,000  for  the  Sandwich  Islands, — and  the 
remainder  for  New  South  Wales  and  various  ports  on  the  Pacific. 


SAN  FRANCISCO  AND  CALIFORNIA. 


487 


It  will  be  observed  that  between  six  and  seven  millions  were 
snipped,  during  the  last  year,  directly  to  foreign  countries,  and 
would  not  therefore  appear  in  the  returns  of  the  United  States 
mints. 

It  seems  unnecessary,  in  the  "  Annals  of  San  Francisco,"  to 
enter  more  largely  into  the  mere  statistics  of  gold.  The  yearly 
production  has  steadily  continued  to  increase,  and  the  manifested 
semi-monthly  shipments  of  specie  regularly  range  from  two  to 
three  millions.  These  shipments,  as  we  have  explained,  do  not 
show  the  total  production,  since  large  quantities  of  dust  are  car- 
ried off  by  private  parties,  which  do  not  appear  in  the  custom- 
house records.  In  the  beginning  of  1854  the  mines  are  unusu- 
ally productive  ;  and  so  far  as  can  be  estimated,  the  total  produc- 
tion of  the  year  named  may  be  expected  to  show  a  considerable 
increase  on  the  production  of  1853. 

It  is  admitted  by  all  who  bestow  a  moment's  attention  upon 
the  subject,  that  hitherto  it  has  been  gold,  almost  alone,  which 
has  given  such  an  impetus  to  the  progress  of  California  at  large, 
and  particularly  to  San  Francisco.  The  latter  is  the  one  great 
port  through  which  the  enormous  foreign  supplies  of  provisions 
and  all  other  kinds  of  goods  pass  to  the  interior,  and  from  whence 
the  payments  in  gold  dust  are  shipped  abroad.  Most  of  the 
miners  reach  California  by  way  of  San  Francisco,  and  all  who 
leave  the  country  depart  from  the  same  city.  Many  years  hence 
the  fertile  and  genial  California  will  be  a  rich  and  populous  coun- 
try, irrespective  entirely  of  her  mineral  wealth  ;  and  as  farming, 
and,  by  and  by,  manufacturing  immigrants  pour  in,  that  time 
will  be  hastened.  San  Francisco  will  then,  as  now,  be  the  great 
port  of  the  State,  and  the  emporium  of  a  vast  commerce.  The 
Atlantic  and  Pacific  Railway,  which  has  been  discussed  for  so 
many  years,  and  which  must  soon  be  really  set  agoing,  will  in- 
crease to  an  incalculable  extent  the  population  and  prosperity 
both  of  California  and  San  Francisco.  By  whatever  route  the 
proposed  railroad  communication  is  made,  our  city  must  be  the 
chief  terminus  on  the  Pacific.  Meanwhile,  she  is  closely  dependent 
for  prosperity  upon  the  success  of  the  miners  and  the  increasing 
production  of  gold.  If  these  grow  fewer,  or  the  production  be 
seriously  reduced,  San  Francisco  must  suffer  most  severely  for 


488 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


a  time.  From  the  figures  given  above,  it  appears  that  the  an- 
nual production  of  gold  has  been  steadily  increasing  ;  while, 
from  what  is  known  of  the  character  of  the  mining  regions,  there 
seems  no  reason  to  fear  a  serious  falling  off  in  the  amount  for 
many  years  to  come.  Scientific  apparatus  and  superior  methods 
of  working  are  every  year  being  applied  to  the  auriferous  earth 
and  rocks,  which  readily  yield  richer  returns  than  ever.  Long 
before  the  mining  districts  can  be  worked  out,  for  profitable  labor, 
San  Francisco  will  have  the  millions  of  California  for  supporters 
of  her  commerce  and  patrons  of  her  magnificence.  Hitherto 
she  has  been,  and  from  her  unequalled  maritime  position,  her 
wealth,  population  and  enterprise,  must  always  be,  the  financial 
and  political,  the  vital  centre  of  the  State. 

During  1853,  the  population  of  San  Francisco  was  consider- 
ably increased.  At  the  close  of  the  year,  the  city  was  estimated 
to  contain  nearly  fifty  thousand  inhabitants,  or  more  than  a 
seventh  part  of  the  whole  population  of  California.  It  is  true 
that  many  of  these  were  only  temporary  residents,  but  as  they 
gradually  left  the  city,  their  places  were  supplied  by  an  equally 
large  number  of  occasional  visitors  or  fresh  immigrants.  The 
population,  permanent  and  fluctuating,  was  composed  of  all 
kindreds  and  peoples,  and  may  be  divided  thus  : 

Americans  (including  British  and  Irish  born — who  probably 
amounted  to  one-sixth  of  the  number),  32,000  ;  Germans,  5,500  ; 
French,  5,000  ;  Hispano- Americans,  3,000  ;  other  races  of  white 
extraction,  and  negroes,  1,500  ;  Chinese,  3,000  ;  total  50,000. 

About  8,000  of  this  population  are  females,  and  3,000  chil- 
dren ;  while  the  great  majority  of  the  remainder  are  men  between 
the  ages  of  twenty  and  forty  years.  The  greatest  number  of 
votes  given  at  any  one  election  have,  however,  been  only  11,000. 
This  is  partly  explained  by  the  fact  that  a  large  portion  of  the 
adult  males  are  neither  native  nor  naturalized  citizens. 

San  Francisco,  during  1853,  was  particularly  improved  by 
the  erection  of  a  large  number  of  elegant  and  substantial  fire- 
proof brick  and  stone  buildings.  Some  of  these  would  be  remark- 
able in  any  country  for  their  great  size,  strength  and  beauty. 
The  principal  portion  of  them  are  situated  on  the  east  side  of 
the  plaza,  in  Montgomery,  Battery,  Sansome  and  Front  streets, 


CITY  IMPROVEMENTS. 


489 


and  in  those  parts  of  the  cross  thoroughfares,  from  Jackson  to 
California  streets,  inclusive,  that  touch  or  lie  between  those  first 
named.  There  are  also  many  fine  brick  buildings  in  Stockton 
street.  "Montgomery  Block"  has  upwards  of  one  hundred  and 
fifty  rooms,  and  the  "  New  Kassette  House,"  nearly  two  hundred 
and  fifty.  Such  great  structures,  the  piles  called  the  "  Armory 
Hall,"  the  "  Express  building,"  the  "  Custom-House  Block,"  and 
many  others  of  nearly  as  grand  a  character,  have  cost  enormous 
sums  of  money  to  build.  At  North  Beach,  Mission  Bay  and 
Pleasant  and  Happy  Valleys,  many  elegant  private  dwellings  and 
manufacturing  establishments  have  been  reared,  and  on  Rincon 
Point  towers  the  splendid  United  States  Marine  Hospital,  sur- 
rounded on  the  land  sides  by  numerous  elegant  structures.  Some 
of  the  more  finely  finished  edifices  have  either  the  whole  front  or 
the  lower  story  formed  of  polished  Chinese  granite  ;  while  the 
fronts  of  nearly  all  the  larger  buildings,  constructed  of  brick,  are 
covered  with  a  fine  gray-colored  mastic  which  gives  them  all  the 
appearance  of  being  made  of  stone.  The  distant  reader  can 
scarcely  have  any  proper  conception  of  the  magnificence  of  some 
of  these  edifices,  so  different  from  the  character  of  buildings 
which  were  constructed  in  the  early  years  of  the  great  cities 
on  the  Atlantic  border.  It  was  the  repeated  recurrence  in 
former  days  of  conflagrations,  which  occasionally  destroyed  half 
the  city,  and  the  perpetual  liability,  from  local  position,  to  similar 
disasters,  that  induced  capitalists  to  endeavor  to  make  the  best 
and  most  valuable  portion  of  the  city  thoroughly  fire-proof.  To 
accomplish  that,  a  peculiarly  massive  and  imposing  style  of  archi- 
tecture has  been  adopted,  the  character  of  which  has  been  more 
particularly  noticed  in  a  previous  page.  The  later  fire-proof 
buildings,  like  the  earlier  ones,  are  all  provided  with  exterior 
window-shutters  and  doors  of  thick  wrought-iron.  This  circum- 
stance gives  the  best  street  architecture  of  San  Francisco  an 
appearance  which  is  peculiar  to  itself.  Engraved  illustrations 
can  scarcely  represent  the  general  effect,  arising  from  the  cause, 
and  which  the  actual  spectator  feels. 

While  in  the  centre  of  the  city  these  great  buildings  were 
rapidly  rising,  in  the  districts  beyond  and  in  the  outskirts,  other 
material  improvements,  in  levelling  the  unequal  ground  and 


490 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


erecting  additional  houses,  generally  of  frame,  and  in  the  forma- 
tion of  gardens,  were  being  daily  carried  on.  A  second  and  a 
third  time,  new  and  supposed  better  street  grades  were  being 
everywhere  established.  To  carry  out  these,  enormous  and  costly 
excavations  had  to  be  made  at  particular  localities,  while  at 
others  immense  mounds  of  earth  had  to  be  thrown  over  deep 
valleys.  Generally  the  streets  in  the  lower  part  of  the  city  were 
raised  several  feet  above  the  former  height,  while  on  the  high 
grounds  towards  the  north  and  west,  the  lines  of  streets  had 
to  be  lowered  from  ten  to  fifty  feet.  Although  the  city  gen- 
erally may  in  the  end  be  much  improved  by  the  adoption  of 
these  grades,  the  necessity  thereby  created  of  excavating,  or  of 
filling  up  the  building  lots  along  the  artificial  street  line,  and  of 
raising  or  of  lowering  substantial  buildings  already  erected,  to 
suit  the  new  level,  has  caused  incalculable  injury  and  loss  to  in- 
dividual citizens.  Perhaps,  under  the  existing  plan  of  San 
Francisco,  which,  as  we  have  elsewhere  explained,  is  on  the  prin- 
ciple of  strait  lines  of  street  crossing  each  other  at  right  angles, 
without  regard  to  the  natural  inequalities  of  the  ground,  some- 
thing like  the  existing  grades  of  the  streets  was  unavoidable,  if  a 
prudent  regard  was  to  be  had  to  the  future  appearance  of  the 
city  and  convenient  access  to  the  remotest  parts  of  it.  But  on 
viewing  the  sad  destruction  of  property  caused  to  particular  per- 
sons by  these  new  grades,  we  are  only  the  more  imbittered 
against  the  original  designers  of  the  town  for  their  absurd  math- 
ematical notions.  If  the  great  thoroughfares  had  been  adapted 
to  the  natural  configuration  of  the  tract  of  country  upon  wliich 
the  city  stands,  there  might  have  been  some  apparent  irregularity 
in  the  plan,  and  some,  perhaps  some  little  ground  available  for 
building  purposes  lost,  yet  many  millions  of  dollars  would  have 
been  saved  to  the  community  at  large,  which,  as  matters  stand, 
have  already  been  unprofitably  expended,  while  millions  more 
must  still  be  spent  in  overcoming  the  obstacles  wilfully  placed 
in  the  way  by  the  originally  defective  plans. 

But  leaving  such  unprofitable  discussion,  we  may  only  remark 
that  owing  to  the  adoption  of  these  new  grades,  an  immense  deal 
of  labor  was  performed  during  the  year,  both  in  forming  the 
streets  themselves  and  in  altering  the  buildings  along  the  sides 


CITY  IMPROVEMENTS. 


491 


of  them.  Many  new  streets  were  planked  for  the  first  time,  and 
some  of  the  old  ones  replanked.  Planking  has  served  well  in  the 
infancy  of  the  city,  but  it  is  probable  that  so  perishable  a  mate- 
•rial  will  soon  give  place  to  cobble-stones  or  Macadamized  paving, 
or  even  square  dressed  blocks  of  granite  or  whinstone.  San 
Francisco,  like  Rome,  cannot  be  built  in  a  day.  Already,  por- 
tions of  Montgomery  and  Washington  streets  are  finely  laid  down 
with  cobble-stones.  Meanwhile,  the  streets  in  general  have 
gradually  been  getting  into  clean  and  regular  order,  and  have  a 
pleasant  appearance.  They  and  the  buildings  lining  them  are 
in  many  respects  equal,  and  in  some  respects  superior  to  the 
streets  and  buildings  of  long  established  and  populous  cities  in 
the  Atlantic  States.  The  San  Franciscans  are  proud  of  their 
noble  city  that  sits  enthroned  beside  calm  waters,  and  as  Queen 
of  the  Pacific  receives  homage  and  tribute  from  all  seas  and 
oceans.  Richly  freighted  ships  from  every  land  visit  her  harbor. 
Her  buildings  are  becoming  palaces,  and  her  merchants,  princes. 
Wealth,  gayety  and  luxury  characterize  her  people.  She  is  fast 
approaching  that  peculiar  and  regal  character  which  in  days  of 
old  was  borne  by  the  great  maritime  cities  of  the  Mediterranean, 
in  more  recent  times  by  Venice  and  Genoa,  and  perhaps  at  this 
date  by  Amsterdam  and  St.  Petersburgh.  Like  the  great  mer- 
cantile cities  of  the  past,  San  Francisco  may  fall  in  her  pride  ; 
but  centuries  shall  first  pass.  She  is  very  young  yet,  and  has  a 
long  age  of  growing  grandeur  before  her.  The  commerce  of  the 
Pacific  is  only  beginning,  and  with  its  certain  increase  will  San 
Francisco  certainly  wax  greater  and  more  marvellous.  Her  spirit 
is  go  ahead  !  Wc  have  seen  her,  but  a  few  years  since,  only  a 
barren  waste  of  sand-hills — a  paltry  village — a  thriving  little 
town — a  budding  city  of  canvas,  then  of  wood,  and  next  a  great 
metropolis  of  brick.  In  a  few  years  more,  if  she  be  not  changed 
into  marble,  like  Augustan  Rome,  she  may  be  turned  into  as  beau- 
tiful and  enduring  substance,  into  Chinese  or  rather  Californian 
granite.  After  the  wonders  we  have  already  seen,  and  part  of 
which  we  have  described,  nothing  seems  impossible  in  the  pro- 
gress of  San  Francisco.  Her  future  will  be  far  more  glorious 
than  even  the  present.  As  the  lover  expatiates  rapturously  upon 
his  mistress,  whose  perfections,  though  nature  may  have  been 


492 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


bountiful,  he  chiefly  himself  creates,  so  do  the  San  Franciscans 
speak  of  their  beloved  city,  whose  magnificence  is  principally  the 
work  of  their  own  hands.  Some  glorification  is  natural  and  al- 
lowable on  the  subject. 

To  give  a  general  notion  of  the  condition  in  some  respects  of 
the  city  at  the  close  of  1853,  we  here  present  a  variety  of  miscel- 
laneous statistical  facts.  These  have  been  drawn  from  the 
columns  of  various  newspapers  of  the  day,  from  the  city  direc- 
tory, custom  house  and  other  records,  and  from  personal  observation. 

San  Francisco,  at  the  close  of  1853,  is  divided  into  8  wards 
for  municipal  purposes,  and  has  nearly  250  public  streets  and 
alleys  open,  many  of  which  are  graded  and  substantially  planked. 
It  has  2  public  squares  formed  and  already  surrounded  by  build- 
ings. Besides  an  immense  number  of  handsome  and  commodi- 
ous edifices  of  frame,  there  are  626  brick  or  stone  buildings, 
already  erected  or  in  course  of  erection,  within  the  limits  of 
Broadway  and  Bush  street,  Stockton  street  and  the  water  front. 
Of  these  350  are  two  stories  in  height  ;  154,  three  stories  ;  83, 
one  story  ;  34,  four  stories  ;  3,  five  stories  ;  and  1,  six  stories. 
Many  of  the  houses  are  very  large,  and  a  few  rival  in  size  and 
grandeur  the  finest  buildings  in  the  United  States.  Nearly  one 
half  of  the  whole  number  were  built  during  1853,  and  about  two 
thirds  have  been  constructed  in  the  most  substantial  manner, 
and  made  secure  against  the  hottest  fires.  The  real  estate  of 
the  city  was  valued,  on  the  1st  of  July,  at  $28,880,200.  As, 
since  that  period,  this  kind  of  property  has  risen  twenty-five  per 
cent,  in  marketable  value,  while  extensive  improvements  were 
making  in  the  interval,  the  valuation  will  justify  an  increase  of 
$10,000,000  on  the  estimate  made  in  the  summer.  There  are 
160  hotels  and  public  houses  with  a  descriptive  name,  66  restau- 
rants and  coffee  saloons,  63  bakeries,  5  public  markets  and  43 
private  ones,  20  bathing  establishments,  15  flour  and  saw  mills, 
13  foundries  and  iron  works,  and  18  public  stables. 

There  are  19  banking  firms,  of  which  more  than  one-half  are 
extensive  establishments  of  the  highest  credit ;  and  the  opera- 
tions of  a  single  one,  including  its  agencies,  have  been 
$80,000,000  in  one  year.  There  are  9  fire,  life  and  marine 
insurance  companies.     There  are  10  public  schools,  with  21 


CITY  IMPROVEMENTS. 


493 


teachers,  and  1250  scholars,  besides  several  private  educational 
establishments.    There  are  18  churches,  and  about  8000  church 
members.    There  are  6  military  companies  (one  of  them,  how- 
ever, being  chiefly  for  target  practice),  with  350  members  in  all, 
of  which  number  about  260  are  on  active  duty.    The  companies 
have  a  common  armory  and  drill  room.    There  are  14  fire  com- 
panies, numbering  about  840  members,  with  12  engines,  and  3 
hook  and  ladder  trucks.    There  are  38  large  public  cisterns  for 
the  use  of  the  fire  companies.    There  are  2  government  hospitals, 
1  hospital  in  the  course  of  erection  by  a  benevolent  society,  and 
an  alms-house,  all  having  together  about  600  patients,  besides 
private  establishments  of  the  same  nature.    There  are  8  lodges 
of  secret  benevolent  associations,  and  4  public  benevolent  socie- 
ties, connected  with  different  races.    There  is  a  fine  law  library, 
and,  be  it  said,  about  200  attorneys.    There  are  all  the  usual 
juiblic  buildings  which  are  required  in  a  city  of  the  size,  a  hand- 
some city  hall,  a  jail,  post-office,  custom-house,  and  city,  county 
and  state  court  rooms  of  various  denominations.    Tliere  is  also  a 
mint  erecting.    There  are  a  great  number  of  societies  for  mer- 
cantile, professional,  literary,  social  and  religious  purposes,  among 
which  are  the  Chamber  of  Commerce,  a  gas  and  water  compa- 
ny, a  plank  road  and  various  wharf  companies,  the  Mercantile 
Library  Association,  the  Christian  Library  Association,  Bible  and 
tract  societies,  several   asylums   for  orphans,  the  California 
Pioneers,  the  Philharmonic  Society,  the  Medical  Society,  the 
New  England  Society,  the  Turnverein  (Gymnastic  Society),  the 
Saeagerbund  (Singer's  band),  the  San  Francisco  Vcrcin,  and  the 
German  Club.    There  are  resident  consuls  for  27  foreign  govern- 
ments.   There  are  12  daily  newspapers,  of  which  8  are  morning 
papers,  3  evening  papers,  and  1  a  German  morning  paper. 
There  are  2  tri-weeklies,  both  of  them  French  ;  and  6  weeklies, 
of  which  3  are  religious,  1  commercial,  1  French,  and  1  a  Sun- 
day paper.    There  are  2  monthly  publications,  of  which  1  is  an 
agricultural  journal,  and  the  other  literary.    Among  places  of 
public   amusement,  there  are  5  American  theatres  (generally 
three  or  four  of  which  are  at  all  times  open),  a  French  theatre,  a 
musical  hall  for  concerts,  balls,  lectures,  exhibitions,  &o,  a  gym- 
nasium and  two  race  courses.    During  the  year,  there  were  open, 


494 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


besides  the  American  and  French  theatres,  a  German  theatre,  a 
Spanish  theatre,  and  a  Chinese  theatre.  The  billiard  rooms,  and 
the  public  and  private  places  at  which  gambling  is  carried  on, 
can  scarcely  be  counted  ;  and  the  same  may  be  said  of  the 
places  where  vast  quantities  of  intoxicating  liquors  are  daily 
consumed. 

There  are  18  ocean  steamers,  of  which  8  run  to  Panama,  4 
to  San  Juan  del  Sud,  2  to  Oregon,  and  4  to  points  on  the  coast 
of  California  ;  and  there  are  23  river  steamers,  which  ply  to  dif- 
ferent parts  on  the  bay  and  its  tributaries.  There  is  one  line  of 
daily  stages  to  San  Jose,  another  to  the  Ked  Woods,  and  one 
thrice  a  week  to  Monterey.  There  are  regular  lines  of  omnibuses 
on  the  plank  roads,  which  run  to  the  mission  every  half  hour. 
There  is  a  magnetic  telegraph  eight  miles  in  length,  from  Point 
Lobos,  for  reporting  vessels  ;  and  another,  extending  altogether 
upwards  of  three  hundred  miles,  to  Marysville,  through  San  Jose, 
Stockton  and  Sacramento.  There  are  2  great,  and  some  smaller 
express  companies,  which  convey  letters  and  packages  to  all  parts 
of  the  Union,  and  to  many  foreign  countries.  The  great  Atlan- 
tic mails  leave  twice  a  month,  via  Panama  ;  and  there  are  daily 
mails  to  all  places  of  importance  around  the  bay  or  on  the  Sacra- 
mento and  San  Joaquin  Rivers.  For  nearly  two  months,  in  the 
summer  of  1853,  a  weekly  mail  left  for  the  Eastern  States, 
but  this,  not  being  sufficiently  supported  by  government,  came 
abruptly  to  an  end.  About  1,000,000  of  letters  were  sent  during 
the  year  to  foreign  and  Atlantic  ports. 

The  settled  portion  of  the  city  covers  about  three  square 
miles.  The  principal  part  of  the  business  is  carried  on  in  houses 
erected  on  piles,  or  built  on  earth  filled  in  where  the  waves  of 
the  bay  rolled  three  years  ago.  There  are  2  plank  roads  to  the 
mission,  and  one  across  the  hills  on  Pacific  street,  on  the  way  to 
the  presidio.  There  are  12  large  wharves  projecting  directly 
into  the  stream,  besides  nearly  as  many  small  cross  ones.  About 
2  j  miles  of  streets  and  wharves  are  made  on  piles  over  the  water. 

During  1853,  there  were,  in  round  numbers,  imported  into 
San  Francisco,  100,000,000  pounds  of  flour  and  meal,  worth 
$5,000,000  ;  20,000,000  pounds  of  butter,  worth  $4,000,000  j 
25,000,000  pounds  of  barley,  worth  $500,000  ;  nearly  80,000,000 


COMMERCIAL  STATISTICS. 


495 


feet  of  lumber,  worth  $4,000,000  ;  29,500  casks,  and  12,000 
packages,  of  hams  ;  8,400  tierces,  hogsheads  and  casks,  700  bar- 
rels and  9,400  boxes,  of  bacon  ;  51,000  barrels  of  pork  ;  16,000 
barrels  of  beef;  about  40,000  barrels  of  refined,  and  100,000 
bags,  3,000  barrels  and  4,000  boxes,  of  raw  sugars  ;  100,000 
boxes  of  soap  ;  170,000  cases  of  candles  ;  1,100,000  pounds  of 
tea  ;  115,000  bags  of  coffee,  (not  including  some  13,000  boxes 
of  the  article  ground)  ;  2,300  tierces,  and  14,000  barrels  of 
Carolina  rice,  and  over  400,000  bags  of  foreign  rice  ;  and,  of  un- 
specified provisions,  50  tons  and  55,000  packages.  There  were 
also  imported,  among  a  variety  of  other  articles,  67,600  cases  of 
boots  and  shoes  ;  31,000  bales,  20,000  cases  and  boxes,  and  6,000 
packages,  of  dry  goods ;  80,000  tons  of  coal,  and  550,000  pack- 
ages of  unspecified  merchandise.  Likewise,  whiskey  equal  to 
20,000  barrels,  and  400  barrels  of  rum  ;  9,000  casks,  hogsheads 
and  pipes,  13,000  barrels,  2,600  kegs  and  6,000  cases,  of  bran- 
dy ;  34,000  baskets  of  champagne  ;  and,  of  other  wines,  9,150 
hogsheads  and  casks,  2,500  barrels,  1,800  kegs  and  156,000 
cases.  To  complete  the  long  list  of  "drinks,"  there  were  also 
imported,  of  beer,  24,000  casks  and  hogsheads,  13,000  barrels, 
and  23,000  cases  and  boxes  ;  and  of  "  unspecified  liquors,"  5,000 
pipes  and  casks,  6,000  barrels,  5,000  kegs,  8,000  cases  and  1,600 
packages.  These  importations  were  to  supply  the  wants  of 
fewer  than  four  hundred  thousand  persons,  resident  in  California 
and  Oregon,  and  some  of  them  in  the  Sandwich  Islands.  The 
total  imports  of  the  year  were  about  745,000  tons  of  goods,  and 
were  valued  at  upwards  of  $35,000,000  ;  or,  on  an  average,  two 
tons,  and  about  $100  for  every  person  in  the  State  of  California 
and  Territory  of  Oregon.  The  freights  to  vessels  coming  into 
San  Francisco  during  the  year  were  $11,752,084 ;  and  the 
duties  collected  at  the  custom  house  were  $2,581,975.  The 
only  exports  worthy  of  notice  were  about  $65,000,000  of  gold 
dust  (part  only  of  which  was  manifested),  and  18,800  flasks  of 
quicksilver,  valued  at  $683,189. 

The  arrivals  of  the  year  were  1028  vessels,  of  558,755  tons 
(though  carrying  about  one-third  more),  and  the  departures  were 
1653  vessels,  of  640,072  tons.  Of  the  entrances,  634  vessels3  of 
428,914  tons,  were  American,  and  394  vessels,  of  126,880  tons. 


496  ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 

were  foreign.  The  difference  between  the  statements  of  the  en- 
trances and  departures  arises  chiefly  from  the  circumstance  that 
the  many  vessels  engaged  in  the  Californian  coasting  trade  were 
cleared,  but  not  entered  in  the  custom  house.  The  quickest  pas- 
sages of  the  year  were  made  by  the  Flying  Fish  and  the  John 
Gilpin,  both  "  clipper  ships."  These  were  from  New  York,  and 
arrived  on  the  31st  January,  and  2d  February,  in  92  and  97 
days  respectively.  At  the  close  of  the  year,  there  were  72  square 
rigged  sailing  vessels  in  the  port,  consisting  of  21  ships,  36 
barques,  and  15  brigs.  A  few  weeks,  and  sometimes  a  few  days 
only,  were  now  sufficient  to  discharge  the  largest  vessels,  and  fit 
them  ready  to  depart  again  for  sea.  Besides  the  vessels  men- 
tioned as  being  in  port,  there  was  also  there  a  proportion  of  the 
large  ocean  steamers  and  those  that  plied  along  the  coast,  and  in 
the  bay  and  tributaries.  Many  old  "forty-niners"  and  other 
vessels  that  had  arrived  in  various  late  years,  served  as  store- 
ships,  or  lay  dismantled  and  neglected  in  various  parts  of  the 
harbor. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 
1853. 

Prosperity  of  San  Francisco. — Business  activity.— Fortunes  rapidly  made.— Disputes  concerning  titles 
to  real  estate.— Real  property  commanding  extravagantly  high  prices.— Social,  moral  and  intellec- 
tual characteristics.— Gambling. — Vice  less  concealed  in  San  Francisco  than  in  other  cities.— The 
female  population. — Expenses  of  house-keoping. — Foreign  population. — The  marvellous  progress 
of  the  city  during  tho  past  few  years. 

Many  of  the  observations  regarding  San  Francisco  and  its  citi- 
zens made  in  the  reviews  of  the  several  years  since  1849,  and  in 
the  chronological  order  of  the  proper  "  Annals,"  may  be  fitly  ap- 
plied in  describing  the  place  and  people  at  the  present  time. 
Cities  change  neither  their  moral  nor  physical  nature  in  a  twelve- 
month. The  same  broad  characteristics  that  marked  the  first 
great  increase  in  the  number  of  inhabitants  are  still  visible.  At 
the  beginning  of  1854,  the  citizens  are  as  remarkable,  as  in  1849 
they  were,  for  energy  for  good  and  evil,  and  the  power  of  over- 
coming physical  obstacles,  and  creating  mighty  material  changes. 
Every  where  in  the  city  is  the  workman  busy  at  his  trade.  La- 
borers of  various  kinds  are  still  hewing  down  the  rocky  hills, 
excavating  the  streets,  grading  and  planking  them ;  they  are 
levelling  building  lots,  and  'fearing  mammoth  hotels,  hospitals, 
stores,  and  other  edifices  ;  they  are  piling  and  capping  water 
lots,  and  raising  a  new  town  upon  the  deep  ;  gas  and  water 
works  are  forming  ;  sand  hiUs  are  being  continually  shifted,  and 
cast,  piecemeal,  into  the  bay.  The  wharves  are  constantly  lined 
with  clipper  and  other  ships,  the  discharge  of  whose  cargoes 
gives  employment  to  an  army  of  sailors  and  boatmen,  stevedores 
and  'longshoremen.  The  streets  are  crowded  with  wagons  and 
vehicles  of  every  description,  bearing  goods  to  and  from  the  huge 
stores  and  warehouses.  The  merchant  and  his  clerk  are  busily 
32 


498 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


buying  and  soiling,  bartering  and  delivering ;  and  fleets  of 
steamers  in  the  bay  and  rivers  are  conveying  the  greater  part  of 
the  goods  disposed  of  to  the  interior  towns  and  mining  districts. 
The  ocean  is  covered  with  a  multitude  of  ships  that  bear  all  man- 
ner of  luxuries  and  necessaries  to  San  Francisco.  Seven  hundred 
and  forty-five  thousand  tons  of  the  most  valuable  goods  were 
brought  into  port  in  one  year.  All  the  inhabitants  of  the  city 
are  in  some  measure  engaged  in  commerce,  or  in  those  manufac- 
tures and  trades  that  directly  enable  it  to  be  profitably  carried 
on,  or  in  supplying  the  wants,  the  necessities  and  extravagances 
of  the  proper  commercial  community.  The  gold  of  the  mines 
pays  for  every  thing,  and  it  all  passes  through  San  Francisco. 
Elsewhere  we  have  talked  of  the  high  ordinary  prices  of  labor, 
and  the  assurance  of  employment  to  the  earnest  workman,  who 
is  not  above  turning  his  hand  to  any  kind  of  work,  however 
severe  and  irksome  it  may  be. 

Numerous  fortunes  were  rapidly  made  in  the  early  days  of 
San  Francisco,  when  the  golden  gains  were  shared  among  a  few 
long-headed  speculators,  who  fattened  on  the  public  means,  or 
who  took  advantage  of  peculiar  circumstances,  or  who  had  for- 
tune absolutely  thrust  upon  them  by  lucky  accident.  The  ordi- 
nary rates  of  profit  in  all  kinds  of  business  were  very  great,  and 
unless  the  recipients  squandered  their  gains  in  gambling,  de- 
bauchery, and  extravagance,  they  were  certain  in  a  very  short 
time  to  grow  rich.  Capital,  when  lent,  gave  at  all  times  a  return 
of  from  thirty  to  sixty  per  cent,  per  annum,  with  the  best  real 
security  that  the  country  and  the  times  could  afford.  In  two 
years'  space,  the  financier  doubled  his  capital,  without  risk  or 
trouble  to  himself ;  and  the  accumulation  went  on  in  geometrical 
progression.  But  chiefly  it  was  the  holders  of  real  estate  that 
made  the  greatest  fortunes.  The  possession  of  a  small  piece  of 
building  ground  in  or  about  the  centre  of  business  was  a  fortune 
in  itself.  Those  lucky  people  who  held  lots  from  the  times 
before  the  discovery  of  gold,  or  who  shortly  afterwards  managed 
to  secure  them,  were  suddenly  enriched,  beyond  their  first  most- 
sanguine  hopes.  The  enormous  rents  paid  for  the  use  of  ground 
and  temporary  buildings  in  1849  made  all  men  covetous  of  real 
estate.    By  far  the  greater  part  had  originally  belonged  to  the 


VALUE  OF  REAL  ESTATE. 


499 


city,  formerly  the  so-called  pueblo,  or  village  of  Yerba  Buena  ; 
but  the  guardians  of  its  interests,  from  the  conquest  downwards, 
liberally  helped  themselves  and  their  friends  to  all  the  choice 
lots.  In  later  years,  the  unappropriated  lots  were  more  remote 
from  the  centre  of  business,  although  the  gradual  increase  of 
population  was  constantly  adding  to  their  value.  Numerous 
attempts  were  then  made  to  filch  from  the  city  its  more  distant 
tracts  of  land,  and  these  were  often  successful.  Meanwhile,  the 
legal  title  of  the  city  itself  to  all  its  original  estate  was  disputed, 
and  hosts  of  rival  claimants  started  up.  Conflicting  decisions  on 
the  subject  were  given  in  the  courts  of  law,  and  all  was  uncer- 
tainty and  confusion,  violence,  ending  sometimes  in  death  to  the 
parties,  and  interminable  litigation.  The  great  value  of  the 
coveted  grounds  led  to  reckless  squatterism,  and  titles  by  oppo- 
site claimants,  three  or  four  deep,  were  pretended  to  almost 
every  single  lot  within  the  municipal  bounds.  Those  who  had 
really  made  permanent  improvements,  or  who  held  actual  and 
lucrative  possession,  might  defy  the  squatter  ;  but  the  multitude 
of  unimproved  land  and  water  lots,  and  the  large  tracts  around 
the  business  part  of  the  city,  upon  which  as  yet  there  was  not 
even  a  fence,  were  fair  spoils  to  the  resolute  invader.  No  matter 
what  previous  title  was  alleged  ;  all  titles  were  doubtful — except 
possession  perhaps,  which  was  the  best.  We  have,  under  differ- 
ent dates,  noticed  at  length  the  speculations  of  the  city  guar- 
dians in  real  estate,  the  Colton  grants,  Peter  Smith  sales,  and 
squatter  outrages. 

The  temptation  to  perpetrate  any  trick,  crime,  or  violence, 
to  acquire  real  estate,  seemed  to  be  irresistible,  when  the  great 
returns  drawn  from  it  were  considered.  The  reader  in  the  Atlan- 
tic States,  who  may  think  of  the  usual  cheapness  of  land  in  new 
towns,  can  scarcely  realize  the  enormous  prices  chargeable  in  San 
Francisco  for  the  most  paltry  accommodation.  We  have  seen 
the  excessive  rents  paid  in  1849.  Four  years  later,  they  were 
nearly  as  high.  The  commonest  shops,  or  counting-rooms,  in 
ordinary  situations,  would  rent  at  from  §200  to  §400  per  month, 
while  larger  ones  would  readily  bring  §500  and  §600.  Capacious 
and  handsome  stores,  auctioneers'  halls,  and  the  like,  in  desirable 
localities,  would  often  be  held  at  §1000  per  month,  or  more. 


500 


ANNALS  OK  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


The  rents  of  the  larger  hotels,  of  the  restaurants,  coffee  saloons, 
gambling  and  billiard  rooms,  and  of  the  finer  stores  and  ware- 
houses, would  appear  almost  incredible  to  the  distant  reader. 
Ordinary  stores,  offices,  and  dwelling-houses  were  rented  at 
equally  extravagant  sums.  One  paid  away  a  moderate  fortune 
as  a  year's  rent  for  but  a  sorry  possession.  The  profits  of  general 
business  were  so  great  that  large  rents,  before  they  became  quite 
so  enormous,  were  readily  given.  Capitalists  built  more  and 
handsomer  houses,  which  were  tenanted  as  soon  as  ready  for 
occupation.  In  a  couple  of  years,  the  building  speculator  in  real 
estate  had  all  his  outlay  (which,  since  labor  and  materials  were 
so  very  high,  was  exceedingly  great)  returned  to  him  in  the 
shape  of  rents.  Henceforward  his  property  was  a  very  mine  of 
wealth.  As  rents  rose,  so  did  the  prices  of  such  property.  The 
richest  men  in  San  Francisco  have  made  the  best  portion  of  their 
wealth  by  the  possession  of  real  estate. 

For  several  years,  rents  and  the  marketable  value  of  real 
estate  had  been  slowly,  though  steadily  rising.  Towards  the 
close  of  1853,  they  were  at  the  highest.  At  that  period,  and 
generally  over  a  great  part  of  the  year  named,  trade  and  com- 
merce in  San  Francisco  were  unprofitable,  and  in  many  cases 
conducted  at  a  serious  loss.  An  excessive  importation  of  goods, 
far  exceeding  the  wants  of  California,  and  which  arose  doubtless 
from  the  large  profits  obtained  by  shippers  during  the  previous 
year,  led  to  a  general  fall  in  prices,  and  occasionally  to  a  com- 
plete stagnation  in  trade.  Then  it  was  found  that  the  whole 
business  of  the  city  seemed  to  be  carried  on  merely  to  pay  rents. 
A  serious  fall  in  these,  and  in  the  price  of  real  estate,  more 
especially  of  unimproved  land,  followed  this  discovery,  some  no- 
tice of  which  will  be  given  in  a  subsequent  chapter. 

As  we  have  said,  during  1853,  most  of  the  moral,  intellec- 
tual, and  social  characteristics  of  the  inhabitants  of  San  Fran- 
cisco were  nearly  as  already  described  in  the  reviews  of  previous 
years.  There  was  still  the  old  reckless  energy,  the  old  love  of 
pleasure,  the  fast  making  and  fast  spending  of  money,  the  old 
hard  labor  and  wild  delights,  jobberies  and  official  and  political 
corruption,  thefts,  robberies  and  violent  assaults,  murders,  duels 
and  suicides,  gambling,  drinking,  and  general  extravagance  and 


GAMBLING  STILL  PREVALENT. 


501 


dissipation.  The  material  city  was  immensely  improved  in  mag- 
nificence, and  its  people  generally  had  an  unswerving  faith  in  its 
glorious  future.  Most  of  them  were  removed  from  social  tram- 
mels, and  all  from  the  salutary  checks  of  a  high  moral  puhlic 
opinion.  They  had  wealth  at  command,  and  all  the  passions  of 
youth  were  burning  within  them.  They  often,  therefore,  out- 
raged public  decency  ;  yet  somehow  the  oldest  residenters  and  the 
very  family  men  loved  the  place,  with  all  its  brave  wickedness 
and  splendid  folly. 


Interior  of  the  El  Dorado. 


In  previous  chapters  we  have  dwelt  so  fully  upon  the  general 
practice  of  gambling  in  San  Francisco,  that  it  seems  unnecessary 
to  do  more  than  merely  allude  to  it  in  this  portion  of  the  "  An- 
nals." The  city  has  been  long  made  notorious  abroad  for  this 
vice.  Though  not  now  practised  to  the  large  extent  of  former 
years,  gambling  is  still  very  prevalent  among  many  classes  of  the 


502 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


inhabitants.  The  large  public  saloons,  so  numerous  in  1849, 
and  immediately  succeeding  years,  have  become  few  in  number 
at  the  date  of  writing  (April,  1854).  The  chief  of  them  are  the 
"El  Dorado,"  on  the  plaza,  and  the  "Arcade"  and  "Polka," 
in  Commercial  street.  These  places  still  exhibit  the  old  las- 
civious pictures  on  the  walls,  while  orchestral  music,  excellently 
performed,  continues  to  allure  the  idle,  the  homeless  and  family- 
less,  as  to  a  place  of  enjoyment,  where  their  earnings  are  foolishly 
spent.  The  cards  are  often  still  dealt  out  and  the  wheels  turned, 
or  dice  thrown,  by  beautiful  women,  well  skilled  in  the  arts 
calculated  to  allure,  betray  and  ruin  the  unfortunate  men  who 
become  their  too  willing  victims.  About  the  wharves,  and  in 
various  inferior  streets,  there  are  other  public  gaming  tables,  of 
a  lower  description,  where  the  miner  particularly  is  duly  fleeced 
of  his  bags  of  dust.  There  are  also  some  half  a  dozen  noted 
houses,  of  a  semi-public  character,  where  play  is  largely  carried 
on  by  the  higher  order  of  citizens.  In  these  places,  sumptuous 
refreshments  are  provided  gratuitously  for  visitors.  The  keepers 
are  wealthy  men,  and  move  in  the  better  social  circles  of  the 
town.  At  their  "  banks,"  single  stakes  are  quite  frequently 
made  as  high  as  a  thousand  dollars,  and  even  five  thousand  dol- 
lars are  often  deposited  upon  one  hazard.  The  "bankers,"  how- 
ever, are  not  too  proud  to  accept  a  single  dollar  stake.  The 
game  played  is  faro.  At  such  places,  very  large  sums  are  lost 
and  won  ;  and  many  fine  fellows  have  been  ruined  there,  as  well 
in  mind  as  in  pocket.  In  strictly  private  circles,  there  is  like- 
wise a  great  deal  of  play  carried  on,  involving  large  sums.  The 
good  old  game  of  "  long  whist "  is  ridiculously  slow  and  scientific 
for  the  financial  operations  of  the  true  gambler,  and  the  seducing 
"poker"  is  what  is  generally  preferred.  All  these  things  un- 
happily harmonize  but  too  well  with  the  general  speculative  spirit 
that  marks  the  people  of  San  Francisco. 

Though  there  be  much  vice  in  San  Francisco,  one  virtue— 
though  perhaps  a  negative  one,  the  citizens  at  least  have.  They 
are  not  hypocrites,  who  pretend  to  high  qualities  which  they  do 
not  possess.  In  great  cities  of  the  old  world,  or  it  may  be  even 
in  those  of  the  pseudo-righteous  New  England  States,  there  may 
be  quite  as  much  crime  and  vice  committed  as  in  San  Francisco, 


THE  FEMALE  POPULATION. 


503 


only  the  customs  of  the  former  places  throw  a  decent  shade  over 
the  grosser,  viler  aspects.  The  criminal,  the  fool,  and  the  volup- 
tuary are  not  allowed  to  boast,  directly  or  indirectly,  of  then- 
bad,  base,  or  foolish  deeds,  as  is  so  often  done  in  California.  Yet 
these  deeds  are  none  the  less  blamable  on  that  account,  nor  per- 
haps are  our  citizens  to  be  more  blamed  because  they  often  seek 
not  to  disguise  their  faults.  Many  things  that  are  considered 
morally  and  socially  wrong  by  others  at  a  distance,  are  not  so 
viewed  by  San  Franciscans  when  done  among  themselves.  It  is 
the  hurt  done  to  a  man's  own  conscience  that  often  constitutes 
the  chief  harm  of  an  improper  action  ;  and  if  San  Franciscans 
conscientiously  think  that,  after  all,  their  wild  and  pleasant  life 
is  not  so  very,  very  wrong,  neither  is  it  so  really  and  truly  wrong 
as  the  puritanic  and  affectedly  virtuous  people  of  Maine-liquor- 
prohibition,  and  of  foreign  lands  would  fain  believe. 

There  was  a  small,  though  steady  increase,  during  the  year 
in  the  number  of  female  immigrants.  New  domestic  circles  were 
formed,  and  the  happy  homes  of  old  countries  were  growing 
more  numerous.  Yet  while  there  are  very  many  beautiful, 
modest,  and  virtuous  women  in  San  Francisco,  fit  friends  and 
companions  to  honest  men,  it  may  be  said  that  numbers  of  the 
sex  have  fallen  very  readily  into  the  evil  ways  of  the  place. 
Perhaps  the  more  "  lovely "  they  were,  the  more  readily  they 
"  stooped  to  folly."  It  is  difficult  for  any  woman,  however 
pure,  to  preserve  an  unblemished  reputation  in  a  community  like 
San  Francisco,  where  there  is  so  great  a  majority  of  men,  and 
where  so  many  are  unprincipled  in  mind  and  debauchees  by  in- 
clination. Not  all  women  are  unchaste  whom  voluptuaries  and 
scandal-mongers  may  wish  to  think  such.  The  wives  and  daugh- 
ters of  respectable  citizens  must  be  held  pure  and  worthy.  Their 
presence  here  confers  inestimable  blessings  upon  society.  There 
are  known  mistresses  and  common  prostitutes  enough  left  to 
bring  disgrace  upon  the  place.  By  the  laws  of  California  divorces 
are  readily  obtainable  by  both  husband  and  wife,  one  of  whom  may 
think  him  or  herself  injured  by  the  unfaithful  or  cruel  conduct 
of  the  other,  and  who,  perhaps,  disliking  his  or  her  mate,  or  loving 
another,  may  wish  to  break  the  bonds  of  wedlock.  Divorces  are 
accordingly  growing  very  numerous  here,  and  have  helped  to 


504 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


raise  a  general  calumny  against  the  sex.  Some  of  the  newspa- 
pers now  regularly  give,  without  comment,  these  "  matrimonial 


San  Francisco  Beauties—  the  Celestial,  the  Seflora,  and  Madame. 


jars"  as  pieces  of  news  in  their  columns,  facetiously  placing 
"divorces"  between  the  ordinary  lists  of  "marriages"  and 
"  deaths."  Like  the  male  inhabitants,  the  females  of  San  Fran- 
cisco are  among  the  finest  specimens,  physically,  of  the  sex,  that 
can  anywhere  be  seen. 

The  subject  of  females  naturally  introduces  that  of  house- 
keeping ;  and  we  accordingly  take  occasion  here  to  mention  a 
few  items  regarding  the  expenses  of  a  family  in  San  Francisco  at 
the  beginning  of  1854.  The  wages  of  female  servants  are  from 
fifty  to  seventy-five  dollars  per  month.  Wood  costs  fifteen  dol- 
lars per  cord  ;  coal,  per  hundred-pound  sack,  three  dollars  ;  and 
the  same,  per  ton,  delivered,  fifty  dollars.  At  market,  the  best  cuts 
of  beef,  pork,  and  mutton,  are  thirty-seven  and  a  halt"  cents  per 
pound  ;  venison  is  thirty-one  cents  ;  salmon,  twenty-five  cents  ; 


FOREIGN  POPULATION. 


505 


best  fresh  butter,  one  dollar  ;  second  quality  of  the  same, 
seventy-five  cents ;  Goshen  butter,  fifty  cents  ;  fresh  eggs,  one 
dollar  and  twenty-five  cents  per  dozen  ;  Boston  eggs,  seventy- 
five  cents  per  dozen  ;  turkeys,  six  to  ten  dollars  each  ;  wild 
geese,  or  ducks,  one  dollar  each  ;  chickens,  two  dollars  and  fifty 
cents  to  three  dollars  each  ;  quails,  six  dollars  per  dozen  ;  pota- 
toes, two  to  three  cents  per  pound  ;  cabbages,  twenty-five  cents 
a  head  ;  cauliflowers,  thirty-seven  to  fifty  cents  each  ;  turnips, 
parsnips,  and  beets,  one  dollar  per  dozen  ;  milk,  twenty-five 
cents  per  quart.  Kents  of  dwelling-houses  vary  from  fifteen  or 
twenty  dollars  per  month,  for  a  single  small  apartment,  up  to 
five  hundred  dollars  per  month,  or  what  more  one  will,  if  a  sty- 
lish mansion  must  be  had. 

The  multitude  of  foreign  races  in  San  Francisco,  French, 
Germans,  and  Hispano-Americans,  with  all  their  different  com- 
plexions, tongues,  modes  of  dressing,  amusements,  manner  of  liv- 
ing, and  occupations,  so  different  from  those  of  the  Americans, 
and  the  numerous  half-helot  tribes  of  Chinese,  Lascars,  and  ne- 
groes, who  are  still  more  unlike  our  people  in  their  natural 
and  acquired  characteristics, — all  make  the  city  the  most 
curious  Babel  of  a  place  imaginable.  There  are  many  less, 
though  still  considerable  shades  of  difference  existing  anions- 
Americans  themselves,  who  are  drawn  from  all  corners  of  the 
Union,  and  between  them  and  the  various  distinctive  natives  of 
the  British  Isles.  Again,  there  are  numerous  individuals  from 
European  countries,  not  yet  named,  such  as  Italians,  Spaniards, 
Greeks,  Dutch,  Danes,  Swedes,  and  others.  All  these  peoples, 
differing  in  language,  blood,  and  religion,  in  color  and  other 
physical  marks,  in  dress  and  personal  manners,  mental  habits, 
hopes,  joys,  fears,  and  pursuits,  and  in  a  multitude  of  nice  par- 
ticulars, stamp  upon  San  Francisco  a  peculiarly  striking  and 
motley  character.  The  traveller  and  the  student  of  mankind 
will  meet  here  with  specimens  of  nearly  every  race  upon  earth, 
whether  they  be  red,  yellow,  black,  or  white.  Many  of  them 
are  still  seen  in  their  national  state,  or  at  least  with  the  broadest 
traces  of  their  native  qualities.  In  some  respects,  however,  per- 
haps most  of  them  have  been  deeply  impressed  by  the  genius  of 
the  place.    Such  show  the  peculiar  mark  of  Young  America  on 


506 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


the  Pacific — the  Californian,  and  especially  the  San  Franciscan 
"go-ahead"  disposition.  Let  the  immigrant  he  from  what 
country  and  of  what  personal  temperament  and  character  he 
may,  a  short  residence  here  will  make  him  a  shrewder  and  more 
eneigetic  man,  who  works  harder,  lives  faster,  and  enjoys  more 
of  both  intellectual  and  sensuous  existence  than  he  would  be 


Colored  population— Greaser,  CMnaman,  and  N<>gro. 


able  to  do  in  any  other  land.  On  any  occasion  of  public  excite- 
ment, such  as  a  fire,  a  fight,  an  indignation  or  filibustering 
meeting,  or  the  like,  there  is  gathered  together  a  multitude, 
which  cannot  be  paralleled  in  any  other  place,  of  stalwart, 
bearded  men,  most  of  whom  are  in  the  early  prime  of  life,  fine, 
healthy,  handsome  fellows.  The  variety  and  confusion  of  tongues 
and  personal  characteristics,  the  evident  physical  strength, 
reckless  bravery,  and  intelligence  of  the  crowd,  make  a  tout 
ensemble  that  is  very  awful  to  contemplate.  Turn  these  men 
into  an  angry  mob,  armed,  as  at  all  times  most  of  them  secretly 


ASTONISHING  PROGRESS   OF  THE  CITY. 

I 


507 


are,  with  revolvers  and  bowie-knives,  and  a  legion  of  drilled  sol- 
diers could  scarcely  stand  before  them.  These  youthful  giants 
are  the  working  spirits  of  San  Francisco,  that  have  given  it  a 
world-wide  fame  for  good  and  evil. 

When  the  early  California  pioneer  wandered  through  the 
city,  and  contrasted  the  lofty  structures  which  he  saw  on  all  sides  ; 
the  broad,  level,  and  bustling  streets,  the  chief  of  them  formed 
where  once  rolled  the  long  swell  of  the  sea  ;  the  great  fire-proof 
warehouses  and  stores,  filled  with  the  most  valuable  products  of 
all  lands ;  the  wharves,  crowded  with  the  largest  and  finest 
vessels  in  the  world ;  the  banks,  hotels,  theatres,  gambling 
.saloons,  billiard-rooms  and  ball-rooms,  churches,  hospitals  and 
schools,  gin  palaces  and  brick  palaces ;  the  imposing  shops, 
within  whose  plate-glass  windows  were  displayed  the  richest 
assortment  of  articles  of  refined  taste  and  luxury  ;  the  vast 
amount  of  coined  money  incessantly  circulating  from  hand  to 
hand ;  the  lively  and  brilliant  array  of  horse  and  carriage  riders  ; 
the  trains  of  lovely  women,  and  the  crowds  of  well-dressed,  eager 
men,  natives  of  every  country  on  the  globe,  most  of  whom  were 
in  the  flower  of  life,  and  many  were  very  models  of  manly  or  of 
feminine  beauty — for  the  cripple,  the  hunchback,  the  maimed  and 
deformed  find  not  their  way  hither — when  the  veteran  immigrant, 
contrasted  these  things  with  what  had  been  only  a  few  years 
before,  he  could  scarcely  persuade  himself  that  all  the  wonders 
he  saw  and  heard  were  aught  but  a  dream.  The  humble  adobes, 
and  paltry  wooden  sheds  ;  the  bleak  sand  hills,  thinly  dotted  with 
miserable  shrubs ;  the  careless,  unlettered,  ignorant,  yet  some- 
what gallant  Californians  ;  the  few  ragged  Indians  and  fewer  free 
white  men ;  the  trifling  trade  and  gentle  stir  of  the  recently 
founded  settlement  of  Yerba  Buena,  where  coin  was  a  curiosity ; 
the  great  mud  flat  of  the  cove  with  its  half  dozen  smacks  or 
fishing  boats,  canted  half  over  at  low  tide,  and  perhaps  a  mile 
farther  out,  a  solitary  square-rigged  ship,  the  peaceful  aspect  of 
the  village  of  the  olden  time — all  flashed  across  the  gazer's 
memory.  Before  one  hair  had  turned  gray,  ere  almost  the  suck- 
ing babe  had  learned  his  letters,  the  magic  change  had  been 
accomplished.  Plutus  rattled  his  money  bags,  and  straightway 
the  world  ran  to  gather  the  falling  pieces.    The  meanest  yet 


508  ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 

most  powerful  of  gods  waved  his  golden  wand,  and  lo  !  the  desert 
became  a  great  city.  This  is  an  age  of  marvels  ;  and  we  have 
seen  and  mingled  in  them.  Let  the  pioneer  rub  his  eyes  :  it  is 
no  mirage,  no  Aladdin's  palace  that  he  sees — but  real,  substan- 
tial tenements — real  men  and  women — an  enduring,  magnificent 
city. 

When  the  later  pioneer  took  his  sentimental  stroll,  memory 
only  recalled  the  frantic  scenes  of  the  memorable  '49 — a  period 
that  never  can  be  forgotton  by  those  who  saw  and  shared  in  its 
glorious  confusion.  The  lottery  of  life  that  then  existed  ;  the 
wild  business  and  wilder  amusements ;  the  boundless  hopes ;  the 
ingenious,  desperate  speculations;  the  fortunes  made  in  a  day 
and  lost  or  squandered  nearly  as  quickly  ;  the  insatiable  spirit  of 
play  ;  the  midnight  orgies ;  the  reckless  daring  of  all  things  ;  the 
miserable  shanties  and  tents ;  the  half-savage,  crime  and  poverty- 
stained,  joyous  multitudes,  who  had  hastened  from  the  remotest 
parts  of  the  earth,  to  run  a  terrible  career,  to  win  a  new  name, 
fortune  and  happiness,  or  perish  in  the  struggle  ;  the  com- 
mingling of  races,  of  all  ranks  and  conditions  of  society  ;  the 
incessant  rains  and  deep  sloughs  in  the  streets,  with  their  layers, 
fourteen  feet  deep,  of  hams,  hardware,  and  boxes  of  tobacco, 
where  among  clamorous  and  reckless  crowds  people  achieved  the 
dangerous  passage ;  the  physical  discomforts  ;  the  sickness,  deser- 
tion, despair  and  death  of  old,  heart-broken  shipmates  and  boy- 
hood companions,  whom  remorse  could  not  bring  again  to  life, 
nor  soothe  the  penitent  for  his  cruel  neglect  ;  the  rotting,  aban- 
doned fleets  in  the  bay ;  the  crime,  violence,  vice,  folly,  brutal 
desires  and  ruinous  habits ;  the  general  hell  (not  to  talk  profanely) 
of  the  place  and  people — these  things,  and  many  of  a  like  sad- 
dening or  triumphant  nature,  filled  the  mind  of  the  moralizing 
"  forty-niner." 

If  these  pioneers — and  like  them  every  later  adventurer  to 
California  may  think  and  feel,  for  all  have  contributed  something 
to  the  work — lent  themselves  to  the  enthusiasm  and  fancy  of  the 
moment,  they  might  be  tempted  with  the  Eastern  king  to 
proudly  exclaim,  and  as  truly  :  Is  not  this  great  Babylon  that  I 
have  built,  for  the  house  of  the  kingdom,  by  the  might  of  my 
power,  and  for  the  honor  of  my  majesty  I    Many  obstacles,  both 


ASTONISHING  PROGRESS  OF  THE  CITY. 


509 


of  a  physical  and  moral  nature,  have  been  encountered  and  grad- 
ually overcome  before  the  grand  result  was  obtained.  Hills  were 
removed  and  the  deep  sea  filled  up.  Town  after  town  was  built, 
only  to  be  consumed.  Great  fires  destroyed  in  one  hour  the  labor 
of  months  and  years.  Commercial  crises  and  stagnation  in  trade 
came  to  crush  individuals.  The  vagabonds  and  scoundrels  of 
foreign  lands,  and  those  too  of  the  federal  Union,  were  loosed 
upon  the  city.  Robbers,  incendiaries  and  murderers,  political 
plunderers,  faithless  "fathers"  and  officials,  lawless  squatters, 
daring  and  organized  criminals  of  every  description,  all  the  worst 
moral  elements  of  other  societies,  were  concentrated  here,  to 
retard,  and  if  possible  finally  destroy  the  prosperity  of  the  place. 
All  were  successively  mastered.  Yet  the  excesses  of  the  "  Hounds," 
the  scenes  of  the  great  fires,  the  action  of  the  "  Vigilance  Com- 
mittee," and  the  crimes  that  created  it,  the  multitude  of  indigna- 
tion meetings  and  times  of  popular  strife,  the  squatter  riots,  and 
the  daily  occurrence  of  every  kind  of  violent  outrage — whatever 
was  most  terrible  in  the  history  of  the  city,  will  ever  be  remem- 
bered by  the  early  citizens.  Some  of  the  worst  of  these  things 
will  never  again  occur  ;  and  others  are  being  yearly  modified,  and 
deprived  of  much  of  their  old  frightful  character.  For  the 
honest,  industrious  and  peaceable  man,  San  Francisco  is  now  as 
safe  a  residence  as  he  can  find  in  any  other  large  city.  For  the 
rowdy  and  "  shoulder-striker,"  the  drunkard,  the  insolent,  foul- 
mouthed  speaker,  the  quarrelsome,  desperate  politician  and  ca- 
lumnious writer,  the  gambler,  the  daring  speculator  in  strange 
ways  of  business,  it  is  a  dangerous  place  to  dwell  in.  There  are 
many  of  such  characters  here,  and  it  is  principally  their  excesses 
and  quarrels  that  make  our  sad  daily  record  of  murders,  duels, 
and  suicides. 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 


1854. 

Meeting  of  citizens  regarding  the  State  Revenue  Act — Run  on  Adams  &  Co. — Banking  and  bank- 
ing-houses.— The  Express  Building. — Weather  unusually  cold. — Effects  of  the  weather  upon  the 
interests  of  tho  country. — Le  Count  &  Strong's  Directory  for  1854. — Loss  of  the  clipper  ship 
San  Francisco. — The  city  lighted  with  gas. — Riot  at  the  Mercantile  Hotel. 

January  9th. — Large  public  meeting  held,  of  parties  chiefly 
interested,  at  the  Merchants'  Exchange,  to  consider  the  effect  of 
certain  late  decisions  by  the  Supreme  Court,  which  had  estab- 
lished the  constitutionality  of  the  State  Revenue  Act  of  15th 
May,  1853.    Many  of  the  provisions  in  this  Act,  such  as  the 
heavy  license  duties  laid  upon  auctioneers  and  others ;  the  duty 
of  one  per  cent,  chargeable  on  goods  and  real  estate  exposed  to 
auction ;  that  of  "  ten  cents  upon  each  one  hundred  dollars  of 
business  estimated  to  be  transacted  "  by  bankers,  and  dealers  in 
exchanges,  stocks,  gold  dust,  and  similar  occupations ;  and  par- 
ticularly the  tax  of  sixty  cents  per  one  hundred  dollars  laid  upon 
"  consigned  goods,"  were  considered  to  be  unequal,  oppressive  and 
unconstitutional  in  their  operation.    The  following  were  declared 
to  be  "  consigned  goods  "  within  the  meaning  and  intent  of  the 
Act :  "  All  goods,  wares,  merchandise,  provisions,  or  any  other 
property  whatsoever,  brought  or  received  within  this  State  (Cal- 
ifornia) from  any  other  State,  or  from  any  foreign  country,  to  be 
sold  in  this  State,  owned  by  any  person  or  persons  not  domiciled 
in  this  State."    It  was  estimated,  that  if  the  tax  upon  "con- 
signed goods"  were  enforced,  an  annual  burden  of  $300,000 
would  be  laid  upon  shippers  to  the  port.    In  like  manner,  the 
tax  upon  the  sales  of  personal  property,  to  say  nothing  of  those 
of  real  estate,  would  form  a  burden  of  $125,000  annually  ;  while 
the  duties  leviable  upon  the  banking  class  would  be  so  monstrous 


REVENUE  ACT — BANKING  HOUSES.  511 

that  their  business  could  not  be  carried  on.  The  parties  against 
whom  these  duties  were  leviable,  refused  to  pay  them  ;  and 
accordingly  actions  had  been  raised  by  the  proper  officials  on  the 
part  of  the  State  to  try  their  legality.  The  Supreme  Court  of 
California  had  just  established  that  point  in  favor  of  the  State, 
but  those  who  were  affected  by  the  obnoxious  provisions  of  the 
Revenue  Act  still  refused  to  acknowledge  their  validity. 

At  the  meeting  above  mentioned  (Alfred  Dewitt,  chairman), 
resolutions  were  unanimously  passed — condemning  the  objection- 
able parts  of  the  Revenue  Act  as  ':  flagrantly  oppressive  and 
unjust " — declaring  that  they  never  would  be  submitted  to,  until 
r  all  lawful  and  proper  methods  of  redress  should  be  exhausted  " — 
instructing  counsel  to  move  for  a  rehearing  of  the  case  before 
the  Supreme  Court,  and  to  prosecute  all  appeals  that  could  be 
made  to  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States — that  a  me- 
morial should  be  prepared  and  laid  before  the  Legislature  praying 
for  a  repeal  of  the  Act  complained  of — and  that  various  com- 
mittees should  be  appointed  to  collect  subscriptions  from  the 
citizens  and  carry  out  the  views  expressed  in  the  resolutions.  Such 
committees  were  accordingly  chosen,  and  the  meeting  separated. 

While  we  write,  the  matters  complained  of  remain  in  an 
unsatisfactory  and  unsettled  state.  The  law  has  not  been  enforced 
and  there  is  considerable  doubt  whether  it  ever  can  or  will  be. 
The  subject  is  one  of  great  importance  to  the  prosperity  of  San 
Francisco,  and  has  added  strength  and  bitterness  to  the  charges 
often  made  against  the  Legislature,  that  it  consults  in  its  pro- 
ceedings more  the  interests  of  the  mining  and  agricultural  than 
of  the  commercial  portion  of  the  State. 

January  18th. — Run  upon  Adams  &  Co.,  bankers.  This 
commenced  on  the  evening  of  the  17th,  and  continued  all  next 
day.  It  arose  from  the  circumstance  that  the  name  of  Adams 
&  Co.  did  not  appear  among  the  published  list  of  those  who  had 
exported  gold  by  the  semi-monthly  steamers.  The  firm  named 
had  actually  shipped  their  usual  quantity  of  specie,  but  this  fact 
was  not  known  to  the  public.  Upwards  of  a  thousand  of  the 
smaller  depositors  took  the  alarm,  and  hastened  to  withdraw  their 
money.  The  house,  whose  solvency  was  undoubted  by  large 
capitalists,  was  well  able  to  meet  the  unexpected  demand,  and, 


512 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


by  the  close  of  business  on  the  18th,  had  paid  out  §416,000.  In 
a  short  time  afterwards,  their  old  customers  gladly  re-deposited  the 
sums  so  hastily  drawn.  We  take  this  opportunity  to  make  a  few 
remarks  upon  banking  in  San  Francisco. 

There  are  no  chartered  banks  in  California.  By  the  Consti- 
tution, no  corporation  for  banking  purposes  can  exist  in  the 
State,  nor  is  any  species  of  paper  circulation  admitted.  The 
first  regular  banking  house  in  San  Francisco  was  established  on 
the  9th  day  of  January,  1849,  under  the  firm  of  Naglee  &  Sinton. 
Their  "  Exchange  and  Deposit  Office  "  was  on  Kearny  street, 
fronting  the  plaza,  in  the  building  known  as  the  Parker  House, 
and  on  the  site  of  the  present  City  Hall.  Mr.  Sinton  soon  retired 
from  the  firm.  The  business  was  then  continued  by  Mr.  Naglee 
until  the  run  already  noticed,  on  the  bank,  in  September  1850. 
when  he  closed.  Prior  to  the  opening  of  this  office,  deposits 
were  made  with  the  different  mercantile  houses  having  safes,  such 
as  Ward  &  Co. ;  W.  H.  Davis  ;  Melius,  Howard  &  Co. ;  Dewitt  & 
Harrison  ;  Cross  &  Co.  ;  Macondray  &  Co.,  and  others.  This  was 
not  only  the  case  at  San  Francisco,  but  at  places  in  the  interior. 
At  Sutter's  Fort,  and  afterwards  at  Sacramento  City,  the  princi- 
pal houses  of  deposit  were  S.  Brannan  &  Co. ;  Hensley,  Reading 
<t  Co.  ;  and  Priest,  Lee  &  Co. 

As  the  population  increased,  the  work  of  receiving  and  pay- 
ing out  deposits  became  so  great,  that  the  necessity  of  houses 
devoted  especially  to  the  business  began  to  be  felt  ;  and  these 
accordingly  were  soon  established.  At  the  close  of  1849,  the 
following  houses  were  in  operation  : 

Henry  M.  Naglee   established  January  9th,  1849. 

Burgoyne  &  Co   do       June  5th  " 

B.  Davidson   do       about  September  " 

Thomas  G.  Wells  (afterwards  Wells  &  Co),  do  do  October  " 
James  King  of  William   do       December  5th,  " 

Previous  to  the  discovery  of  gold  and  the  consequent  rapid 
influx  of  population,  there  was  but  very  little  coin  in  the  country, 
and  that  little  mostly  in  the  towns  of  Monterey,  San  Francisco, 
San  Diego  and  Los  Angeles.  Payments  throughout  the  country- 
were  frequently  made  in  cattle,  hides,  &c.  The  gentleman, — 
an  eminent  banker  in  San  Francisco, — from  whom  we  have  ob- 


BANKING  HOUSES — EXPRESS  BUILDING. 


513 


tained  these  and  the  following  facts  upon  banking,  has  seen  an 
account,  credited,  "  by  two  cows  in  full"  for  a  physician's  bill  of 
$20.  This  was  in  1847,  and  near  Los  Angeles.  After  the  dis- 
covery of  gold,  that  substance  in  its  natural  state  became  the 
currency,  and  passed  in  all  business  operations  at  $16  per  ounce. 
The  scarcity  of  coin  was  so  great  about  and  for  some  time  after 
that  period,  and  the  demand  for  it  to  pay  custom-house  duties 
so  urgent,  that  gold  dust  was  frequently  offered  at  $8  and  $10 
per  ounce.  This  was  particularly  the  case  in  the  months  of 
November  and  December,  1848.  During  the  same  months  in 
1849,  the  bankers'  rates  were  as  follows  :  for  grain  dust,  $15.50 
to  $15.75  per  ounce  ;  and  for  quicksilver  dust,  $14.50  to  $14.75 
per  ounce.  This  was  when  coin  was  paid  out  for  the  dust. 
When  the  bankers  received  it  in  deposit,  they  valued  it  at  $16 
per  ounce  and  repaid  it  at  the  same  rate. 

D.  J.  Tallant  (now  Tallant  &  Wilde),  opened  his  bank- 
ing house  in  February,  1850  ;  and  Page,  Bacon  &  Co.,  and 
F.  Argenti  &  Co.,  theirs  in  June  of  the  same  year.  Subsequently 
several  others  were  established.  At  this  date  (April,  1854),  the 
following  houses  are  in  operation  : — Burgoyne  &  Co.,  established 
June  5th,  1849  ;  B.  Davidson,  September,  1849  ;  James  King 
of  Wm.,  December  5th,  1849  ;  Tallant  &  Wilde,  February,  1850  ; 
Page,  Bacon  &  Co.,  June,  1850  ;  Adams  &  Co.  (first  as  express 
agents,  now  express  and  banking  house)  ;  Palmer,  Cook  &  Co.  ; 
Drexel,  Sather  &  Church  ;  Robinson  &  Co.  (savings  bank)  ; 
Sanders  &  Brenham  ;  Carothers,  Anderson  &  Co.  ;  Lucas, 
Turner  &  Co. 

January  20th. — The  "  Express  Building,"  north-east  corner 
of  Montgomery  and  California  streets,  completed,  the  foundations 
having  been  laid  in  September,  1853.  This  is  another  of  Mr. 
Samuel  Brannan's  magnificent  street  improvements.  The  build- 
ing is  seventy-five  feet  high,  having  four  stories  and  a  basement,  and 
has  a  front  on  Montgomery  street  of  sixty-eight  feet,  and  on  Cal- 
ifornia street,  of  sixty-two  and  a  half  feet,  and  cost,  exclusive 
of  the  land.  $180,000.  The  lot  is  valued  at  $100,000.  Wells, 
Fargo  &  Co.,  bankers  and  express  agents,  and  Pollard  &  Co., 
real  estate  and  money  brokers,  occupy  the  lower  floor.  In  the 
fourth  story  the  society  of  California  Pioneers  have  their  hall 
33 


,314  ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


and  secretary's  office.  The  remainder  of  the  building  is  used 
for  a  variety  of  business  purposes. 


Express  Building. 


An  unusual  degree  of  cold  was  experienced  in  San  Fran- 
cisco for  several  days  about  this  time,  exceeding  any  thing 
that  "  the  oldest  inhabitant "  recollected.  To-day,  ice,  in  some 
places  an  inch  thick,  was  formed  in  the  streets.  Within  doors, 
the  water  in  pitchers  was  generally  frozen.  At  two  o'clock 
p.  m.,  icicles  a  foot  in  length  hung  from  the  roofs  of  houses  on 
which  the  sun  had  been  shining  all  day.  The  small  lagoons 
around  the  city  were  frozen  over,  and  excellent  skating  was  had 


THE  WEATHER  AND  ITS  EFFECTS. 


515 


on  ponds  near  the  mission.  The  hills  in  Contra  Costa  and  near 
the  mission  had  their  summits  covered  with  snow. 

There  is  a  whimsical  notion  among  native  Californians,  that 
the  coming  of  "  these  Yankee  devils "  has  completely  changed 
the  character  of  the  seasons  here,  the  winter  months  especially 
being,  it  is  believed,  now  wetter  and  colder  than  before  the 
American  advent,  The  excessive  rains  of  the  winters  of  1849- 
50,  and  1852-53,  lent  some  fanciful  support  to  the  Calif  .rniau 
faith.  The  frosts  and  snows  of  January,  1854,  seemed  to  cor- 
roborate it.  The  winter  of  1850-51  on  the  other  hand,  was  warm, 
dry  and  agreeable,  to  a  degree  seldom  experienced  even  in  the 
usually  mild  climate  of  California. 

We  have  alluded  here  particularly  to  these  facts,  from  the 
circumstance  that  San  Francisco  is  peculiarly  dependent  on  the 
weather,  inasmuch  as  the  character  of  the  latter  materially  affects 
the  production  of  gold  in  the  mining  regions.  Too  much  water 
or  too  little,  at  particular  seasons  of  the  year,  will  equally  pre- 
vent mining  from  being  very  successful.  In  summer,  the  miners 
are  generally  engaged  at  what  are  called  the  "  wet  diggings,"  in 
or  beside  the  beds  of  rivers,  when  these  are  low.  There,  unex- 
pected rains  and  consequent  floods  would  ruin  all  their  prospects. 
At  other  periods  of  the  year,  when  the  rivers  are  full,  the  miners 
work  upon  the  "dry  diggings,"  upon  plains,  uplands,  and  in 
ravines,  which  are  often  at  a  considerable  distance  from  any 
stream.  As,  however,  large  quantities  of  water  are  required  for 
the  purpose  of  washing  the  auriferous  earth,  rains  then  become 
necessary.  In  many  districts  at  certain  seasons,  rich  "  dry  dig- 
gings "  have  been  prematurely  deserted  for  want  of  sufficient 
supplies  of  water.  To  rectify  this  want,  large  rivers  have  been 
turned,  at  great  labor  and  expense,  from  their  course,  and  their 
waters  led  by  artificial  channels  to  whatever  places  they  may 
be  in  demand,  those  persons  using  the  water  paying  certain 
rates  for  the  privilege.  The  water  companies,  many  of  which 
possess  large  capitals,  form  peculiar  features  of  the  mining  dis- 
tricts. They,  however,  can.  assist  but  a  small  portion  of  the 
whole  number  of  "  dry  diggings,"  and  copious  rains  are  indispen- 
sable for  the  rest.  The  rains  in  the  early  part  of  the  winter  of 
1853-54  had  been  very  slight  ;  and  great  inconvenience  was  expe- 


516 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


rienced  at  the  mines  for  want  of  the  usual  supplies  of  water. 
The  rivers  were  too  full  for  "  wet  diggings,"  and  the  plains  and 
hill  sides  too  dry  for  "  dry  diggings."  The  production  of  gold 
was  therefore  materially  lessened,  and  this  fact,  joined  with  a 
glut  of  imported  goods,  and  heavy  charges  upon  business,  partic- 
ularly the  enormous  rents,  had  produced  much  commercial  dis- 
tress about  this  period  in  San  Francisco.  In  the  spring  of  1854, 
abundant  rains  fell,  which  set  the  miners  all  busy  at  profitable 
work,  and  it  was  expected  by  many  that  commerce  would  con- 
sequently revive.  Other  circumstances,  however,  prevented  that 
desirable  event,  which  shall  be  noticed  in  the  next  chapter. 

February. — Publication  of  the  San  Francisco  Directory  for 
1854.  This  is  only  noticed  from  the  circumstance  of  its  being 
much  the  fullest  and  most  reliable  directory  that  had  appeared 
here.  It  contained  the  names  and  addresses  of  about  twelve 
thousand  persons  ;  and,  in  an  Appendix,  a  very  great  deal  of 
useful  and  curious  information  about  the  city.  The  canvasser 
and  compiler  was  Frank  Rivers.  It  was  published  by  LeCount 
&  Strong. 

February  8th. — Loss  of  the  clipper  ship  San  Francisco,  from 
New  York  to  this  port.  This  was  a  fine  new  ship  of  large  ton- 
nage, whose  cargo  was  valued  at  $400,000.  In  beating  through 
the  entrance  to  the  bay,  she  missed  stays  and  struck  the  rocks 
on  the  north  side,  opposite  Fort  Point.  This  was  nearly  at  the 
spdt  where  the  English  outward-bound  ship  Jenny  Lind,  from 
the  same  cause,  was  wrecked  a  few  months  before.  The  "  Golden 
Gate  "  is  narrow,  but  the  channel  is  deep  and  perfectly  safe,  if 
only  its  peculiarities  be  known  and  attended  to.  The  loss  of  the 
ships  named  was  supposed  to  be  more  attributable  to  the  igno- 
rance or  neglect  of  their  pilots  than  to  any  natural  dangers  in  the 
place  at  the  time.  If  it  were  obligatory  on  masters  of  sailing 
vessels,  not  small  coasters,  to  employ  steam-tugs  to  bring  their 
ships  from  outside  the  Heads  into  the  harbor,  such  accidents  as 
these  could  not  occur.  It  appears  that  twenty-three  large  ves- 
sels have  either  been  wrecked,  stranded,  or  seriously  injured  in 
San  Francisco  Bay  since  1850.  This  number  is  exclusive  of  any 
accidents  occurring  to  vessels  at  anchor  in  the  roadsteads,  or  lying 


THE  CITY  LIGHTED  WITH  GAS.  517 

at  the  wharves.  The  total  losses  in  the  harbor,  since  1850,  are 
estimated  to  have  exceeded  a  million  and  a  half  dollars. 

The  wreck  of  the  San  Francisco  was  attended  by  circum- 
stances very  discreditable  to  some  of  the  people  in  and  around 
the  city.  So  soon  as  the  occurrence  was  known,  a  multitude  of 
plunderers  hastened  to  the  wreck,  and  proceeded  to  help  them- 
selves from  the  ship's  hold.  It  was  in  vain  that  the  owners  or 
their  agents  attempted  to  drive  them  away.  Some  two  hundred 
dare-devil  Americans,  nearly  all  armed  with  the  usual  weapons, 
five  or  six-shooters  and  bowie  knives,  were  not  to  be  frightened 
by  big  words.  They  stood  their  ground,  and  continued  to  take 
and  rob  as  they  pleased,  plundering  from  each  other  as  well  as 
from  the  ship.  It  was  said  that  even  some  of  the  soldiers  from 
the  presidio  crossed  the  strait,  and  became  wreckers  themselves. 
Then  a  storm  came,  and  scattered  and  capsized  the  deep-laden 
boats  that  were  bearing  the  spoil  away.  Some  were  carried  out 
to  sea,  and  were  lost  ;  others  were  swamped  close  beside  the  wreck 
and  a  few  of  their  passengers  were  drowned.  The  number  of 
lives  lost  could  not  be  exactly  ascertained,  although  it  was  sup- 
posed that,  at  least,  a  dozen  persons  must  have  perished  in  the 
midst  of  their  unhallowed  occupation.  There  were  no  fives  lost 
of  those  connected  with  the  San  Francisco.  She  was  sold  after 
the  wreck,  as  she  lay,  her  contents  included,  for  $ 12,000.  A  short 
time  afterwards,  and  when  some  of  the  lighter  parts  of  the  cargo 
had  been  removed,  the  ship  went  to  pieces,  as  had  been  the 
case  with  the  Jenny  Lind,  before  her. 

February  11th. — The  city  was  first  lighted  with  coal  gas  on 
the  evening  of  this  day.  The  occasion  was  celebrated  by  several 
hundred  citizens  at  a  banquet  given  by  the  trustees  of  the  "  San 
Francisco  Gras  Company,"  in  the  Oriental  Hotel.  Already  about 
three  miles  of  pipes  were  laid  in  the  streets,  to  be  increased  as  the 
public  accommodation  required.  At  first,  only  a  few  of  the  prin- 
cipal streets  and  some  of  the  leading  hotels  and  large  mercantile 
establishments  were  lighted  with  gas  ;  but  every  day  the  number 
is  increasing.  The  "  Metropolitan "  theatre,  a  few  weeks  after 
this  date,  adopted  the  new  light.  It  will,  of  course,  soon  become 
general,  and  prove  a  great  benefit  to  the  city.  When  in  addition 
to  gas,  the  leading  street-grades  are  completed,  the  streets  them- 


518 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


selves  properly  paved  with  stone,  and  fresh  water  introduced  by 
the  "  Mountain  Lake  Water  Company/'  San  Francisco  will  pre- 
sent an  appearance  equally  agreeable  and  striking  to  those  who 
recollect  the  dangers  and  troubles  of  traversing  its  old  swampy 
paths  on  dark  nights.  The  price  charged  by  the  company  for 
the  gas  was  §15  per  thousand  feet.  In  regard  to  this  rate,  J.  M. 
Moss,  the  president  of  the  company,  remarked  at  the  entertain- 
ment above  alluded  to,  that,  considering  that  in  San  Francisco 
the  price  of  coal  was  $36  to  $40  per  ton — money,  36  per  cent, 
per  annum — labor,  §6  to  §7  per  day — gas  was  furnished  here  50 
per  cent,  lower  than  in  New  Orleans,  and  about  20  per  cent 
lower  than  in  New  York.  The  San  Francisco  Gas  Company  was 
incorporated  with  a  capital  of  $450,000,  and  their  works  were 
commenced  in  November,  1852.  These  are  situated  on  Front 
6treet,  one  hundred  and  thirty-seven  and  a  half  feet,  extending 
from  Howard  to  Fremont  street,  along  which  streets  they  have  a 
depth  of  two  hundred  and  seventy-five  feet.  The  company  was 
organized  with  the  following  officers  : — President — Beverley  C. 
Sanders  ;  Vice-President — J.  Mora  Moss  ;  Secretary — John 
Crane  ;  Trustees — B.  C.  Sanders,  J.  M.  Moss,  James  Donahue, 
John  H.  Saunders,  John  Crane. 

The  first  street  lamps  in  San  Francisco  were  erected  in  Mer- 
chant street,  by  Mr.  James  B.  M.  Crooks,  in  October,  1850. 
They  were  lighted  with  oil,  and  to  be  paid  for  by  private  subscrip- 
tion. The  same  gentleman  had  also  completed  the  erection  of 
ninety  lamps,  on  the  20th  of  February,  1852,  on  Montgomery, 
Clay,  Washington  and  Commercial  streets,  to  be  paid  for  in  a 
similar  manner.  These,  with  the  exception  of  four  posts,  were 
all  destroyed  by  the  fire  of  the  4th  of  May  following.  In  the 
autumn  of  1852,  the  common  council  contracted  with  Mr.  Crooks 
to  light  the  city  within  the  limits  of  Battery,  Kearny,  Jackson 
and  California  streets.  This  contract  was  carried  out  until  the 
introduction  of  gas  as  above  related,  by  a  contract  made  with 
Mr.  James  Donahue  for  the  "  San  Francisco  Gas  Company." 

February  17th. — A  serious  riot  took  place  this  afternoon  at 
the  Mercantile  Hotel,  when  the  policemen  in  their  endeavors  to 
perform  their  duty  by  apprehending  the  rioters,  were  maltreated 
by  them,  and  severely  injured. 


CHAPTER  XXX. 


1854. 

Commercial  depression. — Decrease  in  the  value  of  real  estate  and  merchandise. — Combination  of  the 
steamboat  owners.— Eates  of  freight  and  passage  on  river  steamers.— Duels  and  duelling.— Sale 
of  "government  reserve"  town  lots. — Celebration  of  St.  Patrick's  day.— Conviction  of  filibusters 
—Opening  of  the  San  Francisco  branch  mint— The  Pacific  railroad. — Falling  of  the  U.  S.  bonded- 
warehouse. — Explosion  of  the  boiler  of  the  steamboat  "Secretary." — Arrival  of  Chinese  immi- 
grants.—Quick  passage  of  the  clipper  ship  "Flying  Cloud."— Wreck  of  the  "  Golden  Fleece." 

March. — San  Francisco  is  passing  through  a  time  of  much  mer- 
cantile distress.  For  many  months  before  this  period,  commer- 
cial business  had  been  unprofitable  to  those  conducting  it.  We 
have  already  alluded  to  the  circumstance  that  an  excessive 
quantity  of  goods  had  arrived  during  the  latter  part  of  1853. 
In  the  spring  of  1854,  importations  continued  very  large.  The 
market  was  completely  glutted,  and  prices  of  the  great  staples 
of  commerce  fell  day  by  day.  Several  bankruptcies  ensued,  and 
the  whole  commercial  community  were  suffering  severe  losses. 
The  clipper  ship  Bald  Eagle,  and  some  other  vessels,  were  fully 
freighted  to  New  York  and  other  eastern  ports  with  goods  simi- 
lar to  those  they  had  recently  brought  from  thence.  Besides  the 
general  lack  of  business  and  low  prices  of  merchandise,  one  great 
cause  of  commercial  losses  here  was  the  high  rents  charged  for 
stores  and  general  business  premises.  During  1853,  an  unusual- 
ly large  number  of  expensive  fire-proof  buildings  had  been  erect- 
ed, which  at  first  were  in  great  demand  at  much  increased  rates. 
When  sales  and  prices  of  goods  fell  off,  dealers  could  no  longer 
afford  to  pay  the  raised  rents.  It  was  found,  at  the  same  time, 
that  builders  had  been  largely  anticipating  the  natural  demand 
for  business  accommodation,  and  had  erected  far  more  houses 
than  could  be  profitably  occupied.  Soon  the  large  number  of 
empty  stores  forced  owners  of  house  property  to  reduce  rents  from 


520 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


twenty  to  thirty  per  cent.  ;  at  which  reduction  not  many  more 
tenements  were  occupied  than  before. 

All  this  while,  as  building  was  briskly  going  on  and  rents 
were  rising,  the  marketable  value  of  all  kinds  of  real  estate  was 
greatly  enhanced.  Unimproved  lots,  within  a  wide  circle  round 
the  settled  portions  of  the  city,  became  suddenly  in  demand,  at 
many  times  their  recent  price.  Speculation  in  real  estate  was 
rife,  and  holders  who  had  the  prudence  timeously  to  sell  out,  real- 
ized large  sums.  Many  people  thought  that  surely  the  advance 
could  not  last,  but  it  did  ;  and  prices  still  continued  to  rise. 
Had  trade  been  good,  it  is  hard  to  say  how  high  and  how  long 
the  increased  prices, — great  part  of  which  was  certainly  without 
just  cause, — would  have  gone  on  ;  although  doubtless  the  reac- 
tion would  have  come  by  and  by.  The  bad  condition  of  com- 
mercial affairs,  and  the  reduction  in  store  rents,  hastened  the 
downfall.  About  the  close  of  December,  1853,  at  the  time  of 
the  great  sales  of  water  lots,  prices  of  real  estate  were  about  the 
highest.  Two  months  later,  unimproved  town  lots  were  almost 
unsalable  at  any  price,  while  house  property  suffered  a  fall  cor- 
responding to  the  reduction  in  rents.  This  led  to  the  failure  of  a 
few  speculators  in  real  estate.  Looking,  disinterestedly,  at  the 
great  extent  of  ground  around  the  city  still  unbuilt  upon,  the 
number  of  empty  stores,  the  acknowledged  overdoing  of  com- 
mercial business,  and,  above  all,  the  comparatively  slow  rate  at 
which,  of  late,  the  population  of  the  State  and  city  is  increasing, 
it  appears  to  us  highly  probable  that  many  years  will  pass  before 
the  recent  high  prices  be  again  witnessed.  Most  likely,  the 
present  reduced  prices  for  all  kinds  of  real  estate,  but  more  par- 
ticularly for  unimproved  lots,  will  continue,  for  some  months,  to 
fall  lower.  When  the  population  of  the  State,  and  by  conse- 
quence that  of  its  great  port,  are  materially  increased,  prices  of 
real  estate  in  San  Francisco  may  be  expected  to  rise  far  above 
the  present  or  even  the  recent  high  rates. 

While  there  seemed  not  much  hope  for  any  rise  in  the  value 
of  real  estate  for  a  long  period,  prices  of  merchandise  in  the  lat- 
ter part  of  this  month  began  slightly  to  improve.  The  prospects 
of  a  general  European  war,  and  the  expected  diminution  of  ship- 
ments from  other  ports  to  San  Francisco,  as  well  as  the  increasing 


DUELS  AND  DUELLING.  521 


production  of  gold  at  the  mines,  led  to  the  belief  that  before  long 
the  commercial  market  would,  at  last,  become  again  profitable  to 
merchants.  All  mercantile  communities  are  subject  to  occasional 
depression,  but  these  in  the  end  work  their  own  cure.  In  the 
instance  before  us,  the  chief  loss  would  fall,  not  upon  the  general 
inhabitants  of  San  Francisco, — who  only  got  their  merchandise 
cheaper, — nor  even  on  its  many  commission  merchants  ;  but  on 
the  foreign  shippers  who  wilfully  and  recklessly  continued  to  flood 
our  market  with  goods  that  were  not  wanted  at  the  time. 

About  this  time,  a  combination  was  formed  among  the  own- 
ers of  the  various  steamboats  plying  on  the  bay  and  interior 
waters.  The  capital  of  this  great  joint-stock  association,  called 
the  "  California  Steam  Navigation  Company,"  was  declared  to  be 
$2,500,000  ;  divided  into  shares  of  $1000.  It  was  provided  that 
the  partnership  should  exist  for  fifty  years  after  the  22d  day  of 
February,  1854, — that  being  the  date  of  incorporation.  Mer- 
chants and  others,  both  in  San  Francisco  and  the  large  interior 
towns,  considered  that  their  interests  would  be  prejudicially 
affected  by  this  combination,  which  would,  for  a  time  at  least, 
effectually  hinder  all  competition.  Very  soon,  the  people  of  Ma- 
rysville  and  Sacramento  began  to  call  public  meetings,  and  agi- 
tate the  question  of  no  monopoly.  Preliminary  arrangements, 
while  we  write,  are  being  undertaken  to  form  companies  to  start 
opposition  boats. 

The  rates  of  freight  and  passage  established  by  the  old  com- 
bined companies  are  as  follows  : — From  San  Francisco  to  Sacra- 
mento ;  passage,  $10  cabin,  and  $7  deck  ;  freight,  $8  per  ton. 
From  San  Francisco  to  Marysville  ;  passage,  $12  cabin,  and  $10 
deck;  freight,  $15jL>er  ton,  and  $12  measurement.  From  San 
Francisco  to  Stockton  ;  passage,  $10  cabin,  and  $7  deck  ;  freight, 
$6  per  ton. 

March  9th. — Much  excitement  was  caused  by  a  duel  which 
took  place  this  day  between  Mr.  Philip  W.  Thomas,  district  at- 
torney for  Placer  County,  and  Dr.  James  P.  Dickson,  of  the  State 
Marine  Hospital  at  San  Francisco.  Mr.  Thomas  had  been  chal- 
lenged by  another  party  for  certain  derogatory  remarks  he  had 
made  upon  the  character  of  the  challenger,  but  had  refused  to 
fight  a  duel  with  the  latter,  on  some  such  ground  as  that  he  was 


522 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


"no  gentleman."  Dr.  Dickson,  a  friend  of  the  challenger,  there- 
upon took  the  quarrel  on  himself,  and  in  his  own  name  challenged 
Mr.  Thomas.  The  parties  met  at  Oak  Grove,  near  Sacramento, 
close  by  the  spot  where  the  fatal  duel  between  Gilbert  and  Den- 
ver had  taken  place,  in  August,  1852.  On  this  occasion,  the 
weapons  were  duelling  pistols,  and  the  distance  fifteen  paces. 
At  the  first  fire,  Dr.  Dickson  fell  mortally  wounded.  He  was 
shot  through  the  body,  and  died  the  same  evening.  His  death 
was  much  regretted  by  a  numerous  body  of  friends. 

The  practice  of  duelling  seemed  to  be  on  the  increase  about 
this  time,  and  much  attention  was  drawn  to  the  subject.  It  was 
admitted  to  be  a  barbarous  custom,  and  many  suggestions  were 
made  as  to  how  it  could  best  be  put  down.  Perhaps  a  Cervantes 
or  a  Butler  may  hereafter  arise  to-  laugh  it  out  of  fashion. 
"  Courts  of  honor,"  if  only  patronized  by  the  leading  politicians, 
who  are  usually  here  compelled  to  be  great  "  fire-eaters,"  might 
have  much  influence  in  banishing  the  vice  from  among  us. 
Newspaper  editors  in  California  have  long  been  particularly  ex- 
posed not  merely  to  the  literary  raking  fire  of  antagonists  but  to 
their  literal  fire.  Their  professional  motto  should  surely  be  tarn 
Marte  quam  Minerva — by  pen  and  rifle  to  do  business.  Shortly 
after  the  Dickson  duel,  rival  editors  of  the  Alia  California  and 
Times  and  Transcript,  of  San  Francisco,  thought  fit  to  afford 
each  other  a  long  shot.  Kifles,  and  forty  paces,  were  of  course 
the  weapons  and  distance.  At  the  third  fire,  one  of  the  combat- 
ants had  a  good  hat  spoiled  by  a  ball  which  passed  through  it, 
within  an  inch  of  the  head  that  was  in  it.  At  the  fifth  fire,  the 
same  party  received  a  bullet  in  his  body,  and  was  "  satisfied." 
Only  about  a  hundred  persons  were  witnesses  of  the  occurrence. 
Usually  there  is  a  much  larger  number  of  spectators  on  such  oc- 
casions. Of  course,  the  duellists  and  their  friends  were  not  mo- 
lested by  the  civil  authorities.  Why  should  they  have  been  ? 
No  legal  evidence  could  be  obtained  on  the  subject ;  and,  if  it 
could,  no  jury  would  convict.  Several  other  duels  were  fought 
during  this  month  ;  and  some  others  that  were  feared,  or  hoped 
for,  were  happily  nipped  in  the  bud.  The  excitement,  which  ran 
high  for  a  time  on  the  general  subject  of  duelling,  and  led  to 


CELEBRATION  OF  ST.  PATRICK'S  DAY.  523 

many  admirable  appeals  by  journalists  on  the  surpassing  folly  of 
such  encounters,  speedily  died  away. 

Elsewhere  we  have  noticed  the  facts,  that  the  constitution 
declares  all  those  who  have  been  directly  or  indirectly  concerned 
in  duelling  to  be  incapable  of  filling  any  office  in  the  State,  and 
that,  notwithstanding,  many  of  the  highest  officials  are  notorious 
for  having  fought  duels.  The  provision  in  the  constitution  is 
quite  inoperative.  A  general  opinion  was  expressed  about  this 
time  that  the  law  of  Louisiana  on  this  subject  should  be  adopted, 
which  obliges  parties,  before  entering  upon  any  State  office  to 
which  they  may  have  heen  elected,  to  take  an  oath  to  the  effect 
that  they  had  not  been  engaged  in  any  manner  of  way,  as  prin- 
cipal or  second,  in  any  duelling  affair.  By  striking  thus  directly 
at  a  man's  pecuniary  interest,  Louisiana,  formerly  noted  for 
duels,  has  ceased  to  be  so.  It  is  believed  by  many  that  such  a 
compulsory  oath  would  materially  help  to  put  down  duelling  in 
California.  Most  citizens  hope  in  time  to  till  some  lucrative  post 
in  the  government,  and  some  of  them  would  pause  awhile  before 
they  allowed  a  momentary  gratification  of  passion  to  spoil  all 
their  political  prospects.  The  scheme  may  be  worth  trying,  al- 
though its  effect, — where  so  many  in  California  are  neither  na- 
tive nor  naturalized  citizens,  and  whom  therefore  the  proposed 
law  would  not  affect, — might  not  lead  to  the  universal  good 
anticipated.  Still,  many  who  are  urged  to  duelling  and  who  do 
fight,  through  mere  force  of  a  supposed  public  opinion  or  sense- 
less clamor  that  hounds  them  on,  would  be  very  glad  to  have  the 
excuse  of  such  a  law  as  is  proposed,  for  their  refusal  to  accept  a 
challenge. 

March  9th. — Sales  took  place  this  and  the  next  day  of  the 
interest  which  the  State  had  in  certain  portions  of  the  town  lots 
called  the  "Government  Reserve,"  when  the  sum  of  $241,100 
was  realized.  The  prices  obtained  were  considerably  lower  than 
what  had  been  freely  given  at  the  great  sale  rather  more  than 
two  months  before. 

March  17th. — St.  Patrick's  day.  The  Irish  population  in 
San  Francisco  celebrated  this  occasion  in  a  very  grand  manner. 
Two  of  their  associations — the  "  Hibernian  Society  of  San  Fran- 
Cisco,"  and  the  "  Sons  of  the  Emerald  Isle,"  united  in  performing 


524  ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 

the  ceremonies.  There  was  a  large  procession  of  the  members 
formed,  which  paraded  through  the  city,  and  then  proceeded  to 
the  mission.  In  the  old  church  there  the  Rev.  Father  O'Connell 
addressed  the  people  in  a  suitable  oration.  Previously,  they  had 
been  entertained  by  a  substantial  collation  served  on  the  green 
at  the  residence  of  Mr.  Wallace,  at  the  mission.    The  procession 


Wilson's  Exchange,  Ssnsome  Street. 

next  returned  to  the  city,  and  made  sundry  evolutions  in  the 
plaza,  and  marched  through  some  of  the  principal  streets.  There 
were  nearly  a  thousand  persons  engaged  at  the  ceremony,  some 
hundreds  of  whom  were  on  horseback.  All  were  dressed  in  holi- 
day garb,  and  many  wore  characteristic  green  sashes.  A  fine 
band  of  music,  and  a  beautifully  painted  flag,  showing  the  wolf- 
dog  and  harp  of  Erin,  headed  the  procession.  There  was  much 
excitement  among  the  Irish  citizens,  and  Erin  go  bragh  !  was 
the  order  of  the  day.  In  the  evening  the  festivities  were  wound 
up  by  a  grand  dinner  at  Wilson's  Exchange  (Henry  Toomy  in 
the  chair),  and  a  splendid  ball  at  the  Musical  Hall. 

March  24th. — Col.  H.  P.  Watkins  was  this  day  convicted, 
in  the  United  States  District  Court,  of  setting  on  foot  a  military 
expedition  against  the  Republic  of  Mexico — in  other  words,  of 


SAN  FRANCISCO  BRANCH  MINT. 


525 


"  filibusterism."  This  gentleman  had  been  "  Vice-President  "  of 
the  new  Republics  of  Lower  California  and  Sonora.  Though  he 
was  found  guilty  by  a  jury  of  the  alleged  offence,  it  is  not  to  be 
supposed  that  the  general  opinions  of  the  inhabitants  of  Califor- 
nia on  the  subject  of  filibustering  expeditions  were  different  from 
those  which  have  been  previously  mentioned.  If  the  very  judge 
in  his  charge  to  the  jury  on  this  occasion  could  openly  declare  his 
sympathy  with  the  prisoner,  it  may  naturally  be  supposed  that 
the  people  in  general  felt  and  expressed  a  similar  sentiment. 
Judge  Hoffman,  who  presided  at  the  trial,  is  reported  to  have 
thus  spoken  :  "  From  my  heart  I  sympathize  with  the  accused, 
but  I  am  sworn  to  the  execution  of  the  law,  and  must  discharge 
my  duty,  whatever  my  sympathies  may  be.  To  the  law  and  to 
the  evidence  then  we  must  turn  our  exclusive  attention.  I  may 
admire  the  spirited  men  who  have  gone  forth  on  these  expe- 
ditions, to  upbuild,  as  they  claim,  the  broken  altars,  and  rekindle 
the  extinguished  fires  of  liberty  in  Mexico  or  Lower  California. 
It  may  be  that  they  are  not  adventurers,  gone  forth  to  build  up 
for  themselves  a  cheap  fortune  in  another  land.  But  even  were 
my  opinion  of  their  purposes  such,  and  their  objects  as  glowing 
and  as  honorable  as  depicted  by  counsel,  still,  sitting  as  a  judge, 
I  should  regard  only  the  single  question,  has  the  law  been 
violated  ?  " 

The  evidence  was  clear,  and  decidedly  against  the  accused, 
and  the  jury  had  no  help  but  to  convict  him.  On  the  7th  of 
April  following,  he  was  sentenced  to  pay  a  fine  of  $1500.  On 
the  10th  of  the  same  month,  Major  Frederick  Emory,  another 
of  the  filibusters,  and  Secretary  of  State  for  the  new  Republic, 
entered  a  plea  of  "guilty"  to  a  similar  charge  to  that  of  which 
Col.  Watkins  had  been  convicted.  Maj.  Emory  also  was  fined 
$1500.  The  parties  afterwards  professed  their  inability  to  pay 
these  fines.  While  we  write,  it  appears  to  be  a  doubtful  ques- 
tion in  law,  or  in  fact,  whether  they  can  be  compelled  either  to 
pay  them  or  to  be  imprisoned  till  they  do  so,  and  it  is  probable 
that  neither  Col.  Watkins  nor  Maj.  Emory  will  be  much  troubled 
about  the  business.    Thus  are  matters  managed  in  California. 

April  3d. — Opening,  for  business  purposes,  of  the  Mint. 
The  bill  by  the  United  States  Government  for  the  establishment 


526 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


of  this  much-needed,  long  looked-for  institution,  dates  so  far 
back  as  3d  July,  1852  ;  but  it  was  only  towards  the  end  of  1853 
that  active  steps  were  taken  to  construct  the  edifice,  and  provide 
the  necessary  machinery.  The  building  is  situated  in  Commer- 
cial street,  between  Montgomery  and  Kearny  streets.  It  is  sixty 
feet  square,  and  three  stories  high  ;  it  is  built  of  brick,  covered 


San  Francisco  United  States  Branch  Mint. 


with  a  fine  cement,  and  is  thoroughly  fire-proof.  The  machinery 
is  of  the  newest,  finest  and  strongest  kind  used  in  such  establish- 
ments. This  Mint  can  coin,  in  gold,  about  thirty  millions  of 
dollars  yearly,  in  different  kinds  of  pieces,  or  nearly  $100,000 
daily.  The  silver  coinage  produced  by  it  will  be  comparatively 
small. 

For  some  years,  many  private  coining  establishments  existed 
here,  though,  at  this  date,  there  is  only  one  in  operation.  It  was, 
however,  the  firm  of  Moffat  &  Co.,  long  the  United  States  Assay 
Contractors,  which  chiefly  supplied  the  large  gold  coinage  that 
was  required  by  the  increasing  population  and  commercial  tran- 
sactions of  the  country. 


THE  PACIFIC  RAILROAD. 


527 


April  10th. — Lecture  given  by  Gov.  Isaac  J.  Stevens,  of 
Washington  Territory,  in  Musical  Hall,  to  a  large  and  respect- 
able audience,  on  the  subject  of  the  great  Inter-oceanic  Railway. 
It  is  evident  that  the  agricultural  and  other  resources  of  Califor- 
nia can  never  be  fairly  developed,  until  some  cheaper,  more  expe- 
ditious, and  less  hazardous  and  painful  mode  of  reaching  the 
country  be  provided,  than  the  present  overland  way  across  the 
great  plains,  or  the  Isthmus,  or  round  by  Cape  Horn.  What 
California  wants  is  population  ;  an  industrious,  active,  intelligent 
population.  If  the  long  talked  of  Atlantic  and  Pacific  Railroad 
were  once  formed,  the  western  terminus  being  in  the  State,  this 
want  would  soon  be  remedied.  Three  general  routes  have  at 
different  times  been  proposed  for  this  great  undertaking.  These 
are  :  first,  the  southern  route,  which  proceeds  from  Texas  through 
the  Mesilla  Valley,  in  the  northern  part  of  the  Mexican  territories, 
and  enters  California  at  the  southern  extremity  of  the  State  ; 
second,  the  middle  route,  which  proceeds  from  the  State  of  Mis- 
souri across  the  plains  to  Utah,  and  from  thence  across  the  Sierra 
Nevada  to  some  point  on  the  Sacramento  River  ;  and  third,  the 
northern  route,  which  would  connect  the  basin  of  the  St.  Law- 
rence with  Puget  Sound,  passing  along  the  lines  of  the  Upper 
Missouri  and  the  Colombia  Rivers.  This  last  route  lies  consider- 
ably to  the  north  of  California.  Gov.  Stevens,  in  his  lecture, 
dwelt  much  on  the  advantages  which  the  extreme  northern  route 
possessed  over  all  other  proposed  routes — on  its  comparatively  low 
levels,  its  freedom  from  deep  snows,  the  fertile  country  in  its 
course,  &c.  In  the  present  thinly  peopled  condition  of  the 
immense  regions  which  lie  between  the  Eastern  States  and  the 
Pacific  coast,  it  is  probable  that  no  more  than  one  through  rail- 
way will  be  made  for  a  great  length  of  time.  It  is  therefore  of 
the  utmost  consequence  to  San  Francisco,  and  to  California,  that 
that  railway  should  terminate  within  the  bounds  of  the  State, 
and  if  possible  at  its  chief  city.  It  should  never  be  forgotten, 
that  Puget  Sound  offers  commercial  advantages  nearly  as  many 
and  as  great  as  the  Bay  of  San  Francisco  presents,  for  the  estab- 
lishment of  a  great  maritime  city  upon  its  shores.  If  the 
western  terminus  of  the  Inter-oceanic  Railway  be  made  at  the 
former  great  inlet  of  the  sen,  immigration  will  be  prematurely 


528 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


diverted  from  California,  and  turned  directly,  and  chiefly,  to  the 
advantage  of  a  far  northern  territory.  The  people  of  San  Fran- 
cisco and  of  California,  if  they  study  their  own  interest,  will  take 
care  that  a  rival  State  and  city  do  not  suddenly  arise  to  over- 
shadow their  own  greatness.  The  best  way  to  maintain  the 
supremacy  of  the  former  is  to  make  sure,  by  all  and  whatever 
means,  that  the  first  great  Inter-oceanic  Railroad  terminate  at 
San  Francisco.  Later  through  lines  may  terminate  where  they 
will ;  only  let  our  city  have  the  first  one. 


City  of  Oakland,  Contra  Costa. 


April  10th. — Oakland,  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  bay 
directly  opposite  San  Francisco,  is  to  the  latter,  something  like 
what  Brooklyn  is  to  New  York.  Between  the  two  former  places 
there  are  frequent  daily  opportunities  of  communication  by 
steamers.  Many  people  who  carry  on  business  during  the  day 
in  San  Francisco,  have  their  dwellings  and  families  at  Oakland. 
The  latter  is  one  of  the  sweetest  and  most  beautiful  places  on 
the  bay.  It  is  a  great  excursion  quarter  for  holiday  folk  from 
San  Francisco.    As  its  name  inqdies,  Oakland  is  celebrated  for 


FALLING  OF  THE  BONDED  WAREHOUSE. 


529 


its  trees,  of  the  live-oak  kind,  which  give  at  all  times  a  pecu- 
liarly cheerful  and  refreshing  character  to  the  place.  Recently 
a  small  village,  then  a  thriving  town,  it  has  now  assumed  the 
name,  if  not  all  the  pretensions  of  a  city,  although  the  inhabi- 
tants number  only  two  or  three  thousand.  Of  this  date,  the 
first  election  under  the  city  charter  took  place,  when  Mr.  Horace 
W.  Carpentier  was  chosen  mayor. 

April  12th. — A  portion  of  the  U.  S.  Bonded  Warehouse, 
at  the  corner  of  Battery  and  Union  streets,  fell.  This  was  only 
one  of  several  accidents  of  a  like  nature  which  happened  about 
this  time.  Public  attention  on  this  occasion  was  strongly  drawn 
to  the  generally  inferior  character  of  building  materials  used  in 
San  Francisco,  and  to  the  supposed  frail  condition  of  many  of 
the  most  elegant  and  apparently  substantial  structures  in  the 
city.  Not  only  is  the  greater  part  of  the  materials — such  as 
brick,  lime  and  timber,  employed  in  building,  of  an  inferior 
quality,  but  the  sites  on  which  the  houses  have  been  erected  are 
of  a  shifting  and  treacherous  nature.  Nearly  all  the  edifices 
situated  below  the  line  of  Montgomery  street  have  been  built  on 
what  was  only  a  few  years  ago  the  bed  of  the  sea.  The  mud 
bottom  of  Yerba  Buena  Cove,  on  which  dry  sand  has  been  loosely 
heaped,  to  form  the  foundations  of  these  edifices,  could  scarcely 
be  expected  to  be  very  secure.  Accordingly,  by  the  unequal 
sinking  of  the  walls,  many  fine  houses  have  been,  or  will  soon  be, 
totally  ruined.  The  tides  are  also  continually  washing  out 
particles  of  the  loose  sand,  and  thus  still  more  danger  is  threat- 
ened to  the  stability  of  many  buildings.  It  seems  absolutely 
necessary  for  the  protection  of  the  lower  part  of  the  city,  that  a 
great  sea  wall,  on  the  outer  front  of  the  harbor,  be  soon  con- 
structed. Until,  however,  the  various  schemes  which  are  being 
continually  hatched,  for  extending  the  water  front  are  for  ever 
settled,  one  way  or  another,  and  the  really  permanent  water  front 
fixed,  nothing  can  be  done  regarding  a  sea  wall.  If,  in  addition 
to  such  a  breastwork  against  the  waves  on  one  side  and  the  roll- 
ing sands  on  the  other,  the  foundations  of  the  larger  and  more 
important  buildings,  to  be  erected  on  the  "beach  and  water  lots," 
were  deeply  and  closely  piled,  much  farther  security  would  be 
obtained  for  the  structures. 
34 


530 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


April  15th. — Explosion  of  the  boiler  of  the  steamer  Secre- 
tary, while  midway  between  San  Francisco  and  Petaluma.  Out 
of  between  fifty  and  sixty  persons  on  board  at  the  time  of  the 
accident,  upwards  of  one-half  were  killed,  and  nearly  all  the  rest 
were  more  or  less  severely  wounded. 

April  19th. — The  Lord  Warriston  arrived  from  China  with 
780  Chinese  passengers,  200  of  whom  were  females.  About  this 
time,  there  was  a  very  large  immigration  of  Chinese,  and  it  was 
understood  that  many  thousand  more  of  these  people  were  only 
waiting  for  ships  to  embark  in  from  the  ports  of  their  country 
for  San  Francisco.  The  State  and  city  press  discussed  at  much 
length  the  propriety  of  excluding  the  race  altogether  from  Cali- 
fornia, or  at  all  events  of  only  admitting  it  to  labor  under  certain 
specified  restrictions,  particularly  reserving  the  gold  mines  to  the 
white  population.  It  was  admitted  on  all  sides,  that  the  Chinese 
were  naturally  an  inferior  race,  both  mentally  and  corporeally, 
while  their  personal  habits  and  manner  of  living  were  peculiarly 
repulsive  to  Americans.  It  would  be  out  of  place  in  a  work  of 
this  nature  to  discuss  the  general  Chinese  question,  which  prom- 
ises to  give  much  debatable  ground  for  philosophers,  statesmen, 
politicians,  and  mere  laborers  in  California,  for  many  years  to 
come. 

April  20th. — The  clipper  ship  Flying  Cloud  arrived  at  San 
Francisco  from  New  York,  having  accomplished  the  voyage  in 
eighty-nine  days,  eight  hours.  This  is  the  quickest  passage  re- 
corded as  having  been  made  by  a  sailing  vessel  between  the  ports 
named.  On  a  former  occasion,  the  Flying  Cloud  made  the  same 
voyage  in  eighty-nine  days,  twenty-one  hours. 

April  22d. — The  Golden  Fleece  was  wrecked  at  Fort  Point, 
on  leaving  the  harbor. 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 


1854. 

Trial  of  the  Mexican  consul.— Arrest  of  the  French  consul.— Chinese  newspaper  established.— Ger- 
man May-feast  at  Russ's  Garden. — The  Hoadley  street  grades.— Indictment  by  the  Grand  Jury 
of  Sonora  filibusters. — Dedication  of  the  Lone  Mountain  Cemetery.— Extensive  Conflagration.— 
Report  of  the  funded  debt  commissioners.—  Sqnatter  difficulties. —Sale  of  public  property. — Cap- 
tain Adams  arrived  with  the  Japan  treaty. — Alderman  elected. 

April  28th. — Conclusion  in  the  U.  S.  District  Court  of  the  trial 
of  the  Mexican  consul  at  San  Francisco,  Don  Luis  del  Valle, 
for  a  breach  of  the  neutrality  laws.  This  was  only  one  of  a 
series  of  important  events,  connected  with  the  subject,  which 
took  place  about  this  time.  It  appeared  that  the  Mexican  con- 
sul, some  two  months  before  this  date,  had  received  instructions 
from  his  government,  to  enlist,  or  select,  a  body  of  emigrants, 
chiefly  of  French  or  German  origin,  who  were  to  proceed  (at  the 
cost  of  the  Mexican  Government,)  to  the  province  of  Sonora. 
There,  after  a  year's  service,  they  were  each  to  receive  a  grant 
of  a  certain  portion  of  land.  The  particular  service  which  these 
emigrants  were  to  render  was  not  exactly  known,  either  by  the 
emigrants  themselves  or  by  the  federal  authorities  in  San  Fran- 
cisco of  the  United  States,  although  the  latter  presumed  it  was 
service  of  a  military  description.  The  attention  of  the  federal 
authorities  had  been  recently  attracted  to  the  filibustering  move- 
ments of  Col.  Walker  and  his  associates  upon  Lower  California 
and  Sonora.  It  was  understood  that  the  governmental  instruc- 
tions of  Gen.  John  E.  Wool,  the  chief  military  officer  on  the 
Pacific  coast,  bore  particular  reference  to  the  necessity  of  put- 
ting down  all  filibustering  schemes  whatever.  In  furtherance  of 
his  duty,  Gen.  Wool  took  occasion  to  narrowly  watch  the  pro- 
ceedings of  the  Mexican  consul  in  regard  to  the  expedition  which 
he  was  fitting  out  for  Sonora.  The  British  ship  Challenge,  on 
board  of  which  five  or  six  hundred  of  the  expeditionists  were 


532 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


embarked,  was  seized,  on  29th  March,  for  a  violation  of  the 
revenue  laws  ;  and,  under  various  unusual  pretences,  was  prevented 
from  sailing,  until  the  federal  authorities  could  make  up  their 
mind  what  next  to  do.  On  1st  April,  the  Challenge  was  formally 
allowed  to  leave,  and  on  the  morning  of  the  following  day  she 
sailed.  Gen.  Wool,  just  before  this  time,  was  of  opinion,  it  was 
said,  that  the  men  in  the  vessel  named,  who  were  bound  for 
Sonora,  were  proceeding  thither  only  as  "  colonists."  But  before 
the  Challenge  actually  sailed,  it  seemed  that  the  general  found 
reason  to  change  his  ideas  as  to  the  supposed  object  of  the  expe- 
dition. Without  troubling  himself  farther  with  the  expedition- 
ists,— the  true  filibusters,  if  there  had  been  any  filibusterism  in 
the  matter, — Gen.  Wool  immediately  caused  the  necessary  steps 
to  be  taken  to  arrest  the  Mexican  consul.  The  arrest  was 
made  on  31st  March.  The  charge  against  the  consul  was,  his 
having  violated  the  second  section  of  the  law  of  1848,  which 
forbids  the  enlistment,  within  the  territories  of  the  United  States, 
of  soldiers  to  serve  under  a  foreign  power. 

During  the  trial,  the  United  States  (the  prosecutors)  found 
it  necessary  for  their  case  to  procure  the  testimony  of  Mons. 
Patrice  Dillon,  the  French  consul  in  San  Francisco.  By  a  con- 
sular convention,  recently  entered  into  between  France  and 
America,  it  appeared,  that  consuls  of  either  nation  could  not  be 
compelled  to  appear  in  courts  of  justice  to  give  evidence,  but 
that  they  could  only  be  "  invited  "  to  do  so.  Two  "  invitations," 
in  terms  of  the  convention,  were  forthwith  transmitted  to  M. 
Dillon  by  the  court,  at  the  desire  of  the  district  attorney.  Both 
of  these  M.  Dillon  politely  declined.  Judge  Hoffman,  of  the 
U.  S.  District  Court,  now  held,  that  he  could  not,  under  the 
circumstances,  compel  the  attendance  of  the  French  consul,  as  a 
witness  for  the  prosecution. 

Senor  Del  Valle,  the  defendant  in  the  carise,  on  the  broad  con- 
stitutional principle,  that  a  party  accused  is  entitled  to  be  con- 
fronted with  witnesses  to  prove  his  innocence,  next  applied  to  the 
court  for  compulsory  process  to  bring  forward  M.  Dillon.  It  was 
not,  however,  generally  supposed  that  the  Mexican  consul  really 
wished  the  presence  of  his  brother  consul  in  court  as  a  witness 
either  for  or  against  him.    It  was  only  imagined  that  the  former, 


FRENCH  AND  MEXICAN  CONSULS. 


533 


or  his  counsel,  believed  that  they  would  fail  to  enforce  the  attend- 
ance of  the  French  consul ;  and  that  being  the  case,  and  having 
appeared  to  consider  M.  Dillon  as  a  witness  most  material  to  the 
defence,  it  was  expected,  that  either  the  district  attorney  would 
abandon  the  process  against  the  Mexican  consul,  or  that  the 
court  would  dismiss  it,  or  that  the  jury  would  return  a  verdict 
in  his  favor,  on  the  ground  that  he  had  sustained  a  constitu- 
tional wrong  by  being  deprived  of  the  testimony  of  a  witness 
said  to  be  essential  to  the  defence.  M.  Dillon  was  accordingly 
cited,  in  the  usual  manner,  as  a  witness  in  the  cause  for  the 
defendant  ;  but,  as  had  been  anticipated,  he  made  no  appear- 
ance. Judge  Hoffman,  therefore,  issued  a  writ  of  subpoena, 
and  M.  Dillon  was  forcibly  brought  into  court  in  custody  of 
the  United  States  marshal.  It  was  now  found  that  some 
irregularity  had  taken  place  in  the  technical  order  of  pro- 
ceedings, and  the  issuing  of  the  warrant  was  held  to  be  premature. 
By  consent  of  parties,  the  pleadings  proceeded  on  the  assump- 
tion that  the  warrant  of  apprehension  had  not  yet  been  issued. 
After  elaborate  pleadings  on  both  sides,  where  the  great  question 
seemed  at  first  to  be  whether,  as  the  consular  convention  and  the 
constitution  seemed  to  conflict,  the  one  or  the  other  should  yield, 
Judge  Hoffman  decided,  that  they  did  not  conflict,  but  that  vir- 
tually, under  the  consular  convention,  the  French  consul  must 
be  held  to  be  in  this  country  only  in  his  consular  capacity — his 
true  domicile,  in  the  eyes  of  the  law,  being  France  ;  and  that, 
therefore,  he  could  not  legally  be  compelled  to  appear  in  court  as 
a  witness.  French  consuls  were  thus  declared  to  have  some  of 
the  most  sacred  privileges  of  ambassadors.  The  decision  implied 
that  the  defendant,  Sr.  Del  Valle,  in  the  particular  case,  by  not 
being  able  to  procure  the  testimony  of  M.  Dillon,  suffered  no 
more  constitutional  wrong,  than  he  would  have  suffered  by  not 
being  able  to  procure  the  evidence  of  any  witness,  alleged  to  be 
material  to  his  cause,  who  might  be  residing  in  a  foreign  country, 
and  therefore  not  naturally  amenable  to  the  jurisdiction  of  the 
U.  S.  District  Court.  In  consequence  of  this  decision,  all  the 
rights  and  privileges  which  the  French  consul  had  claimed  at 
the  commencement  of  the  proceedings  against  him  were  allowed. 
Much  evil,  however,  had  been  done,  by  the  premature  and  unlaw- 


534 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


fill  step  of  his  actual  apprehension.  M.  Dillon  had  chosen  to 
take  high  ground  in  the  matter ;  had  presented  long  protests 
denying  the  jurisdiction  of  the  court,  and  had  struck  his  national 
flag,  considering  that  the  French  nation  had  been  insulted  in  his 
person,  by  the  proceedings  above  alluded  to.  Considerable  ex- 
citement existed  among  the  French  inhabitants  of  San  Francisco 
on  the  subject. 

In  the  mean  time,  the  trial  of  the  Mexican  consul  proceeded, 
and  he  was,  in  the  end,  found  guilty  of  the  offence  charged  in 
the  indictment.  The  jury  recommended  him  "  to  the  kind  con- 
sideration and  mercy  of  the  court."  The  evidence  having  showed 
that  the  French  consul  had  been  closely  mixed  up  with  the  un- 
lawful transactions,  M.  Dillon  was  accordingly  next  arrested, 
and  charged  with  having  "aided  and  abetted"  Sr.  Del  Valle 
in  the  commission  of  a  breach  of  the  neutrality  laws.  In  de- 
fence, the  French  consul,  like  his  Mexican  brother,  pleaded, 
inter  alia,  that  instead  of  the  expedition  by  the  Challenge 
having  been  a  filibustering  one,  it  was  an  expedition  of  the  very 
reverse  character.  It  had  been  chiefly,  if  not  solely,  projected 
to  break  up  true  filibusterism,  particularly  the  schemes  of  Count 
Raousset  de  Boulbon,  who  had  been  long  notorious  for  his  hostile 
designs  on  Sonora.  The  passengers  on  board  the  Challenge  were 
chiefly  people  who  had  been  previously  connected  with  and  were 
attached  to  Count  Boulbon  ;  and  who,  by  the  bribe  of  a  free 
passage  to  Sonora  and  the  offer  of  a  grant  of  land  there,  had 
been  persuaded  to  desert  their  former  leader  and  to  serve  under, 
and  for  the  Mexican  Government,  in  place  of  serving  against  it. 
In  opposition  to  this  argument,  it  was  contended  by  the  prosecu- 
tion, that,  even  admitting  that  the  expedition  was  really  of  the 
nature  alleged,  still  it  was  unlawful  under  the  express  terms  of 
the  statute.  But  further,  in  the  case  of  the  French  consul,  the 
prosecution  maintained,  that  M.  Dillon  had  only  been  using  Sr. 
Del  Valle  as  an  unconscious  tool  ;  and  that,  while  the  former 
pretended  only  to  be  aiding  the  latter  in  putting  down  the 
filibustering  projects  of  Count  Boulbon,  he,  M.  Dillon,  for  pur- 
poses of  his  own  or  his  government,  was  secretly  working  in 
concert  with  and  for  the  benefit  of  the  count,  and  with  the 
intention  of  counteracting  the  plans  of  him  whom  he  was  pro- 


THE  FRENCH  AND  MEXICAN  CONSULS. 


535 


fessedly  assisting  but  really  thwarting — the  blind  and.  simple  Sr. 
Del  Valle. 

After  nearly  the  same  evidence  had  been  adduced  in  the  case 
of  the  French  consul  that  had  been  led  in  the  case  of  the  Mexi- 
can consul,  the  jury  in  the  case  of  the  former  could  not  agree, 
and  were  discharged.  They  had  been  six  hours  in  deliberation, 
and,  at  midnight,  on  25th  May,  when  they  were  discharged,  it 
was  understood  that  ten  stood  for  conviction  and  two  for  acquittal. 
In  such  circumstances,  on  29th  May,  the  district  attorney 
entered  a  nolle  prosequi  in  the  case  of  M.  Dillon  ;  and  in  the 
case  of  Sr.  Del  Valle  (who  had  not  yet  been  sentenced,  though 
long  before  convicted),  he  moved  the  court  to  suspend  further 
proceedings.  The  effect  of  this  motion  was  simply  to  discharge 
the  defendant,  and  free  him  from  further  molestation  in  the 
suit. 

The  various  proceedings  briefly  above  narrated  lasted  during 
many  weeks,  and  occasioned  much  local  excitement.  The  revela- 
tions made  in  these  trials  and  in  the  trial  of  Col.  H.  P.  Wat  kins 
(one  of  Walker's  party),  the  ex-vice-president  of  the  short-lived 
"  Republic  of  Sonora,"  showed  unmistakably  the  general  loose 
feeling  of  society  in  San  Francisco  and  California  on  the  subject 
of  filibusterism.  The  imputed  motives  of  certain  federal  autho- 
rities in  pushing  the  former  prosecution  to  a  conviction,  as  well 
as  the  supposed  guilt  or  innocence  of  the  accused,  with  all  the 
mixed  character  of  the  expedition  and  the  suspected  and  attri- 
buted opposite  reasons  of  the  Mexican  and  French  consuls  for 
being  connected  with  it,  were  much  discussed  in  private  circles 
and  by  the  public  press.  Many  offensive  personal  charges  were 
made  on  both  sides.  Hearing  altogether  different  statements 
from  opposite  counsel,  neither  of  which  seemed  to  be  fully  estab- 
lished by  evidence,  an  impartial  observer  could  scarcely  know 
what  to  think  of  the  subject.  The  consequences  of  the  trials, 
being  of  a  purely  political  nature,  will  fall  to  be  adjusted  by  the 
governments  of  the  respective  countries  involved. 

April  29th. — The  first  number  of  a  Chinese  newspaper, 
called  "  The  Gold  Hills'  News,"  appeared  to-day.  It  was  a  small 
sheet  of  four  pages,  wholly  printed  in  Chinese  characters. 
"Gold  Hills"  is  the  Chinese  name  for  San  Francisco.  There 


536 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


were  now  English,  French,  German,  Spanish,  and  Chinese  jour- 
nals published  in  San  Francisco. 

May  7th. — The  German  inhabitants  observed  in  grand  style 
their  annual  May-feast  during  this  and  the  following  day,  at  the 
gardens  of  Mr.  Christian  Russ,  on  the  Mission  road.  Between 
two  and  three  thousand  persons  shared  in  the  entertainment. 


Celebration  at  Euss's  Garden. 


The  conductors  of  the  arrangements  were  the  members  of  the 
German  Turn-verein,  or  Gymnast  Union.  These  performed  a 
variety  of  gymnastical  feats  and  much  vocal  and  instrumental 
music.  As  we  have  previously  mentioned  at  some  length  the 
annual  May  festivities  of  the  Germans  in  San  Francisco,  we 
think  it  unnecessary  to  do  more  than  merely  allude  to  them  on 
this  occasion. 

On  the  29th  of  April  of  this  year,  the  children  attending  the 
various  public  schools  of  the  city  held  their  annual  May  festival 
in  Musical  Hall. 

May  12th. — The  subject  of  the  street  grades  had  long  been 
a  vexatious  one.  We  have  already  alluded  to  the  grievous  loss 
and  injury  occasioned  to  many  private  citizens  by  the  adoption 
of  the  "official,"  or,  as  they  were  commonly  called,  the  "  Hoad- 


INDICTMENT  OF  FILIBUSTERS. 


537 


ley  grades."  As  these  grades  were  being  carried  out,  and  it  was 
seen  that  they  involved  an  enormous  amount  of  excavations  and 
the  partial  destruction  of  Telegraph  Hill,  and  the  other  hills  to 
the  west  of  the  city,  public  dissatisfaction  was  much  increased 
on  the  subject.  In  the  end,  the  common  council  referred  the 
whole  matter  to  the  consideration  of  a  committee  of  three  scien- 
tific gentlemen,  who  had  no  personal  interest  in  the  question. 
Of  the  above  date,  these  gentlemen  presented  a  long  and  inter- 
esting report  to  the  common  council,  in  which  they  strongly  re- 
commended the  abandonment  of  the  "  official"  or  "  Hoadley" 
system  of  grades.  This  report  was  printed  for  circulation 
among  property  holders.  Afterwards,  an  answer  by  Mr.  Miles 
Hoadley,  the  city  surveyor,  was  likewise  printed  and  circulated. 
The  boards  of  aldermen  and  assistant  aldermen  then  met  in 
joint  convention  to  discuss  the  subject.  On  the  26th  of  May, 
they  referred  the  report  and  answer,  the  remonstrances  and 
petitions  of  citizens,  both  for  and  against  the  existing  and  the 
proposed  systems  of  grades,  and  generally  the  whole  question, 
back  to  the  committee  already  alluded  to,  for  further  considera- 
tion. While  we  write,  no  further  action  has  been  taken  on  the 
subject.  It  is  probable,  however,  that  material  modifications 
will  be  made  upon  the  existing  "  official  grades." 

May  24th. — Of  this  date,  the  grand  jury  found  true  bills  of 
indictment  against  William  Walker,  Howard  A.  Snow,  and 
John  M.  Jarnigan.  These  were  severally  the  president,  the 
secretary  of  naval  affairs,  and  the  secretary  of  war,  of  the  "  Re- 
public of  Sonora."  The  formal  conclusion,  therefore,  of  Col. 
Walker's  filibustering  expedition  against  Lower  California  and 
Sonora  is  close  at  hand.  For  some  months  back,  the  expedition- 
ists had  suffered  much  distress  in  the  lower  country.  Without 
sufficient  arms  or  ammunition,  or  supplies  of  any  kind,  and  with 
the  Mexican  natives  bitterly  enraged  against  them,  the  few  fili- 
busters left,  who  were  through  necessity,  or  choice,  faithful  to 
each  other,  only  sought  safely  to  leave  the  country  they  had  in- 
vaded, to  fly  to  some  neutral  soil.  As  this,  however,  seemed 
scarcely  practicable,  Col.  Walker  and  his  party  crossed  the 
boundary  line,  below  San  Diego,  which  separated  Mexico  from 
the  United  States,  and  surrendered  themselves  prisoners  to  the 


538 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


federal  troops,  who  were  in  waiting  to  receive  them.  On  arriv- 
ing at  San  Francisco,  on  May  15th,  the  greater  numher  of  the 
prisoners  were  discharged  upon  their  simple  parole.  The  chief 
parties  were  then  indicted,  as  Col.  Watkins  and  Maj.  Emory  had 
recently  been.  The  trials  of  the  former  have  not  been  set  down 
for  hearing  at  the  time  of  writing  this  notice.    Col.  Walker  was 


Lone  Mountain  Cemetery. 


cited  as  a  witness  for  the  prosecution  in  the  case  of  the  United 
States  vs.  M.  Dillon,  referred  to  above  ;  but  he  declined  to 
give  evidence,  on  the  ground  that  his  doing  so  might  implicate 
himself. 

May  30th. — The  "  Lone  Mountain  Cemetery"  was  solemnly 
dedicated  to-day,  when  many  interesting  ceremonies  were  per- 
formed on  the  ground  before  a  large  assemblage  of  ladies  and 
gentlemen.  Col.  E.  D.  Baker  delivered  an  occasional  address, 
Mr.  F.  B.  Austin  an  ode,  Mr.  Frank  Soule  a  poem,  Bishop  Kip 
the  dedication  address,  and  the  Rev.  F.  T.  Gray  the  closing  ad- 


EXTENSIVE  CONFLAGRATION. 


539 


dress.  Appropriate  hymns  and  prayers  hallowed  the  new  "  city 
of  the  dead."  Herr  Mengis,  and  the  singers  of  the  German 
Turn-verein,  performed  the  musical  pieces. 

When  noticing  the  projection  of  this  cemetery,  under  date 
November,  1853,  we  said,  that  the  tract  of  land  to  he  used  for 
burial  purposes  was  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  in  extent, 
and  included  the  hill,  or  "  mountain,"  from  which  it  took  its 
name.  That  was  the  original  intention  of  the  projectors.  Sub- 
sequently, it  was  found  that  one  hundred  and  sixty  would  form  a 
sufficiently  large  cemetery,  and  to  that  extent  the  limits  of  the 
ground  have  meanwhile  been  reduced.  The  "Lone  Mountain" 
is  not  situated  within  the  restricted  boundaries,  but  adjoins  them 
on  the  south.  The  present  mode  of  access  to  the  cemetery  is  by  a 
circuitous  route,  nearly  four  miles  in  length,  by  way  of  Pacific 
street  and  the  presidio.  When  the  western  extension  of  Bush 
street  is  graded  and  planked,  which  is  proposed  to  be  done  dur- 
ing the  summer  of  1854,  the  distance  from  the  plaza  to  the 
magnificent  gateway  of  the  cemetery,  about  to  be  erected  at  the 
termination  of  that  extension,  will  be  about  two  miles. 

May  31st. — Fire  broke  out  this  morning  between  two  and 
three  o'clock  in  a  grocery,  on  the  east  side  of  Dupont  street, 
between  Broadway  and  Vallejo  street.  Notwithstanding  the 
efforts  of  the  fire  companies,  the  conflagration  raged  for  two 
hours,  and  consumed  more  than  one-half  of  the  entire  buildings 
on  the  block.  Property  was  destroyed  to  the  estimated  value  of 
§50,000.  The  buildings  were  all  of  frame,  and  some  of  them 
were  little  better  than  mere  shanties.  They  were  tenanted 
chiefly  by  Mexicans,  French  and  Germans.  The  wind  was 
blowing  fresh  at  the  time  from  the  south-west.  Had  it  been  a 
little  stronger,  and  its  direction  from  the  north-west,  from  whence 
it  usually  blows  at  this  season,  a  great  part  of  the  city  might 
have  been  laid  in  ashes.  Notwithstanding  the  great  and  daily 
increase  of  fire-proof  buildings  in  the  city,  there  still  exists  an 
immense  number  of  wooden  edifices,  which  may  supply  fuel  for 
some  terrible  conflagration  to  come.  About  this  period  of  the 
year,  those  high  winds  fairly  set  in,  which  fan  flames  to  their 
height  and  suddenly  communicate  them  to  new  materials  across 
wide  empty  spaces  and  streets,  notwithstanding  all  the  unwearied 


540 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


exertions  of  perhaps  the  bravest  and  most  skilful  set  of  firemen 
in  the  world.  During  this  month  large  portions  of  two  impor- 
tant towns  in  the  State  were  destroyed  by  fire,  when  the  dread- 
ful summer  winds  mightily  increased  the  loss  and  danger.  Ma- 
rysville  sustained  loss  to  the  amount  of  $200,000,  and  Yreka  to 
the  amount  of  $150,000,  by  the  fires  alluded  to. 

May  31st. — The  Board  of  Commissioners  of  the  Funded 
Debt  (now  consisting  of  Messrs.  P.  A.  Morse,  D.  J.  Tallant, 
Wm.  Hooper  and  Smyth  Clark,)  present  their  yearly  report. 
The  total  amount  of  bonds  issued  by  the  Board,  for  debts  of  the 
city  contacted  prior  to  May  1st,  1854,  was  $1,635,600,  of  which 
$126,100  have  been  redeemed,  leaving  as  the  balance  of  outstand- 
ing debt  of  San  Francisco,  $1,509,500  ;  which,  bearing  ten  per 
cent,  interest,  requires  annually  $150,950  to  meet  that  sum. 
The  high  price  which  this  stock  bears  in  the  Atlantic  cities  and 
in  Europe,  renders  it  improbable  that  any  more  will  be  offered  for 
redemption,  and  hence  this  item  of  interest  may  be  considered  an 
annual  requisition  on  the  city  treasury,  until  the  Sinking  Fund, 
under  the  management-  of  the  Board,  shall  have  accumulated 
sufficient  to  meet  the  final  payment  of  the  bonds. 

June  5th. — The  occurrences  of  the  last  few  weeks  have 
shown  the  futility  of  the  hope  that  the  recent  decisions  of  the 
Supreme  Court  would  be  sufficient  to  settle  the  numerous  dis- 
putes concerning  land  titles.  Squatters,  in  the  face  of  law  and 
the  decisions  of  the  land  commissioners  and  judges,  are  endea- 
voring to  maintain  their  assumptions  by  force.  Much  distress 
has  been  the  result  of  these  proceedings,  since  every  member  of 
the  community  is  liable  to  become  a  victim  of  the  robberies  of 
these  outlaws — the  poor  man  who  owns  a  single  lot,  as  well  as 
the  wealthy  proprietor  of  acres  of  land.  Capt.  Joseph  L.  Fol- 
gom,  one  of  the  most  extensive  landholders  in  the  city,  has  been 
the  principal  sufferer  by  the  squatting  rascality,  but  many  own- 
ers of  single  spots  of  ground  have  been  no  less  unjustly  treated  ; 
and  one  aggravated  case  particularly  has  just  occurred,  in  which 
a  poor  woman,  who  owned  a  solitary  house  on  a  small  lot,  had 
her  house  burned  down,  the  land  fenced  in  and  herself  turned 
into  the  street  to  starve,  without  even  the  means  to  live,  and  of 
course  unable  to  resort  to  a  twelvemonth  lawsuit  in  such  a  place 


SQUATTER  DIFFICULTIES. 


541 


of  problematic  uncertainties  as  San  Francisco.  The  evil  was 
unchecked  by  the  authorities  ;  riot  followed  on  riot  ;  the  squat- 
ters armed  themselves  and  threatened  to  kill  whoever  should 
attempt  to  dispossess  them  ;  and  finally  executed  their  threat  by 
murdering  Mr.  George  Dillon  Smith,  one  of  Capt.  Folsom's  party, 
who  were  attempting  to  dislodge  a  set  of  squatters  on  his  property 
in  Howard  street.  Undismayed,  squatters  on  some  of  Folsom's 
neighboring  lots,  fortified  their  tenements  and  prepared  for  resist- 
ance. A  few  days  after  this  affair,  a  terrible  fight  on  Green 
street  resulted  in  the  fatal  wounding  of  a  Mrs.  Murphy  by  a  par- 
ty of  squatters,  who  had  attacked  her  husband's  house. 

Property-holders  at  last  became  seriously  alarmed  at  the  pro- 
gress of  these  dissensions,  and  held  a  meeting,  this  evening,  at 
the  office  of  Theo.  Payne  &  Co.  (Dr.  Samuel  Merritt,  chairman), 
at  which  Messrs.  S.  W.  Park,  Theodore  Payne,  Dr.  Samuel  Mer- 
ritt, T.  K.  Stevens,  Wm.  Sharron,  Louis  McLane,  jr.,  F.  A. 
Woodworth,  Jas.  C.  Ward  and  Thos.  0.  Larkin  were  appointed 
a  committee  to  draft  a  plan  of  organization  of  a  special  police  for 
the  protection  of  their  own  property,  and  to  issue  a  call  for  a 
general  meeting  of  citizens  to  act  upon  such  a  plan.  On  Tues- 
day (6th  inst.),  this  meeting  was  held  at  the  Musical  Hall,  and 
the  report  of  the  committee  unanimously  adopted  by  a  large  body 
of  citizens,  who  formed  themselves  into  an  Association  for  the 
Protection  of  Property  and  the  Maintenance  of  Order,  adopting 
a  series  of  appropriate  rules  for  their  government.  On  the  next 
day  the  meeting  reassembled  at  the  Merchants'  Exchange,  and 
completed  the  organization  by  electing  the  following  officers  : 

President. — Col.  David  S.  Turner. 

Vice-Presidents. — Benjamin  Haywood,  G.  B.  Post,  Henry  M.  Naglee. 
Secretary. — Chas.  R.  Bond. 
Treasurer. — Dr.  Samuel  Merritt. 

Executive  Committee. — G.  B.  Post.  John  Sime.  E.  J.  Hassler,  Wilson 
Flint,  F.  A.  Woodworth,  J.  P.  Manrow,  Jas.  George.  Edward  Vischer,  Louis 
Cohen,  John  C.  Maynard,  Chas.  L.  Case.  James  F.  Curtis.  Henry  M.  Naglee, 
John  Perry,  jr. 

After  a  general  expression  of  views  and  intentions  the  asso- 
ciation adjourned,  subject  to  the  call  of  the  president.  About 
one  thousand  citizens  had  enrolled  themselves  as  its  members, 


542 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


who  were  ready  at  all  hazard  to  defend  one  another  in  their 
rightful  possessions.  It  was  not  designed,  however,  like  the 
Vigilance  Committee  of  old,  to  oppose  in  any  way  the  legal  au- 
thorities, although  the  police  had  more  than  once  sided  rather 
ohviously  with  the  squatters.  It  was  rather  hoped  that  the 
moral  effect  of  the  decided  and  united  action  of  so  many  reputa- 
ble citizens  would  be  sufficient  to  check  any  further  disturbances, 
and  incite  the  authorities  to  something  like  action.  They 
had  had  ample  premonition  that  some  such  rencontres  would 
occur,  and  were  repeatedly  told  that  owners  of  land  would  not 
suffer  themselves  to  be  tamely  plundered  of  their  property. 
Promptness  and  energy  on  their  part  could  have  prevented  every 
outbreak.  As  we  close,  inquests  are  being  held  over  the  mur- 
dered bodies,  and  various  rioters  are  detained  for  trial  in  the 
hospitals  and  prison. 

June  6th. — Interest  of  the  State  in  twenty-two  lots  in  the 
square  bounded  by  Pacific  street  and  Broadway,  Davis  and  Front 
streets,  sold  for  over  $100,000. 

June  8th. — Capt.  Adams,  U.  S.  N.,  arrived  en  route  for 
Washington  with  the  treaty  concluded  between  Com.  Perry  and 
the  Empire  of  Japan. 

June  12th. — Dr.  J.  W.  Van  Zandt  was  elected  Alderman  of 
the  Third  Ward,  to  fill  the  vacancy  occasioned  by  the  resignation 
of  R.  M.  Jessup,  Esq. 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 


1854. 

Commercial  depression. — Redaction  of  prices  of  merchandise  and  real  estate. — Fall  In  rents. — Im- 
proved character  of  the  buildings. — The  plaza  being  improved. — Government  fortifications  of 
the  harbor  commenced. — Immigration  and  emigration. — The  population. — Yield  of  the  gold 
mines. — Labor  profitable  in  California. — The  quicksilver  mines. — Agricultural  resources.— 
Fisheries. — Telegraphs  and  railroads. — Ship-building. — Foreign  relations. — Ice  and  coal  trade. — 
Mail  steamers  between  San  Francisco  and  Shanghae. — The  international  railway. — San  Fran- 
oisco  water  front  extension. — The  proposed  new  city  charter. — Claim  of  the  city  to  pueblo 
lands.— Increaso  of  sources  of  domestic  comfort.— Immoralities  continue  to  prevail.— Duels 
and  duelling. — Theatrical  entertainments. — Daily  newspapers. — Means  of  moral  and  education- 
al improvement 

July. — It  is  not  very  necessary  to  say  much  more  upon  the 
general  physical  and  moral  aspect  of  San  Francisco,  than  has 
already  been  said  in  reviewing  its  appearance  and  characteristics 
at  the  close  of  the  year  1853.  During  the  six  months  immedi- 
ately preceding  the  date  of  the  present  notice,  the  city  passed 
through  a  period  of  great  commercial  depression.  At  this  time, 
the  extreme  mercantile  distress  is  beginning  slowly  to  disappear  ; 
and  the  best  judges  hope  that  soon  again  prosperity  will  visit 
commerce  and  all  connected  with  it  in  San  Francisco. 

The  prices  of  real  estate  may,  in  some  few  instances,  have 
rallied,  but  generally  they  continue  much  below  those  readily  ob- 
tainable at  the  close  of  1853.  Many  years  must  pass,  and  our 
population  be  much  increased,  before  those  high  rates  can  again 
be  witnessed.  While  prices  of  real  estate  have  fallen  from 
twenty  to  fifty  per  cent,  and  in  some  cases  still  lower,  rents, 
particularly  in  the  lower  or  business  part  of  the  city,  have  like- 
wise been  considerably  reduced.  Rents  may,  perhaps,  continue 
to  fall  for  some  time,  and  yet  a  fair  profit  will  be  left  to  the  own- 
ers of  house  property.  The  wages  of  such  classes  as  are  employed 
in  building,  and  the  cost  of  building  materials,  have  both  been 
materially  reduced  ;  so  that  houses  can  now  be  erected  at  much 
less  expense  than  formerly. 


544 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


Arising  no  doubt  partly  from  this  circumstance,  and  notwith- 
standing the  continued  and  steady  fall  in  rents  and  the  prices  of 
real  estate,  a  great  deal  of  fire-proof  and  costly  building  has  been 
carried  on  since  the  beginning  of  the  current  year.  In  Stock- 
ton, Montgomery,  California,  Battery  and  many  other  principal 
streets,  the  old  buildings  of  frame  are  being  gradually  pulled 
down,  and  magnificent  granite  and  brick  structures  are  rapidly 
rising  in  their  stead.  Vacant  lots  in  the  line  of  streets  over  all 
the  business  part  of  the  city  are  being  covered  with  substantial 
buildings.  The  new  Merchants'  Exchange  and  new  U.  S.  Cus- 
tom House  will  be  massive  and  beautiful  public  edifices.  These 
material  improvements  are  particularly  observable  upon  the 
northern  extremity  of  Montgomery  and  Battery  streets,  at  the 
base  of  Telegraph  Hill.  The  great  depth  of  water  at  the 
wharves  in  the  neighborhood  of  Clark's  Point,  which  depth, 
from  the  character  of  the  shore  and  tides,  will  probably  long,  if 
not  always,  exist,  will  necessarily  make  that  quarter  a  peculiarly 
shipping  and  mercantile  part  of  the  city.  Accordingly  huge 
hotels  and  stores,  of  the  most  beautiful  and  substantia]  character, 
are  rising  up  in  all  parts  of  the  district. 

At  the  same  time  the  spirit  of  improvement  is  visible  over  all 
the  other  parts  of  the  city.  Many  new  and  elegant  buildings  of 
brick  and  stone,  within  the  fire-limits,  and  chiefly  of  frame  be- 
yond them,  are  continually  being  constructed.  New  streets  are 
being  graded  and  planked,  and  new  public  cisterns  formed  for  the 
use  of  the  fire  department.  Even  the  plaza,  the  long-neglected, 
miserable  plaza,  the  standing  reproach  and  mockery  to  the  boast- 
ed "  progress  "  of  our  world-renowned  city,  is  being  at  last,  after 
many  years  of  public  agitation,  just  a  little  "  improved  "  by  its 
unkind  guardians,  the  city  fathers.  While  we  write,  it  is  being 
graded,  and  is  about  to  have  an  iron  fence  erected  around  it. 
The  wondrous  fabrics  of  iron  and  glass,  which  were  to  have 
turned  it,  as  assuredly  they  would,  if  properly  designed,  into  a 
Crystal  Palace,  or  rather  into  a  veritable  "  Palais  Royal,"  the 
centre  of  Californian  taste,  luxury,  fashion  and  folly,  have  been 
all  left  to  the  next  generation,  or  perhaps  only  to  the  still  hope- 
ful projectors  and  the  speculative  common  council  of  the  next 
year. 


HARBOR  FORTIFICATIONS. 


545 


The  long-desired  fortification  of  the  harbor  of  San  Francisco 
has  been  at  last  commenced  by  the  government.  The  system 
proposed  consists  of  two  lines  of  batteries  inside  the  entrance  to 


The  Plaza,  or  Portsmouth  Square,  June,  1S54. 


the  harbor.  Works  are  already  in  process  of  construction  on 
Fort  Point  and  Alcatraz  Island.  Point  San  Jose  and  Angel 
Island  will,  probably,  be  selected  to  complete  the  line  of  defence. 
The  fortress  at  Fort  Point,  which  will  be  the  strongest  position, 
will  present  one  hundred  and  fifteen  guns  of  eight  and  ten  inch 
calibre,  in  four  tiers.  Directly  opposite^  on  Lime  Rock  Point, 
a  battery  of  one  hundred  guns  will  complete  the  outer  line.  The 
second  point  of  fortification  on  the  inner  line  is  on  Alcatraz 
Island.  The  shipping  battery  here  will  consist  of  about  fifty 
guns,  with  batteries  on  other  points  yet  to  be  selected.  Majors 
Barnard  and  Turner,  Capt.  Whiting  and  Lieut.  Prince  are  di- 
recting the  works,  which  are  estimated  to  cost  not  less  than  two 
millions  of  dollars.  Much  doubt  is  expressed  by  officers  of  high 
rank  as  to  the  sufficiency  of  water  defence — many  believing  that 
35 


546 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


an  invading  army  could  readily  land  any  where  between  San 
Francisco  and  Monterey. 

The  arrivals  for  the  last  six  months  from  the  Isthmus,  ex- 
ceeded the  departures  by  several  thousands.  The  immigration 
of  Chinese  from  their  own  country  during  the  same  period, 
amounted  perhaps  to  five  thousand  persons  of  both  sexes,  while 
their  emigration  was  slight.  The  incomers  generally  departed, 
after  a  short  sojourn  in  San  Francisco,  to  the  mines  ;  so  that  the 
general  population  of  the  city  may  still  be  estimated  at  the  sup- 
posed number  inhabiting  it  at  the  close  of  1853,  viz.,  something 
over  fifty  thousand  of  both  sexes  and  of  all  ages  and  nations. 
The  bulk  of  the  great  overland  immigration  does  not  appear  till 
the  fall  of  the  year.  The  immigration  by  land  for  the  approach- 
ing season  is  expected  to  be  very  great. 

The  gold  mines,  the  prime  source  of  prosperity  and  wealth  to 
California,  have  not  for  many  years  yielded  better  returns  to  the 
labor  applied  to  them,  than  they  have  done  during  1854,  so  far 
as  the  year  has  elapsed.  Every  day  new  and  rich  auriferous 
fields  are  being  discovered,  while  it  is  found  that  the  old  ones,  by 
the  application  of  more  careful  and  scientific  methods  of  extract- 
ing the  precious  metal,  continue  to  supply  an  ample  reward  to 
the  miners.  But  it  is  not  gold  alone  that  has  filled  up  the  re- 
plete coffers  of  the  State.  The  quicksilver  mines  of  Alameda 
County  are  the  largest  yielding  and  most  profitable  in  the  world. 
The  only  ones  that  at  all  compare  with  them,  are  those  of  Al- 
maden  in  Spain,  and  Idria  in  Austria — the  latter,  one  of  .the  old 
monuments  of  Roman  revenue. 

But  if  the  success  of  the  miner  has  been  great,  how  shall  we 
term  the  unexampled  prosperity  of  the  less  romantic  tiller  of  the 
soil.  Crops,  throughout  the  State,  have  been  immense,  and  have 
had  the  effect  to  reduce*  the  prices  of  articles  of  food  to  a  very 
low  figure — far  lower  than  they  at  present  are  on  the  Atlantic. 
The  splendid  agricultural  resources  of  the  country  are  only  begin- 
ning to  be  understood.  A  new  and  equally  profitable  source  of 
employment  has  been  found  in  the  fisheries  on  the  Sacramento 
and  its  tributaries.  Salmon,  sturgeon,  pike,  perch,  dake,  chub, 
suckers,  hard-heads,  narrow-tails,  &c,  are  being  caught  in  large 
quantities.    The  salmon  fisheries  are  the  most  important — the 


GENERAL  RESOURCES  OF  CALIFORNIA. 


fish  being  far  over  the  average  size  in  the  East  and  ranging  from 
twenty  to  fifty  pounds  weight.  This  business  must  ere  long  be 
one  of  the  most  considerable  items  of  the  commercial  resources 
of  California.  Who  can  tell  the  limit  of  the  capabilities  of  this 
State  ?  All  it  has  accomplished  is  but  preparatory  to  new  exhi- 
bitions of  power  and  wealth.  Its  career  lies  yet  before  it.  The 
telegraph  has  already  furnished  nerves  to  the  land,  by  which  the 
impulses  of  its  distant  parts  are  communicated  to  its  great  sen- 
sorium  commune — its  brain  at  San  Francisco.  Railroads,  too, 
those  great  arteries  by  which  vivifying  nourishment  is  carried  to 
and  from  the  remotest  members  of  its  body,  soon  will  be  com- 
pleted. The  Sacramento  Valley  Railroad  from  Sacramento  to 
Mormon  Island,  now  projected,  will  be  the  pioneer  of  this  im- 
provement. All  these  facts,  together  with  the  extensive  ship- 
building carried  on  at  Happy  Valley  and  the  Rincon,  are  prepar- 
ing the  State,  and  San  Francisco  particularly,  for  the  great  part 
she  has  yet  to  play.  Into  the  past  six  years,  have  been  crowded 
the  most  remarkable  and  important  events  that  have  occurred  to 
our  country  since  its  revolutionary  birth  ;  and  the  great  pole  to 
which  they  have  all  tended  is  San  Francisco.  California  hence- 
forth will  no  longer  direct  her  energies  on  herself.  She  has  at- 
tained her  majority  and  donned  her  freedom-suit,  ready  to  start 
upon  the  field  of  adventure.  Foreign  relations  are  engaging  the 
thoughts  of  citizens  and  government  ;  hence  the  ease  with  which 
such  expeditions  as  those  of  the  Count  de  Boulbon  and  President 
Walker  are  fitted  up,  and  the  apparent  official  countenance  be- 
stowed on  them.  Vessels  are  already  departing  for  Japan,  and 
numerous  companies  are  being  formed  for  foreign  traffic.  Two 
of  these  are  in  the  full  tide  of  success, — one  for  the  importation 
of  ice  from  Russian  America,  and  the  other  for  the  mining  of 
coal  in  Bellingham  Bay,  Puget  Sound,  Washington  Territory. 
The  establishment  by  Congress  of  the  line  of  mail  steamers  be- 
tween San  Francisco  and  Shanghae,  and  the  great  treaty  with 
Japan,  come  fortuitously  to  meet  and  give  a  field  for  this  new  and 
longing  spirit.  The  Pacific  between  this  country  and  Asia  has 
at  last  been  bridged  over  :  California,  the  Sandwich  Islands,  Ja- 
pan and  China  are  the  great  piers — white  sails,  and  great  steamers 
in  continuous  lines,  will  span  the  intervals.    Let  the  Interoceanic 


548 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


Railway  now  be  built,  and  San  Francisco  will  then  be  the  great 
entrepot  of  America, — the  Tyre  of  the  Pacific, — and  California, 
the  most  populous,  enlightened,  and  civilized  country  in  the 
world. 

The  project  of  extending  the  water-front  of  the  city  (already 
noticed  at  length),  was  revived  in  the  Legislature  this  year. 
However,  political  disputes  among  its  supposed  patrons,  and  the 
parties  pecuniarily  interested  in  the  scheme,  as  well  as  clamant 
remonstrances  of  all  San  Francisco — collectively,  in  boards,  asso- 
ciations and  committees  ;  and  individually,  by  public-meetings 
and  signed  petitions — had  the  effect  of  causing  this  unnecessary, 
unjust,  and  perhaps  "  infamous "  project,  to  be  abandoned. 
The  new  city  charter  was  likewise  lost  in  the  Legislature.  On 
the  expediency  of  passing  this  charter  as  a  whole,  public  opinion 
was  divided,  although  many  of  its  provisions  were  generally  ad- 
mitted to  be  improvements  on  the  existing  charter.  Many  other 
bills,  introduced  in  the  legislative  chambers,  and  which  were 
peculiarly  obnoxious  to  large  classes  of  the  citizens,  were  likewise 
lost.  While  we  write,  the  claim  of  San  Francisco  is  being 
pleaded  before  the  Board  of  Land  Commissioners,  established  by 
the  United  States,  to  settle  disputed  titles  in  California  to  four 
square  leagues  of  land  around  the  city,  in  virtue  of  its  being,  as 
alleged,  a  Mexican  " pueblo."  Whatever  be  the  result  of  the 
claim,  many  private  titles  to  lots  within  the  municipal  bounds 
will  be  deeply  affected  by  the  decision,  and  for  a  time  "  confu- 
sion, worse  confounded,"  will  reign  among  property-holders. 
Pending  the  discussion,  many  parties  are  busy  over  all  the  four 
square  leagues  in  question,  selecting  convenient  and  desirable 
"  claims  and  outrages  of  a  daring  description  are  continually 
taking  place  between  the  old  settlers  and  the  new  squatters,  in 
consequence  of  these  lawless  proceedings. 

San  Franciscans  can  now  ask  for  nothing  more  on  the  score 
of  domestic  comforts.  Their  streets  and  houses  are  well  lighted 
by  a  beautiful  gas-light ;  they  dwell  in  elegant  and  handsomely- 
furnished  houses ;  their  tables  are  largely  supplied  with  fish,  flesh, 
and  fowl  from  the  mountains,  rivers  and  valleys  of  their  teeming 
land  ;  they  have  pure  and  limpid  water  for  drink  and  cleanli- 
ness, in  no  stinted  measures  ;  and,  finally,  they  have  discov- 


SOURCES  OF  DOMESTIC  COMFORT  INCREASED.  549 

ered,  near  at  home,  a  boundless  supply  of  excellent  stone-coal, 
sufficient  to  satisfy  all  their  demands  for  fuel,  in  cooking  their 
meals,  melting  their  gold,  driving  their  steam-engines  and  dry- 
ing their  houses  in  their  wet  seasons.  Bellingham  Bay  now 
furnishes  the  great  demand  of  the  city.  Hitherto,  all  the  coal 
used  was  brought,  at  great  expense,  partly  from  Vancouver's 


Char  coal-vendee 


Island  and  Chili,  but  chiefly  from  such  immense  distances  as 
Philadelphia,  Liverpool,  and  other  foreign  parts.  In  1849  and 
1850,  the  townspeople  were  furnished  with  fuel  by  men,  chiefly  of 
the  lower  class  of  Hispano- Americans,  who  cut  it  from  the  little 
gnarled  oaks  and  thick  brushwood  grown  on  the  low  sand-hills 
bordering  the  town — not  a  stump  of  which  is  now  to  be  seen. 
Wood  and  charcoal  were  brought  into  the  city  either  on  the 
backs  of  these  men,  or  in  panniers  carried  by  asses,  and  two  dol- 
lars were  paid  for  as  much  as  a  man  could  carry  in  his  arms. 
The  charcoal  men  are  yet  features  of  the  place.     They  an- 


550 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


nounce  their  coming  by  the  ringing  of  a  small  bell,  and  may  be 
seen  in  every  street  offering  their  little  bundles  for  sale. 

The  old  round  of  business,  pleasure,  folly,  vice  and  crime, 
still  went  merrily  on.  Cases  of  divorce  were  nearly  as  common 
as  cases  of  drunkenness.  Cases  of  political  corruption,  of  party 
jobbery,  of  personal  scandal,  of  ruin  by  debauchery  and  gam- 
bling, by  duelling  and  suicide,  of  squatter  violence,  of  robbery 
and  burglary,  of  assault  and  murder — why,  these  were,  as  before, 
nearly  "  as  plentiful  as  blackberries.''  It  is  unnecessary  to 
single  out  particular  cases  for  remark  and  reproach.  Every  day 
produced  a  new  crop  of  moral  weeds.  Still  San  Francisco  con- 
trived to  nourish,  and  its  people,  in  their  fashion,  to  enjoy  life. 
To  enforce  some  measure  of  outward  decency,  the  common 
council  passed  a  stringent  ordinance  regarding  houses  of  ill-fame, 
making  the  keeping  of  them  highly  penal.  This  ordinance  had 
the  effect,  for  a  time,  of  closing  a  few  of  the  most  notorious 
Mexican  and  Chinese  brothels.  But  it  was  sought  to  be  enforced 
against  fashionable  white  Cyprians,  who  had  money  enough  to 
employ  able  counsel  to  show  the  intrinsically  illegal  and  tyran- 
nous character  of  its  particular  provisions  ;  and  then  it  was 
found  to  be  utterly  impracticable  in  operation.  It  seemed  all  at 
once  to  be  discovered,  that  the  impurity  which  was  hid  by  walls, 
could  not  be  put  down  by  mere  legislation. 

Duels  appeared  to  be  getting  more  numerous.  In  the 
months  of  May  and  June  several  fatal  "  affairs  of  honor"  took 
place,  and  the  performance  with  swords  by  a  couple  of  French- 
men varied  the  monotony  of  pistols  and  rifles,  and  introduced  a 
new  fashion  for  the  benefit  of  future  gladiators.  Occasionally 
the  death  of  some  well-known  citizen  would  rouse  the  press  and 
the  pulpit  to  a  spasmodic  burst  of  indignation  and  high-toned 
sentiment  against  the  foolish  and  criminal  practice  of  settling 
personal  quarrels  by  mortal  combat.  The  public  looked  wise, 
savage,  and  virtuous,  and  talked  and  drank  ;  then  it  looked 
wiser,  and  so  on,  and  talked  and  drank  again.  Still  nothing 
was  done,  or  perhaps  could  be  done,  in  the  matter.  Grand 
juries  occasionally  offered  a  proper  presentment  on  the  subject, 
but  their  words  fell  dead.  Men  in  California,  who  generally 
want  the  peaceful,  endearing  joys  of  home  and  family,  which  best 


EDUCATIONAL  AND  MORAL  IMPROVEMENTS. 


551 


make  life  worth  living  for,  set  little  value  on  existence,  and  in 
their  hot  rage  will  hazard  it  for  the  veriest  trifle. 


California  Exchange,  corner  of  Clay  ami  Kearny  streets,  June,  1S54. 


Theatrical  entertainments  have  never  been  so  well  patronized 
in  San  Francisco  as  during  the  past  half  year.  A  rapid  succes- 
sion of  musical  and  dramatic  "stars"  attracted  continual  crowds 
to  the  various  "  houses."  English,  French  and  Italian  versions 
of  the  most  noted  modern  operas  were  excellently  performed  in 
the  Metropolitan  and  Union  Theatres,  where  four  ladies,  who 
each  claimed  the  rank  of  'prima  donna,  successively  appeared. 
At  the  theatres  named,  though  particularly  at  the  Metropolitan 
and  American,  some  of  the  most  celebrated  American  actors  and 
actresses  made  their  regular  nightly  appearance.  These,  it  is 
said,  have  reaped  a  large  harvest  from  their  professional  visit  to 
the  land  and  the  city  of  gold.  The  San  Franciscans,  truly,  are 
no  niggards  with  their  wealth. 

A  few  of  the  immense  number  of  daily  newspapers,  existing 
at  the  beginning  of  1854,  have  silently  disappeared.  In  their 
stead  have  risen  the  "  Pioneer,"  a  monthly  magazine  of  great 
typographical  beauty  and  considerable  literary  merit  ;  a  Chinese 


552 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


journal,  and  one  or  two  weekly  newspapers  of  fair  pretension. 
The  "Mercantile  Library  Association"  has  largely  increased  its 
stock  of  books  and  its  members.  Churches,  schools,  and  charita- 
ble, and  other  good  and  laudable  associations,  flourished  contem- 
poraneously with  the  spread  of  ignorance,  folly  and  vice,  which 
they  have  been  designed  to  counteract.  A  larger  female  popula- 
tion, and  a  few  more  years,  and  San  Francisco  may  yet  be  as 
distinguished  for  its  public  and  private  morals,  as  it  has  long  un- 
happily been  for  the  reverse. 


Tho  Hounds. 


PART  THIRD. 


THE  HOUNDS. 

In  the  spring  and  early  summer  months  of  1849,  San  Francisco 
was  afflicted  with  the  presence  and  excesses  of  a  parcel  of  the 
veriest  rogues  and  ruffians  that  ever  haunted  a  community. 
The  first  intelligence  of  the  discovery  of  gold  in  California  natu- 
rally sent  thither  the  most  daring  and  clever  adventurers  of 
blemished  reputation  from  their  own  countries,  who  saw  iu  this 
modern  Dorado  a  fit  theatre  for  the  profitable  repetition  of  those 
tricks  and  outrages,  the  exercise  of  which  had  rendered  their 
native  homes  no  longer  lucrative  or  safe  places  to  reside  in. 


554 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


Long  before  any  great  number  of  tbe  general  public  had  emi- 
grated from  the  Atlantic  States  or  from  Europe,  San  Francisco 
was  overrun  with  such  men  from  the  various  countries  and  ports 
on  the  Pacific,  and  particularly  from  the  west  coast  of  the 
Americas.  A  little  later  came  stray  vagabonds  from  Australia, 
where  had  been  collected  the  choice  of  the  couvicted  felons  of 
Great  Britain.  The  regiment  of  New  York  volunteers,  which 
some  time  before  had  been  disbanded,  and  from  which  so  much 
good  had  been  expected  in  ultimately  peopling  the  land  with 
first-class  settlers,  had  greatly  disappointed  the  hopes  of  its  pro- 
jectors and  friends.  Many  of  the  most  noted  blackguards  of  the 
country  turned  out  to  have  been  formerly  soldiers  in  that  corps  ; 
and  perhaps  these  very  men  formed  the  nucleus  and  strength  of 
the  "  hounds  "  themselves.  The  very  earliest  arrivals  also  from 
the  eastern  ports  were  largely  composed  of  the  rowdy  and  knavish 
class.  They  indeed  had  required  no  long  time  to  make  prepara- 
tions for  the  voyage.  Their  baggage  was  on  their  backs,  and 
their  purse  in  every  honest  man's  pocket.  They  stepped  on 
board  the  first  ship — and  hey  for  California  !  These  vagabonds 
never  intended  to  follow  a  reputable  calling  there,  but  as  sharp- 
ers, gamblers,  and  cheating  adventurers  in  every  variety  of 
scheme,  were  prepared  only  to  prey  upon  the  community  at 
large.  Every  thing  in  San  Francisco  encouraged  them  to  think 
it  was  what  their  fellows  would  call  a  safe  speculation.  The 
municipal  and  State  organizations  were  both  still  unformed,  and 
the  few  local  authorities  were  quite  inadequate  to  cope  with  such 
a  body  of  villainy  as  was  shortly  developed. 

The  "  hounds  "  were  the  natural  consequence  of  such  a  state 
of  things.  A  party,  calling  themselves  by  that  name,  was  first 
faintly  heard  of  towards  the  close  of  1848  ;  but  it  was  only  in 
the  spring  of  the  following  year  that  their  depredations  excited 
much  notice.  In  the  desire  to  make  fortunes  easily  and  in  a 
hurry,  the  overtoiled  people  of  San  Francisco  paid  little  atten- 
tion to  any  thing  but  what  immediately  concerned  themselves 
individually,  and  much  crime  was  allowed  to  be  committed  with 
impunity,  because  nobody  cared,  or  had  time  to  think  about  it, 
or  to  interfere  in  the  matter.  Thus  the  "  hounds  "  had  perpe- 
trated many  outrages  before  public  indignation  was  fully  aroused. 


THE  HOUNDS. 


555 


These  were  directed  chiefly  against,  foreigners — Chilians,  Peru- 
vians and  Mexicans,  as  being  supposed  less  able  to  defend 
themselves,  and  who  were  likewise  imagined  to  possess  fewer 
sympathies  from  the  community  in  their  behalf.  This  class  of 
the  foreign  population  was  generally  of  the  lowest  and  most  de- 
graded character.  Their  habits  were  unclean  and  their  manners 
base.  The  men  seemed  deceivers  by  nature,  while  the  women 
(for  there  had  been  extensive  speculators  in  their  own  country, 
who  brought  many  females  to  San  Francisco,)  were  immodest 
and  impure  to  a  shocking  degree.  These  were  washerwomen  by 
day  ;  by  night — and,  if  a  dollar  could  be  earned,  also  by  day, — 
they  were  only  prostitutes.  Both  sexes  lived  almost  promiscu- 
ously in  large  tents,  scattered  irregularly  upon  the  hill  sides. 
Their  dwellings  were  dens  of  infamy,  where  drunkenness  and 
whoredom,  gambling,  swindling,  cursing  and  brawling,  were  con- 
stantly going  on.  Such  were  the  common  victims  of  the 
"  hounds."  It  may  at  first  sight  seem  hard  to  tell  which  were 
the  worst  members  of  the  community. 

We  have  seen  that  among  the  first  immigrants  to  the  mines 
were  a  multitude  of  foreigners  of  Spanish  extraction,  from  the 
various  republics  and  provinces  on  the  Pacific  shores  of  America. 
The  presence  of  these  people — many  of  whom  seemed  little  bet- 
ter than  slaves — in  the  pay  and  under  the  command  of  their 
own  wealthier  countrymen,  was  considered  by  the  American 
miners  to  be  unfair  towards  themselves,  as  natural  lords  of  the 
soil,  purchased  by  their  own  blood  and  treasure,  and  as  tending 
to  lower  both  the  dignity  and  profits  of  gold  digging.  Many  dis- 
putes, occasionally  attended  with  bloodshed,  had  taken  place  in 
the  mines  between  the  people  of  the  United  States  and  these 
foreigners,  the  latter  of  whom  were  slowly  but  surely  driven  away 
from  the  mining  districts  they  had  selected,  partly  by  violence, 
though  principally  by  threats. 

This  state  of  matters  in  the  mining  districts,  which  was  often 
not  discountenanced,  but  was  even  openly  approved  of  by  many 
respectable  citizens,  as  well  as  the  low  character  of  the  class  al- 
luded to  in  San  Francisco  itself,  mightily  encouraged  and  lent  a 
flimsy  pretext  to  the  criminal  attacks  by  desperadoes  in  that  city 
against  the  foreign  population.    The  "  hounds,"  who  were  a  nu- 


556 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


merous  body  of  youths  and  men  in  the  prime  of  life,  professed 
themselves  only  an  association  for  "  mutual  defence,"  but  in  re- 
ality were  but  a  band  of  self-licensed  robbers,  who  thought  every 
Chileno  was  fair  game  for  their  plundering  propensities.  They 
organized  themselves  so  far  that  they  had  a  place  of  regular 
meeting,  or  Head  Quarters,  which  they  called  Tammany  Hall, 
in  a  large  tent,  near  the  City  Hotel.  Leaders  were  appointed  to 
conduct  operations,  and  afterwards  apportion  the  spoil.  To  such 
a  daring  extent  were  matters  carried  that  the  body,  proud  of 
their  strength  and  numbers,  attempted  a  sort  of  military  display, 
and  on  Sundays,  armed  with  bludgeons  and  loaded  revolvers, 
paraded  the  streets,  in  open  daylight,  with  drum  and  fife  play- 
ing, and  banners  flying.  It  was  in  the  dead  of  night,  however, 
when  their  outrages  were  done.  There  were  then  neither  lights 
in  the  unformed  streets,  nor  a  police  force  to  watch  over  the 
safety  of  the  town.  The  well-disposed  citizens,  fearful  of  brawls, 
retired  early  to  their  dwellings,  and  the  more  noise  and  rioting 
they  might  hear  at  a  distance  the  closer  they  crept  into  bed,  or 
prepared  their  weapons  for  the  defence  alone  of  their  own  proper 
domiciles.  At  such  times  the  "  hounds "  would  march  to  the 
tents  of  known  Chilenos,  and  tearing  them  down,  rob  and  spoil 
the  contents  of  value,  and  shamefully  maltreat  and  even  murder 
the  inmates.  At  other  times  they  would  content  themselves 
with  extorting  by  threats  large  sums  of  money  and  gifts  of  jewels 
and  articles  of  value  from  all  classes  of  foreigners,  and  sometimes 
from  Americans  themselves,  though  it  was  seldom  they  meddled 
with  the  latter.  A  favorite  sport  was  to  intrude  themselves, 
even  in  open  day,  in  a  numerous  gang,  upon  taverns  and  hotels, 
and  demand  high  priced  drinks  and  food,  which  on  receiving, — 
for  people  were  too  much  afraid  of  their  lives  and  property  to  re- 
fuse,— they  would  recklessly  destroy  the  furniture  nearest  at 
hand,  and  forthwith  decamp  as  boldly  as  they  had  entered,  with- 
out troubling  their  heads  as  to  who  should  pay  for  the  damage  or 
the  articles  consumed. 

This  state  of  things  had  continued  for  some  months,  when  in 
one  of  their  destructive  expeditions  upon  the  tents  and  chattels 
of  the  Chilenos,  a  young  man  by  the  name  of  Beatty,  not  pro- 
perly one  of  themselves,  but  who  happened  to  be  among  or  near 


THE  HOUNDS. 


557 


the  band  at  the  time,  received  a  fatal  shot  from  one  of  the 
attacked  foreigners.  This  roused  the  "  hounds "  to  vengeance 
against  the  whole  population  of  Spanish  origin,  and  they  became 
fiercer  and  more  destructive  in  their  excesses  than  ever.  People 
now  could  not  avoid  taking  notice  of  these  lawless  abuses  ;  but 
public  indignation  was  not  yet  full.  About  this  time  the 
"hounds"  changed  their  name  to  "regulators,"  and  had  the 
impudence  to  profess  themselves  guardians  of  the  community 
against  the  encroachments  of  Spanish  foreigners.  At  the  sound 
of  the  "  assembly  beat "  on  the  drum,  they  would  collect  in  great 
numbers  at  "  Tammany  Hall,"  ready  to  commit  whatever  vio- 
lence their  leaders  might  direct. 

On  the  afternoon  of  Sunday,  the  15th  of  July,  a  large  band 
of  the  "hounds"  or  "regulators,"  returning  from  a  marauding 
excursion  to  Contra  Costa,  determined  to  signalize  the  occasion 
by  some  new  exploits.  Armed  with  firearms  and  heavy  sticks, 
and  under  the  command  of  one  dressed  in  regimentals,  whom 
they  called  Lieutenant,  they  paraded  through  the  town  in  their 
usual  ridiculous  fashion,  and  towards  evening  proceeded  to  attack 
various  Chilian  tents.  These  they  violently  tore  down,  plunder- 
ing them  of  money  and  valuables,  which  they  carried  away,  and 
totally  destroying  on  the  spot  such  articles  as  they  did  not  think 
it  worth  while  to  seize.  Without  provocation,  and  in  cold  blood, 
they  barbarously  beat  with  sticks  and  stones,  and  cuffed  and 
kicked  the  unoffending  foreigners.  Not  content  with  that,  they 
repeatedly  and  wantonly  fired  among  the  injured  people,  and 
amid  the  shrieks  of  terrified  women  and  groans  of  wounded  men, 
recklessly  continued  their  terrible  course  in  different  quarters, 
wherever  in  fact  malice  or  thirst  for  plunder  led  them.  This  was 
in  broad  daylight  ;  but  there  were  no  individuals  brave  or  fool- 
hardy enough  to  resist  the  progress  of  such  a  savage  mob,  whose 
exact  force  was  unknown,  but  who  were  believed  to  be  both  nu- 
merous and  desperate. 

On  the  following  day,  Monday,  the  16th  July,  when  the 
news  of  these  last  outrages  were  circulated  among  the  citizens, 
the  whole  town  rose  in  the  greatest  state  of  excitement.  Al- 
calde Leavenworth,  who  was  himself  ]>owerless  to  quell  the  dis- 
turbance, was  waited  upon  by  Captain  Bezer  Simmons  and  Mr. 


558 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


Samuel  Brannan,  and  urged  by  these  gentlemen  instantly  to  take 
some  steps  to  organize  the  community  to  protect  itself,  and  put 
down  decidedly  these  disturbers  of  the  public  peace.  Thus  forced 
to  some  definite  action,  the  alcalde  the  same  day  issued  a  procla- 
mation, calling  on  the  public  instantly  to  assemble  in  Ports- 
mouth Square.  At  three  o'clock  of  that  day,  the  whole  honest 
part  of  the  community  seemed  to  turn  out  at  the  place  appoint- 
ed. Mr.  W.  D.  M.  Howard  was  chosen  president  of  the  meeting, 
and  Dr.  Victor  J.  Fourgeaud,  secretary.  Mr.  Samuel  Brannan 
then  addressed  the  meeting,  and  denounced  in  forcible  terms,  the 
depredations  and  many  crimes  of  the  "  hounds."  Upon  his  mo- 
tion, a  subscription  list  was  opened  for  relief  of  the  sufferers  by 
the  riots  of  the  previous  evening.  It  was  next  suggested  that 
the  citizens  should  organize  themselves  into  a  police  force  to  ap- 
prehend the  criminals  and  drag  them  to  justice.  This  was  im- 
mediately done  ;  and  two  hundred  and  thirty  people  of  those 
present  at  the  meeting  enrolled  themselves  as  special  constables. 
The  general  command  of  the  body  was  given  to  Mr.  W.  E.  Spof- 
ford,  while  Messrs.  Stevenson,  Wadleigh,  Simmons,  Smith,  Turk, 
Gillespie,  Hughes,  Priest;  Webb  and  Stevens  were  appointed 
captains.  They  were  armed  with  muskets,  sixty  of  which  were 
furnished  gratuitously  by  Mr.  Hiram  Webb,  now  of  the  firm  of 
Webb  &  Harris.  This  volunteer  force  exerted  themselves  so 
diligently,  that,  in  spite  of  several  attempts  at  open  resistance 
by  the  "  hounds,"  nearly  twenty  of  the  rioters  were  the  same 
afternoon  apprehended,  examined  and  put  in  prison  on  board  the 
United  States  ship  "  Warren,"  there  being  then  no  safe  place  on 
shore  in  which  to  keep  them  in  custody.  The  leader,  "  Sam  " 
Roberts,  was  also  arrested  on  his  way  to  Stockton.  Mr.  A.  J. 
Ellis,  who  had  been  chosen  to  act  as  sheriff,  took  an  effective 
part  in  making  these  arrests. 

The  same  day  another  meeting  of  the  citizens  was  held  on 
Portsmouth  Square,  at  which  Dr.  Wm.  M.  Gwin  and  James  C. 
Ward  were  unanimously  elected  associate  judges,  to  relieve  from 
excessive  responsibility  the  alcalde,  and  to  aid  him  in  trying  the 
prisoners.  Mr.  Horace  Hawes  was  then  appointed  district  attor- 
ney, and  Mr.  Hall  McAllister  his  associate  counsel.  The  next 
day,  Tuesday,  a  grand  jury  of  twenty-four  citizens  met,  and, 


THE  HOUNDS. 


559 


upon  evidence,  found  a  true  bill  against  Samuel  Roberts  and 
other  supposed  members  of  the  "  hounds,"  to  the  number  of  nine- 
teen, on  the  different  charges  of  conspiracy,  riot,  robbery,  and 
assault  with  intent  to  kill. 

The  following  day,  Wednesday,  the  trials  began.  All  the 
usual  judicial  forms  were  observed,  and  there  was  no  apparent 
desire  to  press  harshly  on  the  prisoners.  Probably  if  they  had 
been  caught  in  their  very  acts  of  violence  on  the  preceding  Sun- 
day, the  enraged  people  would  at  once  have  executed  popular 
justice  on  them  ;  but  now  public  indignation  was  somewhat 
calmed,  and  the  trials  proceeded  with  the  greatest  decorum  and 
impartiality.  Francis  J.  Lippitt,  Horace  Hawes,  Hall  McAllis- 
ter, and  Frank  Turk  appeared  as  counsel  for  the  people  ;  while 
P.  Barry  and  Myron  Norton  were  deputed  to  act  for  the  accused. 
The  judges  were  the  alcalde,  T.  M.  Leavenworth,  and  Messrs. 
Gwin  and  Ward.  Counsel  for  the  defence  having  waived  all  ex- 
ceptions to  the  form  of  the  indictment,  a  jury  was  impanelled, 
consisting  of  the  following  named  gentlemen  : — Thomas  B.  Win- 
ston, J.  R.  Curtis,  J.  V.  Plume,  A.  De  Witt,  Clarence  Living- 
ston, Benjamin  Reynolds,  Z.  Cheney,  John  Sime,  William  Hood, 
John  W.  Thompson,  Francis  Melius  and  Frederick  Tesche- 
macker. 

Witnesses  were  next  called,  on  the  part  of  the  prosecution, 
who  proved  the  existence  of  the  association  called  the  "  hounds," 
its  organization  under  leaders,  its  professed  and  imputed  objects, 
and  general  violent  proceedings.  Other  witnesses,  among  whom 
were  one  of  the  wounded  Chilenos,  then  presumed  to  be  in  a 
dying  state,  and  who  subsequently  died  in  consequence  of  his 
wounds,  established  the  facts  of  the  riots,  assaults  and  robberies 
of  the  Sunday  night  preceding,  and  identified  some  of  the  pris- 
oners as  having  been  actors  in  the  scene.  After  some  observa- 
tions by  counsel  for  the  defence,  evidence  was  led  by  them,  the 
drift  of  which  seemed  to  be  to  confound  the  persons  of  the  panels 
at  the  bar  with  those  described  by  the  witnesses  for  the  prosecu- 
tion as  having  been  engaged  in  the  occurrences  of  Sunday,  and 
in  some  faint  degree  also  to  establish  an  alibi.  After  an  impar- 
tial charge  by  the  alcalde,  the  jury  found  Roberts,  the  leader  of 
the  gang,  guilty  of  all  the  counts,  and  eight  others  guilty  of  one 


560 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


or  more  of  them.  Eoberts  and  Saunders  (another  of  the  more 
active  "hounds,")  were  then  sentenced  to  ten  years  imprison- 
ment, with  hard  labor,  in  whatever  penitentiary  the  governor  of 
California  might  direct,  and  the  remainder  to  imprisonment  with 
hard  labor  for  shorter  periods,  as  well  as  most  of  them  to  consid- 
erable fines,  some  of  them  also  being  required  to  grant  bonds  for 
large  sums  to  keep  the  peace  for  twelve  months.  From  various 
circumstances  these  penalties  were  never  inflicted ;  but  the  pris- 
oners, some  of  whom  were  sent  out  of  the  country,  were  shortly 
afterwards  set  at  liberty. 

Thus  ended  the  affair  of  the  "  hounds,"  which  had  alarmed 
the  community  so  much,  and  which  had  compelled  them,  in  the 
absence  of  a  firm  and  regular  judicature,  to  take  the  law  into 
their  own  hands,  and  administer  justice  in  a  prompt  and  decisive 
manner.  The  early  success  and  safety  of  the  "  hounds,"  for  a 
long  period  afterwards  led  to  still  more  daring  and  criminal  ex- 
cesses on  the  part  of  the  desperadoes  with  whom  the  town  con- 
tinued to  be  haunted,  and  who  were  checked  for  only  a  little 
while  in  their  crimes  by  the  examples  made  of  Roberts  and  his 
mates.  On  the  other  hand,  the  ease  with  which  a  number  of 
respectable  and  determined  men  could  thus  put  down  a  disorder- 
ly gang,  afterwards  encouraged  the  formation  of  the  famous 
"Vigilance  Committee"  of  the  year  1851,  when,  what  between 
theft  and  burglary,  assault,  murder  and  arson  on  the  great  scale, 
it  became  almost  a  life  and  death  struggle  for  the  honest  citizen 
to  preserve  his  property  and  inhabit  the  town  in  peace  and  per- 
sonal safety.  Some  of  the  "  hounds,"  who  had  escaped  the  due 
punishment  of  their  crimes  at  this  time,  met  it  shortly  after- 
wards at  the  mines,  where  several  of  them  were  unceremoniously 
hanged,  at  an  hour's  notice,  by  the  enraged  miners,  upon  whom 
they  had  attempted  to  try  the  tricks  they  had  so  long  played  with 
impunity  in  San  Francisco. 

Notwithstanding  all  that  we  have  said,  there  is  yet  another 
phase  of  the  "  hounds  "  business,  which  may  be  just  noticed.  At 
that  period,  there  happened  to  be  influential  parties  in  San  Fran- 
cisco, who  were  determined  to  make  "  political  capital "  for  them- 
selves, and  who  considered  that  a  gentle  course  of  public  disturb- 
ance, while  it  might  not  conduce  to  any  materially  evil  results, 


THE  HOUNDS. 


561 


could  be  employed,  or  at  least  its  instruments,  to  facilitate  the 
objects  they  had  in  view,  and  further  their  own  personal  interests. 
These  persons  were  suspected  at  the  time,  and  long  afterwards 
were  known,  to  have  had  secret  intimacies  and  mysterious  deal- 
ings with  certain  leaders  of  the  "  hounds,"  who  undertook  to 
promote  the  purposes  of  the  former  while  at  the  same  time  they 
served  their  own.  But  the  monster,  which  if  not  born,  was,  at 
least,  nursed  into  strength  by  these  very  respectable  aspirants, 
soon  outgrew  the  power  of  its  protectors  to  keep  it  within  bounds, 
and  became  at  last  their  disgrace  and  terror.  Fearful  of  com- 
mitting themselves  by  owning  a  former  connection,  however 
slight,  with  such  a  vile  association,  some  of  the  richest  and  most 
influential  people  in  the  town  calmly  heard  of  all  the  abuses  com- 
mitted by  their  proteges,  but  took  no  steps  to  quell  them.  It 
would  be  imprudent  at  this  time  to  mention  names,  but  the  fact 
is  so  nevertheless.  The  truly  liberal,  honest  and  brave  portion  of 
the  community  had  therefore  a  doubly  difficult  task  to  accom- 
plish ;  for  not  only  had  they  to  put  down  the  "  hounds  "  them- 
selves, who  were  emboldened  to  resist  by  the  knowledge  that  they 
had  "  friends  at  court,"  but  they  had  also  to  overcome  the  un- 
concealed reluctance  of  many  of  their  fellow-citizens  to  move  at 
all  in  the  matter,  and  to  set  aside  the  various  obstacles  which 
these  factiously  were  enabled  to  throw  in  the  way. 


36 


Hanging  of  Whittakerand  McKeiizie. 


THE  VIGILANCE  COMMITTEE. 

There  is  probably  no  portion  of  the  history  of  San  Francisco 
which  has  more  excited  the  attention,  the  mingled  wonder  and 
applause,  scorn  and  indignation  of  the  civilized  world,  than  the 
proceedings  of  the  famous  "  Vigilance  Committee."  To  law- 
loving,  peaceable,  worthy  people  in  the  Atlantic  States  and 
Europe,  it  did  certainly  seem  surprising,  that  a  city  really  of 
thirty  thousand  inhabitants, — though  since  the  population  was 
chiefly  composed  of  male  adults,  of  virtually  the  pretension,  the 
riches,  business  and  character  of  a  city  of  twice  that  number, — 
should  patiently  submit  to  the  improvised  law  and  arbitrary  will 
of  a  secret  society  among  themselves,  however  numerous,  honest 
and  respectable  the  members  might  be  reputed.  Few  people, 
abroad,  who  had  been  trained  from  infancy  to  revere  "  the 
majesty  of  the  law,"  and  who  had  never  seen  any  crime  but 
what  their  own  strong  legal  institutions  and  efficient  police 


THE  VIGILANCE  COMMITTEE. 


563 


could  detect  and  punish,  could  possibly  conceive  such  a  state  of 
things  as  would  justify  the  formation  and  independent  action  of 
an  association  which  set  itself  above  all  formal  law,  and  which 
openly  administered  summary  justice,  or  what  they  called  justice, 
in  armed  opposition  and  defiance  to  the  regularly  constituted 
tribunals  of  the  country.  Therefore,  in  other  lands,  it  happened 
that  the  Vigilance  Committee  became  often  a  term  of  reproach, 
and  people  pointed  to  it  as  a  sign  that  society  in  California  was 
utterly  and  perhaps  irredeemably  impure  and  disorganized.  In 
San  Francisco  itself,  while  some  citizens,  it  must  be  confessed, 
did  condemn  the  proceedings  of  that  body,  by  far  the  greater 
number  cordially  approved  of  them.  The  public  press  was 
almost  unanimous  in  its  support  of  the  association.  The  officers 
of  the  law  were  often  obliged  to  take  cognizance  of  the  existence 
and  actions  of  the  committee,  and  thought  it  a  matter  of  public 
duty  to  denounce  them ;  but  many  of  even  these  parties,  in 
private  conversation,  and  still  more  in  heart,  applauded  the 
course  which  had  been  adopted  by  their  fellow-citizens. 

We  have  already  had  occasion  to  mention  the  affair  of  the 
"hounds"  in  1849.  The  summary  measures  taken  at  that 
period  by  the  people  had  the  effect,  for  a  while,  of  keeping  the 
blackguards  who  had  been  long  infesting  the  city  within  some 
moderate  bounds.  But  the  great  immigration  in  the  fall  of  that 
year,  and  the  confusion  in  San  Francisco  which  followed,  natur- 
ally encouraged  new  depredations,  which  in  the  bustle  of  the 
time  and  place  were  unnoticed  and  unfelt  by  any  but  the  actual 
victims.  Over  all  California  it  was  the  same.  The  inroad  of 
nearly  a  hundred  thousand  strangers,  who  were  likewise  strangers 
to  each  other,  scattered  among  a  dozen  newly  established  towns, 
and  over  the  various  mining  districts,  and  who  themselves  knew 
not  the  laws  of  the  land,  and  perhaps  expected,  as  they  could 
find,  no  protection  from  them,  but  trusted  only  to  their  own 
watchfulness  and  revolvers,  produced  a  state  of  things  which 
greatly  favored  the  increase  of  crime.  In  1850,  a  similar  vast 
immigration  took  place.  The  legal  institutions  and  executive, 
that  just  before  had  served  the  needs  of  a  population  of  twenty 
or  thirty  thousand,  now  failed  to  secure  safety  to  a  quarter  of  a 
million,  in  which  number  were  some  of  the  most  darin°-  and 


564 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


clever  rascals  in  the  world.  Among  the  immigrants  were  many 
of  the  same  stamp  with  the  older  criminals  of  the  country,  and 
who  readily  aided  in  the  lawless  exploits  of  the  latter.  When 
the  towns,  or  any  particular  localities,  became  too  hot  to  hold 
them,  the  mining  regions,  over  a  length  of  seven  hundred  miles, 
were  ready  to  receive  and  shelter  the  fugitives.  After  a  few- 
months,  under  a  new  garb  and  name,  the  rascals  would  boldly 
return  to  their  former  haunts,  and  with  impunity  commit  new 
crimes.  Society  was  every  where  continually  changing ;  while 
disguised  in  every  imaginable  way,  by  dress  and  an  alias,  and 
not  least  by  the  growth  and  trimming  of  the  beard,  it  was  almost 
impossible  that  the  old  offenders  could  be  recognized.  The 
natural  migration  of  honest  diggers  from  mine  to  mine,  often  far 
distant  from  each  other,  and  to  the  greater  towns  to  spend  their 
gains  or  recruit  their  health,  was  so  great,  that  no  notice  could 
be  taken,  by  the  really  few  permanent  residents  in  any  place,  of 
the  arrival  and  departure  of  strangers,  or  of  those  traits  in  their 
behavior  which  might  have  seemed  strange  and  suspicious,  if 
witnessed  by  idle,  inquisitive  people  of  long  settled  lands.  While 
this  constant  immigration  favored  the  freedom  of  criminals  from 
arrest,  it  also  helped  to  extend  their  acquaintance  among  kindred 
rogues.  Wherever  they  went,  they  knew  there  were  one,  two, 
or  half  a  dozen  noted  haunts  for  fellows  like  themselves,  upon 
whose  aid  they  could  always  rely,  to  execute  new  outrages,  to 
swear  an  alibi,  or  give  any  kind  of  false  testimony  that  might  be 
wished ;  to  fee  counsel  or  offer  straw-bail,  or  to  plan  an  escape 
from  pursuit  or  prison  of  themselves,  or  some  hotly  pressed 
associate  in  crime.  Thus  there  was  gradually  formed  a  secret 
combination  among  the  chief  thieves,  burglars  and  murderers  of 
the  country,  minute  ramifications  of  which  extended  down  to 
the  pettiest  pilferers.  To  occasionally  cut  off  a  single  member 
of  this  class  would  do  little  good,  so  long  as  the  grand  gang  was 
at  large  and  in  full  operation.  Nothing  less  than  the  complete 
extirpation  of  the  whole  body  of  miscreants,  with  their  numerous 
supporters  and  sympathizers,  aids  and  abettors,  would  relieve 
society  from  the  fearful  incubus  that  now  oppressed  it. 

America  no  doubt  supplied  a  number  of  these  plunderers, 
while  the  different  countries  of  Europe  likewise  contributed  a 


THE  VIGILANCE  COMMITTEE. 


565 


proportion.  But  the  most  daring,  and  probably  the  most 
numerous  class  had  come  from  Van  Dieman's  Land  and  New 
South  Wales,  whither  England  had  sent  shiploads  of  her  con- 
victed felons.  The  voyage  from  Sydney  to  San  Francisco  was 
neither  a  very  tedious  nor  an  expensive  one  ;  and  great  numbers 
of  "  ticket-of-leave  "  men  and  old  convicts  who  had  "  served  their 
time,"  early  contrived  to  sail  for  California.  There  the  field 
seemed  so  rich  and  safe  for  a  resumption  of  their  quondam 
pranks,  that  they  yielded  to  the  temptation,  and  forthwith  began 
to  execute  villanies  that  in  magnitude  and  violent  character  far 
exceeded  those  for  which  they  had  been  originally  convicted. 
Callous  in  conscience,  they  feared  nothing  save  the  gallows.  But 
that  they  had  little  reason  to  dread  in  merciful,  gentle,  careless 
California,  where  prosecutors  and  witnesses  were  few,  or  too  busy 
to  attend  to  the  calls  of  justice  ;  where  jurors,  not  knowing  the 
law  and  eager  to  be  at  money-making  again,  were  apt  to  take 
hasty  charges  from  the  bench  as  their  sole  rule  of  conduct ; 
where  judges,  chosen  by  popular  election,  were  either  grossly 
ignorant  of  law,  or  too  timid  or  careless,  corrupt  or  incapable,  to 
measure  out  the  full  punishment  of  crime ;  and  where  the  lawt- 
themselves  had  not  yet  been  methodically  laid  down,  and  the 
forms  and  procedure  of  legal  tribunals  digested  into  a  plain, 
unerring  system.  These  "  Sydney  coves  "  therefore  were  com- 
paratively safe  in  their  attacks  on  society.  They  lost  not  the 
opportunity  ;  and,  unchecked,  during  the  fall  of  1849,  the  whole 
of  1850,  and  the  early  part  of  1851,  reaped  a  large  harvest. 

There  was  a  district  of  San  Francisco  that  was  noted  as 
being  the  rendezvous  of  the  numerous  rascals  we  have  been  de- 
scribing ;  and  from  which  perhaps  at  this  time  emanated  as  much 
villainy  as  at  any  period  the  "  Seven  Dials  "  or  the  "  Five  Points  " 
produced.  This  quarter  lay  around  Clark's  Point,  in  Broadway, 
Pacific  street,  and  the  immediate  vicinity.  It  was  the  notorious 
Sydney-town  of  San  Francisco.  Low  drinking  and  dancing 
houses,  lodging  and  gambling  houses  of  the  same  mean  class,  the 
constant  scenes  of  lewdness,  drunkenness  and  strife,  abounded  in 
the  quarter  mentioned.  The  daily  and  nightly  occupants  of 
these  vile  abodes  had  every  one,  more  or  less,  been  addicted  to 
crime  ;  and  many  of  them  were  at  all  times  ready,  for  the  most 


566 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


trifling  consideration,  to  kill  a  man  or  fire  a  town.  During  the 
early  hours  of  night,  when  the  Alsatia  was  in  revel,  it  was 
dangerous  in  the  highest  degree  for  a  single  person  to  venture 
within  its  bounds.  Even  the  police  hardly  dared  to  enter  there ; 
and  if  they  attempted  to  apprehend  some  known  individuals,  it 
was  always  in  a  numerous,  strongly-armed  company.  Seldom, 
however,  were  arrests  made.  The  lawless  inhabitants  of  the 
place  united  to  save  their  luckless  brothers,  and  generally  man- 
aged to  drive  the  assailants  away.  When  the  different  fires  took 
place  in  San  Francisco,  bands  of  plunderers  issued  from  this 
great  haunt  of  dissipation,  to  help  themselves  to  whatever  money 
or  valuables  lay  in  their  way,  or  which  they  could  possibly  secure. 
With  these  they  retreated  to  their  dens,  and  defied  detection  or 
apprehension.  Many  of  these  fires  were  believed  to  have  been 
raised  by  incendiaries,  solely  for  the  opportunity  which  they 
afforded  for  plundering.  Persons  were  repeatedly  seen  in  the  act 
of  kindling  loose  inflammable  materials  in  out-houses  and  secret 
places  ;  while  the  subsequent  confessions  of  convicted  criminals 
left  no  doubt  of  the  fact,  that  not  only  had  frequent  attempts 
been  made  to  fire  the  city,  but  that  some  of  these  had  unfortu- 
nately been  successful.  Fire,  however,  was  only  one  means  of 
attaining  their  ends.  The  most  daring  burglaries  were  committed, 
and  houses  and  persons  rifled  of  their  valuables.  Where  resist- 
ance was  made,  the  bowie-knife  or  the  revolver  settled  matters, 
and  left  the  robber  unmolested.  Midnight  assaults,  ending  in 
murder,  were  common.  And  not  only  were  these  deeds  perpe- 
trated under  the  shade  of  night ;  but  even  in  daylight,  in  the 
highways  and  byways  of  the  country,  in  the  streets  of  the  town, 
in  crowded  bars,  gambling  saloons  and  lodging  houses,  crimes  of 
an  equally  glaring  character  were  of  constant  occurrence.  People 
at  that  period  generally  carried  during  all  hours,  and  wherever 
they  happened  to  be,  loaded  firearms  about  their  persons  ;  but 
these  weapons  availed  nothing  against  the  sudden  stroke  of  the 
"  slung  shot,"  the  plunge  and  rip  of  the  knife,  or  the  secret  aim- 
ing of  the  pistol.  No  decent  man  was  in  safety  to  walk  the 
streets  after  dark ;  while  at  all  hours,  both  of  night  and  day, 
his  property  was  jeopardized  by  incendiarism  and  burglary. 

All  this  while,  the  law,  whose  supposed  "  majesty  "  is  so  awful 


THE  VIGILANCE  COMMITTEE. 


567 


in  other  countries,  was  here  only  a  matter  for  ridicule.  The 
police  were  few  in  number,  and  poorly  as  well  as  irregularly  paid. 
Some  of  them  were  in  league  with  the  criminals  themselves,  and 
assisted  these  at  all  times  to  elude  justice.  Subsequent  confes- 
sions of  criminals  on  the  eve  of  execution,  implicated  a  consider- 
able number  of  people  in  various  high  and  low  departments  of 
the  executive.  Bail  was  readily  accepted  in  the  most  serious 
cases,  where  the  security  tendered  was  absolutely  worthless  ;  and 
where,  whenever  necessary,  both  principal  and  cautioner  quietly 
disappeared.  The  prisons  likewise  were  small  and  insecure  ; 
and  though  filled  to  overflowing,  could  no  longer  contain  the 
crowds  of  apprehended  offenders.  When  these  were  ultimately 
brought  to  trial,  seldom  could  a  conviction  be  obtained.  From 
technical  errors  on  the  part  of  the  prosecutors,  laws  ill  under- 
stood and  worse  applied,  false  swearing  of  the  witnesses  for  the 
prisoners,  absence  often  of  the  chief  evidence  for  the  prosecution, 
dishonesty  of  jurors,  incapacity,  weakness,  or  venality  of  the 
judge,  and  from  many  other  causes,  the  cases  generally  broke 
down  and  the  prisoners  were  freed.  Not  one  criminal  had  yet 
been  executed.  Yet  it  was  notorious,  that,  at  this  period,  at 
least  one  hundred  murders  had  been  committed  within  the  space 
of  a  few  months  ;  while  innumerable  were  the  instances  of  arson, 
and  of  theft,  robbery,  burglary,  and  assault  with  intent  to  kill. 
It  was  evident  that  the  offenders  defied  and  laughed  at  all  the 
puny  efforts  of  the  authorities  to  control  them.  The  tedious 
processes  of  legal  tribunals  had  no  terrors  for  them.  As  yet 
every  thing  had  been  pleasant  and  safe,  and  they  saw  no  reason 
why  it  should  not  always  be  so.  San  Francisco  had  been  just 
destroyed,  a  fifth  time,  by  conflagration.  The  cities  of  Stockton 
and  Nevada  had  likewise  shared  the  same  fate.  That  part  of  it 
was  the  doing  of  incendiaries  no  one  doubted ;  and  too,  no  one 
doubted  but  that  this  terrible  state  of  things  would  continue, 
and  grow  worse,  until  a  new  and  very  different  executive  from 
the  legally-constituted  one  should  rise  up  in  vengeance  against 
those  pests  that  worried  and  preyed  upon  the  vitals  of  society. 
It  was  at  this  fearful  time  that  the  Vigilance  Committee  was 
organized.  They  knew  they  had  no  ordinary  duty  to  perform. 
They  foresaw  not  merely  much  time,  labor,  expense,  and  actual. 


.568 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


danger  occasioned  to  themselves — these  were  trifles — hut  also 
grievous  responsibility,  and  perhaps  much  misconception  and  un- 
deserved personal  obloquy  thrown  upon  their  motives  and  con- 
duct. They  were  prepared  for  all ;  for  what  will  not  a  man 
suffer  to  save  life,  limb,  and  property  ?  They  knew  they  might 
possibly  open  a  gate  to  insubordination  and  general  anarchy, 
thereby  periling  all  future  law,  peace  and  happiness  ;  but  they 
did  not  think  that  a  probable  case,  and  at  any  rate  the  risk  must 
be  run.  The  chances  were  all  calculated  beforehand  ;  and  the 
result  showed  only  a  clear  winning  game. 

The  law  of  nature,  which  is  the  foundation  of,  and  is  supe- 
rior to,  all  civil  law,  justifies  every  means  for  self-preservation. 
An  individual  or  a  community  attacked  has  a  right  to  defend 
itself ;  and  where  that  attack  cannot  be  otherwise  resisted,  then 
is  extermination  of  the  offender  proper.  Where  the  constituted 
tribunals  of  a  country  fail  to  accomplish  the  ends  for  which  they 
were  created,  society  becomes  resolved  into  its  first  elements,  and 
some  new  method  must  be  adopted  to  preserve  its  very  existence. 
Opinions  may  differ  as  to  the  particular  instant  of  time  when 
formal  law  and  legal  courts  become  inoperative,  and  sanction  a 
community  in  resorting  to  new  and  extraordinary  measures  for 
its  own  safety  ;  but  in  regard  to  the  general  principle,  all  history, 
and  what  is  better,  common  sense  and  moral  feeling,  abundantly 
establish  it.  The  people  of  San  Francisco, — and  they  of  all  the 
world  could  alone  know  their  own  troubles, — believed  that  the  un- 
happy point  of  time  had  been  reached  ;  and  they  accordingly 
seized  the  occasion  to  make  some  terrible  experiments,  by  which 
to  check  the  growth  of  those  crimes  that  were  so  rapidly  sur- 
rounding them. 

In  the  case  of  Stuart  alias  Burdue,  in  February,  1851,  the 
want  of  organization  and  previous  arrangements  on  the  part  of 
the  people,  had  been  severely  felt.  As  the  popular  demonstration 
of  that  period  had  failed  to  strike  criminals  with  terror  or  lessen 
crime,  a  number  of  the  leading  citizens  organized  themselves  into 
the  Vigilance  Committee.  This  was  in  June,  1851.  The  con- 
stitution of  the  association  was  as  follows  : — 

"  Whereas,  it  has  become  apparent  to  the  citizens  of  San  Francisco,  that 
there  is  no  security  for  life  and  property,  either  under  the  regulations  of  society 


THE  VIGILANCE  COMMITTEE. 


569 


as  it  at  present  exists,  or  under  the  law  as  now  administered  ;  Therefore,  the 
citizens,  whose  names  are  hereunto  attached,  do  unite  themselves  into  an 
association  for  the  maintenance  of  the  peace  and  good  order  of  society,  and 
the  preservation  of  the  lives  and  property  of  the  citizens  of  San  Francisco, 
and  do  bind  ourselves,  each  unto  the  other,  to  do  and  perform  every  lawful  act 
for  the  maintenance  of  law  and  order,  and  to  sustain  the  laws  when  faithfully 
and  properly  administered ;  but  we  are  determined  that  no  thief,  burglar,  in- 
cendiary or  assassin,  shall  escape  punishment,  either  by  the  quibbles  of  the 
law,  the  insecurity  of  prisons,  the  carelessness  or  corruption  of  the  police,  or 
a  laxity  of  those  who  pretend  to  administer  justice.  And  to  secure  the  ob- 
jects of  this  association  we  do  hereby  agree  : 

"  1.  That  the  name  and  style  of  the  association  shall  be  the  Committee  of 
Vigilance,  for  the  protection  of  the  lives  and  property  of  the  citizens  and 
residents  of  the  city  of  San  Francisco. 

"  2.  That  there  shall  be  a  room  selected  for  the  meeting  and  deliberation 
of  the  committee,  at  which  there  shall  be  one  or  more  members  of  the  com- 
mittee, appointed  for  that  purpose,  in  constant  attendance,  at  all  hours  of  the 
day  and  night,  to  receive  the  report  of  any  member  of  the  association,  or  of 
any  other  person  or  persons  whatsoever,  of  any  act  of  violence  done  to  the 
person  or  property  of  any  citizen  of  San  Francisco  ;  and  if  in  the  judgment 
of  the  member  or  members  of  the  committee  present,  it  be  such  an  act  as 
justifies  the  interference  of  the  committee,  either  in  aiding  in  the  execution  of 
the  laws,  or  the  prompt  and  summary  punishment  of  the  offender,  the  com- 
mittee shall  be  at  once  assembled  for  the  purpose  of  taking  such  action  as  a 
majority  of  the  committee  when  assembled  shall  determine  upon. 

"  3.  That  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  any  member  or  members  of  the  committee 
on  duty  at  the  committee  room,  whenever  a  general  assemblage  of  the  com- 
mittee is  deemed  necessary,  to  cause  a  call  to  be  made  by  two  strokes  upon 
a  bell,  which  shall  be  repeated  with  a  pause  of  one  minute  between  each  alarm. 
The  alarm  to  be  struck  until  ordered  to  be  stopped. 

"  4.  That  when  the  committee  have  assembled  for  action,  the  decision  of  a 
majority  present  shall  be  binding  upon  the  whole  committee,  and  that  those 
members  of  the  committee  whose  names  are  hereunto  attached,  do  pledge  their 
honor,  and  hereby  bind  themselves  to  defend  and  sustain  each  other  in  carry- 
ing out  the  determined  action  of  this  committee  at  the  hazard  of  their  lives 
and  their  fortunes. 

"  5.  That  there  shall  be  chosen  monthly  a  president,  secretary  and  treasurer, 
and  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  secretary  to  detail  the  members  required  to  be 
in  daily  attendance  at  the  committee  room.  A  sergeant-at-arms  shall  be 
appointed,  whose  duty  it  shall  be  to  notify  such  members  of  their  details  for 
duty.  The  sergeant-at-arms  shall  reside  at  and  be  in  constant  attendance  at 
the  committee  room.  There  shall  be  a  standing  committee  of  finance,  and 
qualification,  consisting  of  five  each,  and  no  person  shall  be  admitted  a  member 
of  this  association  unless  he  be  a  respectable  citizen,  and  approved  of  by  the 
committee  on  qualification  before  admission." 


570 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


An  occasion  soon  happened  to  test  the  character  and  uses 
of  this  most  extraordinary  association.  On  the  evening  of  the 
10th  of  June,  1851,  a  person  of  the  name  of  John  Jenkins 
feloniously  entered  a  store  on  Long  Wharf,  and  stole  a  safe.  He 
was  subsequently  seen  with  a  large  burden  slung  across  his  back, 
and,  an  alarm  being  raised,  was  pursued.  He  then  got  into  a 
boat,  and  sculled  out  into  the  bay,  followed  by  a  dozen  other 
boats  in  keen  pursuit.  The  fugitive  was  soon  overtaken  ;  but 
before  his  captors  reached  him  he  was  seen  to  throw  the  burden 
into  the  water.  This  was  soon  drawn  up,  and  proved  to  be  the 
stolen  safe.  The  prisoner  was  next  taken  to  the  rooms  of  the 
Vigilance  Committee,  in  Battery  street,  near  the  corner  of  Pine 
street.  About  ten  o'clock  of  the  same  night,  a  signal  was  given 
on  the  bell  of  the  Monumental  Engine  Company  ;  and  shortly 
afterwards  about  eighty  members  of  the  committee  hurried  to 
the  appointed  place,  and  on  giving  the  secret  password  were 
admitted.  Meanwhile,  knots  of  people,  some  of  whom  knew  and 
all  suspected  what  was  going  on,  gathered  about  the  premises, 
and  impatiently  awaited  the  farther  progress  of  events.  For  two 
long  hours,  the  committee  were  closely  occupied  in  examining 
evidence  ;  and  soon  they  had  no  reason  to  doubt  the  prisoner's 
guilt — though  this  he  denied  to  the  last.  At  midnight,  the  bell 
of  the  California  Engine  House  was  tolled,  as  sentence  of  death 
by  hanging  was  passed  upon  the  wretched  man.  The  solemn 
sounds  at  that  unusual  hour  filled  the  anxious  crowds  with  awe. 
The  condemned  at  this  time  was  asked  if  he  had  any  thing  to  say 
for  himself,  when  he  answered  :  "  No,  I  have  nothing  to  say,  only 
I  wish  to  have  a  cigar."  This  was  handed  to  him,  and  after- 
wards, at  his  request,  a  little  brandy  and  water.  He  was  per- 
fectly cool,  and  seemingly  careless,  confidently  expecting,  it  was 
believed,  a  rescue,  up  to  the  last  moment. 

A  little  before  one  o'clock,  Mr.  S.  Brannan  came  out  of  the 
committee  rooms,  and  ascending  a  mound  of  sand  to  the  east  of 
the  Basse  tte  House,  addressed  the  people.  He  had  been  deputed 
he  said,  by  the  committee,  to  inform  them  that  the  prisoner's 
case  had  been  fairly  tried,  that  he  had  been  proved  guilty,  and 
was  condemned  to  be  hanged  ;  and  that  the  sentence  would  be 
executed  within  one  hour  upon  the  plaza.    He  then  asked  the 


THE  VIGILANCE  COMMITTEE. 


571 


people  if  they  approved  of  the  action  of  the  committee,  when 
great  shouts  of  Ay  !  Ay  !  burst  forth,  mingled  with  a  few  cries 
of  No  !  In  the  interval  a  clergyman  had  been  sent  for,  who 
administered  the  last  consolations  of  religion  to  the  condemned. 

Shortly  before  two  o'clock,  the  committee  issued  from  the 
building,  bearing  the  prisoner  (who  had  his  arms  tightly  pinioned) 
along  with  them.  The  committee  were  all  armed,  and  closely 
clustered  around  the  culprit  to  prevent  any  possible  chance  of 
rescue.  A  procession  was  formed  ;  and  the  whole  party,  followed 
by  the  crowd,  proceeded  to  the  plaza,  through  Sansome,  Cali- 
fornia, Montgomery  and  Clay  streets.  Arrived  at  the  flagstaff, 
some  thoughtlessly  suggested  that  it  might  serve  to  hang  the 
condemned  upon,  but  the  proposal  was  indignantly  overruled,  as 
desecrating  the  liberty  pole.  Those  in  charge  of  the  execution 
then  proceeded  to  the  south  end  of  the  adobe  building,  which 
then  stood  on  the  north-west  corner  of  the  plaza.  The  opposite 
end  of  the  rope  which  was  already  about  the  neck  of  the  victim 
was  hastily  thrown  over  a  projecting  beam.  Some  of  the  authori- 
ties attempted  at  this  stage  of  affairs  to  interfere,  but  their  efforts 
were  unavailing.  They  were  civilly  desired  to  stand  back,  and 
not  delay  what  was  still  to  be  done.  The  crowd,  which  numbered 
upwards  of  a  thousand,  were  perfectly  quiescent,  or  only  applauded 
by  look,  gesture,  and  subdued  voice  the  action  of  the  committee. 
Before  the  prisoner  had  reached  the  building,  a  score  of  persons 
seized  the  loose  end  of  the  rope  and  ran  backwards,  dragging  the 
wretch  along  the  ground  and  raising  him  to  the  beam.  Thus 
they  held  him  till  he  was  dead.  Nor  did  they  let  the  body  go 
until  some  hours  afterwards,  new  volunteers  relieving  those  who 
were  tired  holding  the  rope.  Little  noise  or  confusion  took  place. 
Muttered  whispers  among  the  spectators  guided  their  movements 
or  betrayed  their  feelings.  The  prisoner  had  not  spoken  a  word, 
either  upon  the  march  or  during  the  rapid  preparations  for  his 
execution.  At  the  end  he  was  perhaps  strung  up  almost  before 
he  was  aware  of  what  was  so  immediately  coming.  He  was 
a  strong-built,  healthy  man,  and  his  struggles,  when  hanging, 
were  very  violent  for  a  few  minutes. 

This  Jenkins  was  one  of  the  notorious  "  Sydney  coves,"  and 
was  believed  to  be  a  man  of  desperate  and  crime-stained  charac- 


572 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


ter.  The  committee  who  tried  him  were  generally  people  of 
respectability  in  San  Francisco.  Stern  necessity  had  led  them 
to  make  this  first  terrible  example,  and  their  conduct  was  almost 
unanimously  applauded  by  the  citizens.  The  public  press,  with 
one  exception,  likewise  gave  a  hearty  approval  of  their  proceed- 
ings. That  the  execution  was  conducted  during  the  dead  of 
night,  was  simply  owing  to  the  fact  that  the  criminal  had  been 
apprehended  only  late  in  the  preceding  evening.  The  crime, 
apprehension,  trial,  sentence  and  execution,  all  took  place  within 
a  few  consecutive  hours.  The  latter  steps  were  managed  as 
swiftly  as  convenient  to  the  ends  of  justice.  If  the  crime  had 
been  committed  in  the  morning,  the  result  would  have  been  the 
same,  and  the  condemned  would  then  only  have  been  hanged  in 
open  day.  That  the  trial  took  place  in  secret  was  owing  to  the 
constitution  of  the  committee,  which  was  devised  to  prevent  the 
excesses  and  turbulence  of  a  mere  mob  sitting  in  judgment  upon 
offenders. 

A  coroner's  inquest  was  held,  the  11th  of  June,  upon  the 
body  of  the  hanged  man.  To  illustrate  further  the  constitution, 
real  objects,  and  spirit  of  the  Vigilance  Committee,  we  give  a 
portion  of  the  testimony  of  Mr.  Brannan  before  the  jury  on  this 
occasion.  After  declining  to  answer  some  questions  on  the  ground 
that  his  statements  might  implicate  himself,  the  witness  said  : 

"  I  believe  the  man  had  a  fair  and  impartial  trial.  lie  was  tried  before 
from  sixty  to  eighty  men.  I  believe  the  verdict  of  guilty  was  unanimous,  and 
they  came  to  the  conclusion  unanimously  to  hang  him.  I  don't  know  how  the 
jury  was  empanelled  ;  think  they  empanelled  themselves.  The  jury  consisted 
of  the  Committee  of  Vigilance ;  they  were  all  citizens  of  the  town.  I  don't 
know  that  the  committee  has  by-laws.  The  declared  object  of  the  committee 
was  to  consider  themselves  constantly  on  duty,  to  protect  the  lives  and  pro- 
perty of  their  fellow-citizens ;  to  see  that  they  are  not  troubled  by  burglars, 
and  incendiaries,  and  murderers  ;  and  to  arrest  and  punish  promptly  parties 
caught  in  the  act.  The  man  was  executed  in  accordance  with  the  finding  of 
the  committee.  I  understood  a  record  was  kept  of  the  evidence  adduced  on 
the  trial ;  six  or  eight  witnesses  were  examined.  The  prisoner  had  the  priv- 
ilege of  bringing  in  evidence  in  his  behalf.  He  said  he  had  but  one  witness, 
who  came  and  testified  that  he  did  not  know  him.  There  was  no  counsel  as- 
signed him.  I  don't  know  whether  the  man's  witness  saw  him.  He  said  he 
did  not  know  any  such  man  before  he  reached  the  house.  Don't  know  that 
the  witnesses  were  put  under  oath.  I  did  not  make  any  motion  that  the  man 
should  have  a  new  trial.    Don't  know  whether  any  other  persons  than  those 


THE  VIGILANCE  COMMITTEE. 


573 


of  the  committee  were  in  the  room.  A  man  is  admitted  to  the  committee  on 
a  motion  by  a  friend  who  vouches  for  his  character,  and  that  he  will  devote  a 
portion  of  his  time  to  watching  for  burglars  and  other  scoundrels.  I  don't 
know  of  any  other  secrecy  than  that  of  an  honest  man.  There  is  no  oath 
used.  The  object  is  to  assist  the  law  and  administer  justice.  I  do  not  believe 
the  prisoner  would  have  been  hanged  if  the  committee  had  not  found  him 
guilty.  The  committee  are  good  citizens,  and  of  good  standing  in  society.  I 
saw  the  prisoner's  witness  out  of  doors ;  heard  him  say  he  did  not  know  any 
such  man  as  Jenkins ;  don't  know  whether  he  went  inside  ;  did  not  see  him  ; 
could  not  give  the  names  of  any  of  the  witnesses.  I  object  to  give  the  names 
of  any  of  the  committee.  I  have  understood  that  threats  have  been  made 
against  their  property  and  lives  ;  have  heard  threats  made  ;  have  heard  it  said 
that  my  own  house  would  be  burned ;  threats  have  come  to  me  from  the 
prisoners  in  the  county  prison  that  I  should  not  live  ninety  days.  I  know 
of  nothing  done  by  the  Vigilance  Committee  that  they  would  conceal  from  the 
officers  of  the  law  under  proper  circumstances.  The  avowed  object  of  the 
committee  is  to  protect  the  city,  and  punish  crime.  I  know  of  no  other  purpose 
for  which  they  are  organized.  I  believe  it  was  through  the  instrumentality 
of  the  committee  that  the  man  was  hanged." 

Upon  the  above  and  much  other  evidence  of  a  like  nature, 
the  jury  on  the  12th  June,  returned  the  following  verdict  : — 

"We,  the  Jurors  of  a  Jury  of  Inquest,  empanelled  by  the  Coroner  of  the 
County  of  San  Francisco,  to  inquire  into  the  death  of  one  John  Jenkins,  alias 
Simpton,  do  find  upon  our  oaths  that  the  said  Jenkins,  alias  Simpton,  came  to 
his  death  on  the  morning  of  the  11th  of  June,  between  the  hours  of  two  and 
three  o'clock,  by  violent  means,  by  strangulation,  caused  by  being  suspended 
by  the  neck,  with  a  rope  attached  to  the  end  of  the  adobe  building  on  the 
plaza,  at  the  hands  of,  and  in  pursuance  of  a  preconcerted  action  on  the  part 
of  an  association  of  citizens,  styling  themselves  a  Committee  of  Vigilance,  of 
whom  the  following  members  are  implicated  by  direct  testimony,  to  wit :  Cap- 
tain Edgar  Wakeman,  William  H.  Jones,  James  C.  Ward,  Edward  A.  King, 
T.  K.  Battelle,  Benjamin  Reynolds,  John  S.  Eagan,  J.  C.  Derby  and  Samuel 
Brannan ;  and  the  following  members  by  their  voluntary  avowal  of  participa- 
tion in  the  act."  [Here  followed  a  list  of  the  members  of  the  Vigilance  Com- 
mittee.] 

In  consequence  of  this  verdict  (which,  it  may  be  just  said 
in  passing,  was  never  attempted  to  be  followed  up  by  the  authori- 
ties), the  Vigilance  Committee  held  a  meeting  on  the  13th  June, 
when  a  unanimous  resolution  to  the  following  effect  was  passed, 
and  ordered  to  be  published.  As  the  names  appended  to  this 
resolution  make  a  pretty  complete  roll  of  the  original,  or  moue 
prominent  members  of  the  Vigilance  Committee,  many  of  whom 
still  reside  in  San  Francisco  and  move  among  the  most  respecta- 


574 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


ble  circles,  we  give  them  at  length.  The  curious  and  scandal- 
loving  may  spell  over  the  list  at  their  leisure,  and  discover  some 
of  the  chief  bankers,  merchants  and  real  estate  proprietors  now 
flourishing  in  this  city.  There  is,  however,  a  better  reason  for 
the  present  republication  of  these  names,  albeit  some  feebler- 
minded  folk  may  fervently  wish  that  their  "  unco  guid  "  friends 
at  a  distance  may  never  hear  of  their  graceless  connection  with 
the  Vigilance  Committee.  Since  common  fairness  compelled  the 
disclosure  in  1851,  to  give  moral  support  to  the  parties  singled 
out  by  the  verdict  of  the  coroner's  jury  ;  therefore,  so  long  as  these 
gentlemen  continue  well  known,  and  while  they  must  be  specially 
designated  in  any  history  pretending  to  be  full  and  accurate  of 
the  proceedings,  the  same  spirit  of  fairness  enforces  the  publica- 
tion now.  It  would  be  doing  gross  injustice  to  a  dozen  worthy 
men,  if  the  full  list  were  omitted  in  the  "  Annals  of  San  Fran- 
cisco." At  the  same  time,  there  is  no  reason  why  any  one  of  the 
whole  number  should  be  ashamed  of  his  appearance  in  the  list. 

"  Resolved,  That  we,  members  of  the  Vigilance  Committee,  remark  with 
surprise  the  invidious  verdict  rendered  by  the  coroner's  jury,  after  their  in- 
quest upon  the  body  of  Jenkins,  alias  Simpton,  after  we  have  all  notified  to 
the  said  jury  and  the  public  that  we  were  all  participators  in  the  trial  and 
execution  of  said  Jenkins.  We  desire  that  the  public  will  understand  that 
Capt.  E.  Wakeman,  W.  H.  Jones,  James  C.  Ward,  Edward  A.  King,  T.  K.  Bat- 
telle,  Benjamin  Reynolds,  J.  S.  Eagan,  J.  C.  Derby  and  Samuel  Brannan,  have 
been  unnecessarily  picked  from  our  numbers,  as  the  coroner's  jury  have  had  full 
evidence  of  the  fact,  that  all  the  undersigned  have  been  equally  implicated, 
and  arc  equally  responsible  with  their  above-named  associates." 


S.  E.  Woodworth, 
Fred.  A.  Woodworth, 
Francis  E.  Webster, 
Win.  N.  Thompson, 
Clinton  Winton, 
James  B.  Huie, 
B.  Frank  Hillard, 
S.  W.  Haight, 
George  H.  Howard, 
Caleb  Hyatt, 
Samuel  R.  Curwen, 
James  F.  Curtis, 
L.  Hulsemann, 
A.  G.  Kandall, 
8.  Brannan, 
George  J.  Oakes, 
R.  D.  W.  Davis, 
Wm.  H.  Jones, 
Edward  A.  King, 


Jesse  Southam, 
T.  H.  Robinson, 
George  R.  Ward, 
C.  L.  Wilson, 
W.  H.  Taber, 
Isaac  Bluxome,  jr., 
Lathrop  L.  Bullock, 
John  W.  Rider, 
Theodore  Kuhlman, 
Joseph  E.  Dale, 
Julius  D.  Sliultz, 
J.  P.  Stevens, 
Thomas  McCahill, 
Wm.  Peake, 
Jonas  Minturn, 
Lloyd  Minturn, 
F.  O.  Wakeman, 
Wm.  Forst, 
John  W.  Jackson, 


James  Shinaler, 
J.  W.  Rickman, 
W.  S.  Bromley, 

A.  Ottenheimer, 

B.  H.  Davis, 

P.  Frothlngham, 
E.  E.  Scbenck, 
Geo.  Austinworn, 
E  Botcher, 
Samuel  Marx, 
Daniel  J.  Thomas,  jr., 
J.  E.  Farwell. 
Jacob  P.  Leese, 
Edgar  Wakeman, 
A.  Markwell, 
Samuel  A.  Sloaue, 
W.  B.  Lucas, 
Henry  M.  Naglee, 
J.  Thompson  Iluic, 


A.  Wheelwright, 

C.  F.  Fourgeand, 

A.  Jackson  McDullic, 

P.  D.  Hcadley, 

S.  B.  Marshall, 

H.  Ilazeltine, 

W.  Iken, 

George  1).  Lambert, 
John  P.  Half, 
Joseph  T.  Harmer, 
J.  Seligman, 
H.  F.  Von  Lenyerk, 
J.  E.  Derby, 
T.  J.  West, 
Win.  T.  Coleman, 
J.  S.  Clark, 
C  H.  Clark, 
Herman  R.  Haste, 
H.  F.  Tescbemacker, 


THE  VIGILANCE  COMMITTEE. 


575 


William  A.  Howard, 
Henry  Dreshchfeldt, 
James  Ryan, 
Win.  Browne, 
Hubert  Wells, 
H.  D.  Evans, 
John  J.  Bryant, 
E.  Kirtus, 
Thos.  N.  Deblois, 
E.  Gorliam, 
Frank  S.  Mahoney, 
James  C.  Ward, 
R.  S.  Watson, 
George  Melius, 
J.  D.  Stevenson, 
Chas.  K.  Bond, 

B.  B.  Arrowsmith, 
S.  E.  Teschemacker, 

C.  H.  Brinley, 
J.  W.  Salmon, 
Benjamin  Reynolds, 
A.  W,  Macpherson, 
John  S.  Eagan, 

J.  C.  L.  Wadsworth, 
William  Hart, 
George  M.  Garwood, 
R.  S.  Lanot, 


A.  C.  Tubbs, 
J.  R.  Curtis, 

A.  II.  Hill, 
Wm.  H.  Graham, 

B.  E.  Babcock, 
J.  A.  Fisher, 
Hartford  Joy, 
Joshua  Hilton, 
John  F.  Osgood, 
James  Pratt, 

E.  Kemp. 
Wm.  G.  Badger, 
J.  Mead  Huxley 
S.  J.  Stabler, 
Geo.  Clifford, 
Charles  Soule,  jr., 
Robert  H.  Belden, 
N.  Smith, 

Randolph  M.  Cooley, 
Chas.  II.  Hill, 
J.  Neal,  jr., 

F.  A.  Atkinson, 
Charles  Miller, 
John  0.  Earle, 
N.  T.  Thompson, 
N.  Reynolds  Davis, 
Gabriel  Winter, 


Otis  P.  Sawyer, 
Wm.  Meyer, 
W.  N.  Hostin, 
John  G.  McKaraber, 
Eugene  Hart, 
John  Raynes, 
J.  C.  Treadwell, 
John  H.  Watson, 
Wm.  Burling, 
F.  Quincey  Coale, 
Thomas  N.  Cazneau, 
Geo.  W.  Douglass, 
Wm.  C.  Graham, 
Chas.  II.  Vail, 
Charles  Minturn, 
Howard  Cunningham, 
Charles  L.  Case, 
Charles  Moore, 
James  R.  Duff, 

E.  M.  Earle, 

J.  L.  Van  Bokkelcn, 
George  N.  Blake, 
Dewitt  Brown, 
Edward  F.  Baker, 

F.  Argent!, 
Stephen  Payran, 
C.  Spring, 


Wm.  J.  Sherwood, 
W.  L.  Hobson, 

E.  W.  Travers, 
W.  H.  Tillinghast, 
Wm.  Langerrnan, 
J.  F.  Hutton, 
Thos.  K.  Battelle, 
Horace  Morrison, 
Augustus  Belknap, 

F.  L.  Dana, 
noratio  S.  Gates, 
O.  P.  Sutton, 
Jer.  Spalding, 
A.  J.  Ellis, 

John  M.  Coughlin, 
Samuel  Moss,  jr., 
C.  O.  Brewster, 
Charles  L.  Wood, 
William  Tell, 
James  Dow, 
E.  W.  Crowell, 
A.  II.  Gildemeester, 
Samuel  S.  Philipps, 
Chas.  Del  Vecehio, 
Joseph  Post, 
Jas.  King  of  William. 


These  were  signatures  of  some  of  the  richest,  most  influential, 
orderly  and  respectable  citizens  of  San  Francisco.  They  show, 
however,  only  a  small  portion  of  the  people  who  subsequently 
joined  the  Vigilance  Committee,  since  every  day  was  increasing 
its  numbers  by  the  accession  of  the  best  inhabitants  of  the  place. 
At  the  time  when  the  above  resolution  was  formed  and  published 
the  committee  likewise  put  forth  the  following  by-laws,  as  an 
address  to  the  people  : — 

"Whereas,  The  citizens  of  San  Francisco,  convinced  that  there  exists 
within  its  limits  a  band  of  robbers  and  incendiaries,  who  have,  several  times, 
burned  and  attempted  to  burn  their  city,  who  nightly  attack  their  persons 
and  break  into  their  buildings,  destroy  their  quiet,  jeopardize  their  lives  and 
property,  and  generally  disturb  the  natural  order  of  society;  And  Whereas 
many  of  those  taken  by  the  police  have  succeeded  in  escaping  from  their 
prisons  by  carelessness,  by  connivance,  or  from  want  of  proper  means  or  force 
to  secure  their  confinement,  therefore  be  it 

"  Resolved,  That  the  citizens  of  this  place  be  made  aware  that  the  Com- 
mittee of  Vigilance  will  be  ever  ready  to  receive  information  as  to  the  where- 
abouts of  any  disorderly  or  suspicious  person  or  persons,  as  well  as  the  persons 
themselves  when  suspected  of  crime. 

"  That  as  it  is  the  conviction  of  a  large  portion  of  our  citizens,  that  there 
exists  in  this  city  a  nucleus  of  convicts  and  disorderly  persons,  around  which 
cluster  those  who  have  seriously  disturbed  the  peace  and  affected  the  best 


576 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


interests  of  our  city — such  as  are  known  to  the  police  of  the  city,  or  to  the 
members  of  the  Committee  of  Vigilance,  as  felons  by  conduct  or  association, 
be  notified  to  leave  this  port  within  five  days  from  this  date ;  and  at  the  ex- 
piration of  which  time  they  shall  be  compelled  to  depart,  if  they  have  not 
done  so  voluntarily  within  the  time  specified. 

"  Resolved,  That  a  safety  committee  of  thirty  persons  be  appointed,  whose 
sacred  duty  it  shall  be  to  visit  every  vessel  arriving  with  notorious  or  suspi- 
cious characters  on  board,  and  unless  they  can  present  to  said  committee  evi- 
dences of  good  character  and  honesty,  they  shall  be  re-shipped  to  the  places 
from  whence  they  came,  and  not  be  permitted  to  pollute  our  soil. 

"  Hesolved,  That  all  good  citizens  be  invited  to  join  and  assist  the  Com- 
mittee of  Vigilance  in  carrying  out  the  above  measures  so  necessary  for  the 
perfect  restoration  of  the  peace,  safety,  and  good  order  of  our  community." 

These  sweeping  resolutions  were  not  suffered  to  lie  dormant  ; 
but  were  instantly  and  effectively  acted  upon.  The  terrible  ex- 
ample made  of  Jenkins,  and  the  announcement  of  farther  steps 
by  the  committee,  had  already  succeeded  in  frightening  many  of 
the  more  fearful  rogues  away.  The  steamers  to  Sacramento  and 
Stockton  were  crowded  with  the  flying  rascals.  But  such  a  par- 
tial exodus  was  not  enough.  The  more  desperate  characters  were 
left,  and  unless  the  work  was  thoroughly  done,  the  city  would 
be  in  as  bad  a  state  as  before.  An  old  Mexican  law  really  forbade 
the  immigration  into  California  of  such  persons  as  had  been  con- 
victed of  crime  in  other  countries  ;  but  this  law,  in  the  confusion 
of  the  vast  immigration  of  1849  and  succeeding  years  had  been 
disregarded.  The  committee,  however,  now  proceeded  to  render 
it  of  use,  and  give  a  somewhat  wider  scope  to  its  operation.  So 
notices  were  forthwith  served  on  all  such  persons  as  were  known 
or  reputed  to  be  vicious  characters,  upon  the  different  "  Sydney 
Coves,"  and  upon  all  who  harbored  or  kept  close  companion- 
ship with  them,  that  they  instantly  leave  the  city,  on  pain  of 
being  forcibly  expelled,  and  shipped  to  the  place  from  whence 
they  had  last  come.  These  notices  were  served  always  in  presence 
of  three  members  of  the  committee,  and  after  due  inquiry, 
although  a  secret  one,  had  been  made  on  the  subject.  If  the 
party  warned  considered  himself  an  innocent  or  ill-used  person, 
he  was  at  liberty  to  appeal  to  the  committee,  and  have  his  cause 
reheard.  He  could  produce  all  evidence  within  his  power  in 
regard  to  general  character  or  to  rebut  specific  charges  ;  and  upon 
that,  or  its  absence,  the  committee  altered  or  confirmed  their  for- 


THE  VIGILANCE  COMMITTEE. 


577 


mer  judgment.  Kepeated  cases  of  rehearing  took  place  ;  and 
where  the  parties  appealing  were  "  white-washed,"  or  turned  out 
really  "  good  citizens,"  generally  no  malice  was  manifested  by 
them  against  the  committee  ;  because  they,  like  their  judges, 
considered  that  the  whole  proceedings  had  been  conducted  in 
good  faith  and  for  the  public  benefit.  A  few  actions  of  damages 
for  false  imprisonment  and  defamation  of  character  were  about 
this  time  and  subsequently  raised  against  members  of  the  Vigi- 
lance Committee,  by  parties  who  considered  themselves  aggrieved 
by  their  proceedings.  In  the  end,  however,  these  actions  were 
either  quashed,  nominal  damages  only  awarded  by  the  jury,  or 
the  plaintiffs  indemnified.  Meanwhile,  the  committee  pursued 
"  the  even  tenor  of  their  way,"  nowise  daunted  by  the  reproaches 
and  threats  of  offended  individuals,  nor  by  the  continual  oppos- 
ing action  of  mortified  officials.  When  some  of  the  warned 
were  contumacious,  and  refused  to  depart,  they  were  seized  by 
force,  in  spite  of  their  appeals  to  the  courts  of  law,  and  impris- 
oned on  board  a  safe  ship  in  the  bay  until  arrangements  could 
be  made  for  their  transportation  abroad.  The  legal  authorities, 
with  numerous  practising  lawyers  in  their  train,  meanwhile 
"  fretted  and  fumed  "  at  thus  losing  their  own  proper  business  ; 
and  denounced  in  angry  language  the  sweeping  action  of  the 
committee.  Those  personages  did  not  deny  the  good  result  of 
this  action,  nor  did  they  disguise  the  alarming  increase  of  crime 
and  the  inability  of  the  regular  tribunals  to  cope  with  it  ; 
but  still  they  harped  upon  the  illegality, — the  illegality  of  the  whole 
proceedings.  Illegality  truly  !  People  were  abused,  robbed  and 
murdered  on  all  sides,  their  houses  set  in  flames,  and  their  goods 
consumed  or  stolen,  and  yet  they  were  to  be  forbidden  the  only 
remedy  in  their  power,  because  form  was  to  be  observed,  while 
the  criminals  escaped  !  The  reproaches  of  mere  lawyers  were 
disregarded,  and  the  work  of  purification  went  on. 

Some  individuals  having  chosen  to  throw  obstacles  in  the  way 
of  the  Vigilance  Committee's  action,  that  body  issued  the  follow- 
ing notice  to  the  public.  It  is  here  given  to  show  the  spirit  of 
their  proceedings,  and  the  ceaseless  watchfulness  with  which  they 
were  conducted.  Not  a  word  need  be  said  as  to  their  illegality  ; 
that  is  confessed  by  all. 
37 


578 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


"Vigilance  Committee  Room: — It  having  become  necessary  to  the 
peace  and  quiet  of  this  community  that  all  criminals  and  abettors  in  crime 
should  be  driven  from  among  us,  no  good  citizen,  having  the  welfare  of  San 
Francisco  at  heart,  will  deny  the  Committee  of  Vigilance  such  information  as 
will  enable  them  to  carry  out  the  above  object.  Nor  will  they  interfere  with 
said  committee  when  they  may  deem  it  best  to  search  any  premises  for  sus- 
picious characters  or  stolen  property.  Therefore, 

"  Resolved,  That  we  the  Vigilance  Committee  do  claim  to  ourselves  the 
right  to  enter  any  person  or  persons'  premises  where  we  have  good  reason 
to  believe  that  we  shall  find  evidence  to  substantiate  and  carry  out  the  object 
of  tliis  body ;  And  further,  deeming  ourselves  engaged  in  a  good  and  just 
cause — we  intend  to  maintain  it. 

11  By  order  of 

"  The  Committee  of  Vigilance, 

No.  G7,  Secretary." 

"  San  Francisco,  July  5,  1851." 

The  next  striking  occasion  when  the  Vigilance  Committee 
exercised  its  power  was  on  the  11th  of  July  following.  A  person 
of  the  name  of  James  Stuart — the  real  party  of  that  name,  and 
for  whom  Burdue  had  been  mistaken  in  the  affair  of  the  19th  of 
February  preceding,  had  been  for  some  days  in  the  hands  of  the 
committee  upon  various  charges.  He  had  been  regularly  and 
fairly  tried,  found  guilty,  and  was  sentenced  to  be  hanged.  Subse- 
quently he  made  a  full  confession  of  his  crimes,  and  acknowledged 
the  justice  of  his  punishment.  He  was  an  Englishman,  and  had 
many  years  before  been  transported  from  Great  Britain  to  Aus- 
tralia for  forgery.  At  that  time  he  was  only  sixteen  years  of 
age.  His  whole  life  afterwards  was  one  continued  tissue  of  the 
most  daring  crimes.  After  wandering  about  various  parts  of  the 
Pacific,  he  lighted  at  last  upon  California,  and  during  liis  short 
residence  there  was  supposed  to  have  perpetrated  more  murders, 
burglaries,  and  other  crimes  of  every  dark  and  desperate  descrip- 
tion, than  any  other  villain  in  California.  His  confession  revealed 
an  extraordinary  state  of  social  impurity,  and  showed,  clearly 
and  minutely,  the  alarming  mass  of  villany  which  existed  among 
the  community,  and  the  support  it  received  from  the  lax  and 
culpable  behavior  of  the  executive.  This  confession  was  imme- 
diately published,  and  the  people  warned  against  the  many  persons 
whom  it  named  and  implicated  in  the  crimes  acknowledged. 

About  nine  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  11th,  the  customary 
taps  on  the  bell  of  the  Monumental  Engine  House,  which  showed 


THE  VIGILANCE  COMMITTEE. 


579 


that  a  matter  of  life  and  death  was  under  consideration,  summoned 
together  the  Vigilance  Committee.  Immediately  a  numerous 
assemblage  of  members  convened  at  their  rooms,  and  proceeded 
to  try  the  prisoner.  Evidence  was  duly  led  and  considered,  and 
Stuart's  guilt  being  fully  established,  he  was  sentenced  by  a 
unanimous  voice,  to  immediate  death  by  hanging.  Before  the 
execution,  Col.  J.  D.  Stevenson  went  forth  to  the  crowd  of  peo- 
ple waiting  outside,  and  addressing  them,  stated  the  facts  of  the 
case  briefly,  as  established  by  evidence,  the  subsequent  confession 
of  the  prisoner  himself,  and  the  proposed  judgment  of  the  com- 
mittee. He  then  inquired  whether  the  people  approved  of  their 
proceedings,  and  would  confirm  the  sentence.  A  loud  shout  in 
the  affirmative  from  a  great  crowd  answered  his  inquiry,  against 
which  there  were  only  several  voices  in  the  negative.  During 
this  time  the  committee  were  in  consultation  as  to  their  further 
proceedings,  while  the  prisoner  remained  manacled  in  an  adjoining 
room.    He  appeared  quite  reckless  of  his  fate,  and  only  at  times 

said  that  the  business  was  "  d  d  tiresome."    He  begged  a 

piece  of  tobacco  from  one  of  the  members,  which  he  continued 
to  chew  until  he  heard  his  doom.  When  sentence  was  delivered, 
he  was  permitted  to  have  a  delay  of  two  hours,  to  frame  his 
mind  to  the  solemnity  of  the  occasion  ;  and  to  that  end  the 
assistance  of  a  clergyman  was  given,  although  the  prisoner  seemed 
very  indifferent  about  religious  duties.  This  clergyman,  the  Rev. 
Mr.  Mines,  was  closeted  with  the  condemned  during  the  time 
granted.  In  the  interval,  the  members  j)resent  of  the  committee 
— some  four  hundred  in  number,  sat  grimly  on  their  seats,  silent 
and  determined.  They  felt  the  responsibility  and  unpleasant 
nature  of  the  task  before  them  ;  but  they  did  not  hesitate.  It 
was  for  the  good  of  the  community  and  their  own  safety  that 
they  had  been  laboring,  and  while  conscience  approved  of  their 
proceedings,  they  did  not  so  much  court,  as  they  hoped  and  ex- 
pected the  confidence  and  applause  of  their  fellow-citizens.  The 
silence  in  that  chamber  of  judgment  was  profound  ;  a  pin  could 
have  been  heard  to  fall  on  the  floor. 

After  the  two  hours'  grace,  the  condemned  was  led  forth,  still 
manacled,  and  closely  surrounded  by  those  who  had  the  direct 
charge  of  watching  over  him.    The  rest  of  the  committee  formed 


580 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


in  a  line  behind.  They  were  all  well  armed,  and  prepared  to 
resist  any  attempted  rescue,  either  by  the  prisoner's  friends,  or 
the  authorities  themselves.  In  this  order  they  marched,  two  by 
two,  as  in  funeral  procession,  after  Stuart  and  his  guards,  along 
Battery  street  to  Market  street  wharf,  down  which  they  pro- 
ceeded to  its  extremity.    A  great  crowd  of  citizens  followed. 


Hanging  of  James  Stuart. 


Hitherto  the  prisoner  had  preserved  much  coolness,  but  towards 
the  close,  fear  was  beginning  to  overcome  him,  and  he  was  at 
last  obliged  to  be  supported  by  two  of  his  guards.  At  the  end 
of  the  wharf  every  thing  had  been  hastily  arranged  for  the  exe- 
cution. So  soon  as  the  procession  reached  the  spot,  the  fatal 
rope  was  fastened,  and  the  condemned  quickly  hoisted  up  with  a 
jerk  upon  a  derrick.  He  did  not  struggle  much.  After  hanging 
a  few  seconds  his  hat  fell  off,  and  a  slight  breeze  stirred  and  gen- 
tly waved  his  hair.  This  was  a  sorry  spectacle — a  human  being- 
dying  like  a  dog,  while  thousands  of  erring  mortals,  whose  wicked- 


THE  VIGILANCE  COMMITTEE. 


.r)81 


ness  only  had  not  yet  been  found  out,  looked  on  and  applauded  ! 
But  necessity,  which  dared  not  trust  itself  to  feelings  of  compas- 
sion, commanded  the  deed,  and  unprofitable  sentiment  sunk 
abashed.  Reason  loudly  declared — So  perish  every  villain  who 
icould  hurt  his  neighbor  !  and  all  the  people  said  Amen  ! 

About  twenty-five  minutes  afterwards,  when  life  was  supposed 
to  have  fled,  the  body  was  lowered,  and  possession  allowed  to  be 
taken  on  the  part  of  the  authorities.  These  had,  previous  to  the 
execution,  made  some  attempts  to  recover  the  person  of  the 
deceased  ;  but  were  resolutely  opposed,  though  no  overt  act  of 
violence  took  place.  The  verdict  of  the  coroner's  jury  was  as 
follows  : — "  We,  the  jury,  find  that  the  deceased  came  to  his  death 
by  strangulation  by  hanging,  at  the  hands  of  a  body  of  men 
styling  themselves  the  Vigilance  Committee  of  San  Francisco." 
It  is,  perhaps,  unnecessary  to  say  that  the  authorities  took  no 
legal  action  on  this  verdict.  The  grand  jury  empanelled  for  the 
special  July  term  by  the  court  of  sessions,  towards  the  close  of  a 
long  report  on  the  state  of  crime  in  San  Francisco,  and  in  which 
they  had  made  allusion  to  the  Vigilance  Committee,  took  occa- 
sion to  say  : — 

"  When  we  recall  the  delays  and  the  inefficient,  and  we  believe  that  with 
truth  it  may  be  said,  the  corrupt  administration  of  the  law,  the  incapacity  and 
indifference  of  those  who  are  its  sworn  guardians  and  ministers,  the  frequent 
and  unnecessary  postponement  of  important  trials  in  the  District  Court,  the 
disregard  of  duty  and  impatience  while  attending  to  perform  it  manifested  by 
some  of  our  judges,  having  criminal  jurisdiction,  the  many  notorious  villains 
who  have  gone  unwhipped  of  justice,  lead  us  to  believe,  that  the  members  of 
that  association  have  been  governed  by  a  feeling  of  opposition  to  the  manner 
in  which  the  law  has  been  administered  and  those  who  have  administered  it, 
rather  than  a  determination  to  disregard  the  law  itself. 

"  Under  institutions  so  eminently  popular  as  those  under  which  we  live,  the 
power  of  correcting  all  these  abuses  is  with  the  people  themselves.  If  our 
officers  are  unfit  for  the  stations  they  occupy,  if  the  laws  are  not  faithfully 
executed,  if  an  arraigned  criminal  procures  his  own  friends  to  be  placed  on  the 
jury  that  tries  him,  where  is  the  fault,  and  where  the  remedy  1  If  those  of 
our  citizens  who  are  most  interested  in  having  good  and  wholesome  laws,  and 
in  seeing  them  well  and  purely  administered,  will  not  give  sufficient  attention 
to  our  elections  to  secure  proper  and  sober  legislators,  judicial  and  other  offi- 
cers, and  neglect  to  obey  the  mandates  of  our  courts  when  summoned  as  ju- 
rors and  witnesses,  as  has  been  too  often  the  case,  can  they  expect  to  see  jus- 
tice prevail  or  crime  punished  ?  And  is  it  not  in  the  neglect  of  their  duties 
in  these  important  particulars,  that  they  may  find  the  true  fountains  from 


582 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


whence  have  sprung  many  of  the  evils  we  have  suffered  ?  The  Grand  Jurors, 
believing,  whilst  they  deplore  their  acts,  that  the  association  styling  them- 
selves the  '  Vigilance  Committee,'  at  a  great  personal  sacrifice  to  themselves, 
have  been  influenced  in  their  actions  by  no  personal  or  private  malice,  but  for 
the  best  interest  of  the  whole,  and  at  a  time  too  when  all  other  means  of  pre- 
venting crime  and  bringing  criminals  to  direct  punishment  had  failed,  here 
dismiss  the  matter,  as  among  those  peculiar  results  of  circumstances  that 
sometimes  startle  communities,  which  they  can  neither  justify,  or  by  a  pre- 
sentment effect  any  benefit  to  individuals  or  the  country ;  and  with  the  as- 
surance that  there  is  a  determination  on  the  part  of  all  well-disposed  citizens 
to  correct  the  abuses  referred  to  by  selecting  proper  officers  to  take  the  place 
of  those  who  have  violated  their  trusts,  and  by  performing  each  his  part  in 
the  administration  of  the  laws.  When  this  is  done,  the  axe  will  have  been 
laid  at  the  root  of  the  tree — the  proper  remedy  applied  for  the  correction  of 
the  grievous  evils  our  city  and  country  have  so  long  suffered,  and  there  will 
be  no  necessity  for  the  further  action  of  that  committee.  To  them  we  are 
indebted  for  much  valuable  information  and  many  important  witnesses." 

The  above  testimony  to  the  purity  of  motives  and  prudence 
of  conduct  in  the  Vigilance  Committee  is  highly  important ; 
and  shows  the  estimation  in  which  they  were  held  by  some  of  the 
most  enlightened  members  of  the  community,  who  themselves 
had  a  legal  duty  to  perform  respecting  crime  in  the  district. 
The  public  press,  excepting  as  before,  continued  to  give  cordial 
and  effective  aid,  and  even  from  the  pulpit  was  heard  a  sound  of 
applause.  As  for  the  commonalty,  it  was  almost  unanimously  in 
favor  of  the  committee.  In  consequence  of  the  examples  made 
of  Jenkins  and  Stuart,  crime  was  now  fast  diminishing  in  San 
Francisco,  and  the  number  of  notorious  criminals  was  much 
reduced. 

The  next  great  occasion  on  which  the  committee  figured  was 
in  August  following.  They  had  had  in  their  custody  for  some 
time  back,  two  persons  of  the  names  of  Samuel  Whittaker  and 
Robert  McKenzie,  who  were  charged  with  the  various  crimes  of 
burglary,  robbery  and  arson.  These  persons  had  been  fairly 
tried,  had  confessed  their  guilt,  and  were  sentenced  to  be  hanged. 
The  particular  time  for  the  execution  had  not  yet  been  fixed, 
although  a  rumor  spread  abroad,  on  the  evening  of  the  20th 
August,  that  it  would  take  place  next  day. 

Meanwhile  the  governor  of  the  State,  the  Hon.  John  Mc- 
Dougal,  issued  (on  the  20th  August,)  a  proclamation  to  the 
people  in  the  County  of  San  Francisco,  directed  against  the  Vigi- 


THE  VIGILANCE  COMMITTEE. 


lance  Committee  by  name,  and  which  called  upon  "  all  good  citi- 
zens of  said  county  to  unite  for  the  purpose  of  sustaining  public 
law  and  tranquillity,  to  aid  the  public  officers  in  the  discharge  of 
their  duty,  and  by  all  lawful  means  to  discountenance  any  and 
every  attempt  which  may  be  made  to  substitute  the  despotic 
control  of  a  self-constituted  association,  unknown  and  acting  in 
defiance  of  the  laws,  in  the  place  of  the  regularly  organized 
government  of  the  country."  To  this  proclamation  the  following 
strange  certificate  was  published  in  answer  : — 

"  San  Francisco,  August  20th.  1851. 
"  We,  the  undersigned,  do  hereby  aver,  that  the  present  governor,  Mc- 
Dougal,  asked  to  he  introduced  to  the  Executive  Committee  of  the  Commit- 
tee of  Vigilance,  which  was  allowed,  and  an  hour  fixed.  The  governor,  upon 
being  introduced,  stated  that  he  approved  the  acts  of  the  committee,  and  that 
much  good  had  taken  place.  He  hoped  that  they  would  go  on,  and  endeavor 
to  act  in  concert  with  the  authorities,  and  in  case  any  judge  was  guilty  of 
mal-administration,  to  hang  him,  and  he  would  appoint  others,"  &c. 

Comment  upon  the  above  document  is  unnecessary.  It  shows 
that  although  the  governor,  in  prosecuting  the  duties  of  his  office, 
felt  bound  to  oppose  the  proceedings  of  the  Vigilance  Committee 
on  the  ground  of  their  illegality,  as  an  individual,  he  was  willing 
to  acknowledge  their  beneficial  effects.  Indeed,  the  private 
opinion  and  well-wishes  of  the  "  good  citizens "  upon  whom  he 
called  for  aid  against  the  actions  of  the  committee,  were  nearly 
unanimous  in  their  favor. 

On  the  morning  of  th'e  21st,  before  dawn,  the  sheriff,  Col. 
John  C.  Hayes,  holding  a  wan-ant  of  habeas  corpus,  procured 
upon  the  affidavit  of  Governor  McDougal  himself,  went  with  one 
of  his  deputies  to  the  rooms  of  the  committee,  which  he  entered 
without  experiencing  any  resistance.  A  party  of  policemen  fol- 
lowed behind,  to  be  ready  in  case  of  need.  There  were  a  suffi- 
cient number  of  the  committee  at  hand  to  have  forcibly  and 
successfully  resisted  the  authorities  ;  but,  taken  by  surprise,  and 
unwilling  to  proceed  to  actual  blows  and  bloodshed,  they  suf- 
fered the  prisoners  to  be  removed.  Some  of  the  committee, 
however,  hastening  from  the  apartment,  immediately  began  to 
ring  the  bell  of  the  California  Engine  House.  This  soon  aroused 
the  numerous  members  of  the  committee  from  slumber,  and  sent 


584 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


them  quickly  to  the  scene  of  action.  By  the  time  they  arrived 
the  sheriff  had  left  with  the  prisoners.  There  was  something 
strange  and  unexpected  in  the  whole  affair,  and  treachery  on  the 
part  of  some  of  the  prisoners'  guards  was  suspected.  The  au- 
thorities had  known  for  weeks  that  Whittaker  and  McKenzie 
had  been  in  the  hands  of  the  committee,  and  during  that  time 
they  had  made  no  effort  to  procure  their  release.  It  was  gene- 
rally believed  indeed  that  the  authorities,  knowing  the  good  the 
committee  had  done  in  diminishing  crime,  took  ready  advantage 
of  their  situation  in  protesting  that  feebleness  alone  kept  them 
quiet.  Yet  now  they  were  perilling  all  the  benefits  that  had 
already  resulted  from  the  action  of  the  committee.  The  latter 
deeply  deplored  the  hasty  conduct  of  the  officials,  but  resolved 
to  be  cool  and  proceed  cautiously  in  their  farther  steps.  Villany 
meanwhile  looked  stealthily  on,  and  began  to  breathe  more  free- 
ly. The  old  tribunals,  and  old  delays — perjury — quibbles  and 
technical  errors — corrupt  and  bribed  prosecutors — ignorance  and 
corruption  among  the  jury — misunderstood  and  misapplied  laws 
— ay,  life  itself,  and  freedom  again  to  run  a  long  course  of  rapine 
and  murder,  all  were  suddenly  opened,  by  this  legal  stroke  of  the 
executive,  to  the  astonished  and  delighted  criminal  !  As  for  the 
authorities  themselves,  they  were  wonderstruck  at,  and  almost 
afraid  of  their  own  boldness  and  success  ;  and  many  could  scarce- 
ly believe  that  they  had  managed,  at  last,  to  circumvent  the 
formidable  Vigilance  Committee.  So  they  made  preparations  to 
resist  any  attempt  that  might  be  tried  to  rescue  the  prisoners  ; 
while  fear  and  trembling,  arising  from  many  different  causes, 
filled  the  hearts  of  all  "  good  citizens." 

About  half-past  two  o'clock,  on  the  afternoon  of  Sunday,  the 
24th  of  August,  an  armed  party,  consisting  of  thirty-six  mem- 
bers of  the  Vigilance  Committee,  forcibly  broke  into  the  jail,  at  a 
time  when  the  Rev.  Mr.  Williams  happened  to  be  engaged  at 
devotional  exercises  with  the  prisoners,  among  whom  were  Whit- 
taker and  McKenzie.  The  slight  defence  of  the  jailers  and 
guards  was  of  no  avail.  The  persons  named  were  seized,  and 
hurried  to  and  placed  within  a  coach,  that  had  been  kept  in 
readiness  a  few  steps  from  the  prison.  The  carriage  instantly 
was  driven  off  at  full  speed,  and  nearly  at  the  same  moment  the 


THE  VIGILANCE  COMMITTEE. 


585 


ominous  bell  of  the  Monumental  Engine  Company  rapidly  and 
loudly  tolled  for  the  immediate  assemblage  of  the  committee 
and  the  knell  itself  of  the  doomed.  The  whole  population  leaped 
with  excitement  at  the  sound ;  and  immense  crowds  from  the 
remotest  quarter  hurried  to  Battery  street.  There  blocks,  with 
the  necessary  tackle,  had  been  hastily  fastened  to  two  beams 
which  projected  over  the  windows  of  the  great  hall  of  the  com- 
mittee. Within  seventeen  minutes  after  the  arrival  of  the  pris- 
oners, they  were  both  dangling  by  the  neck  from  these  beams. 
The  loose  extremities  of  the  halters  being  taken  within  the 
building  itself  and  forcibly  held  by  members  of  the  committee. 
Full  six  thousand  people  were  present,  who  kept  an  awful  silence 
during  the  short  time  these  preparations  lasted.  But  so  soon  as 
the  wretches  were  swung  off,  one  tremendous  shout  of  satisfaction 
burst  from  the  excited  multitude  ;  and  then  there  was  silence 
again. 

After  the  bodies  had  hung  about  half  an  hour,  the  people 
were  addressed  by  Mr.  Brannan,  Dr.  Robinson  and  Mr.  Peyran  ; 
and  shortly  afterwards  they  slowly  dispersed.  In  the  course  of 
an  hour  later,  the  bodies  were  delivered  over  to  the  authorities, 
and  the  same  evening  a  coroner's  jury  returned  the  following 
verdict  : — "  In  accordance  with  the  foregoing  testimony,  the 
jury,  after  deliberate  consideration,  have  come  to  the  conclusion, 
and  accordingly  render  their  verdict,  that  Samuel  Whittaker  and 
Robert  McKenzie  came  to  their  death  by  being  hanged  by  the 
neck,  thereby  producing  strangulation,  by  the  act  of  a  body  of 
citizens  styling  themselves  the  '  Vigilance  Committee  of  San 
Francisco,'  on  the  afternoon  of  Sunday,  August  24th,  instant,  at 
about  three  o'clock,  in  front  of  the  Vigilance  Committee  Rooms, 
on  Battery  street,  near  California  street,  from  the  second  story 
thereof."  As  heretofore,  no  steps  were  taken  by  the  authorities 
to  implement  the  verdict  of  the  jury. 

This  was  the  last  time  the  committee  took  or  found  occasion 
to  exercise  their  functions.  Henceforward  the  administration  of 
justice  might  be  safely  left  in  the  hands  of  the  usual  officials. 
The  city  now  was  pretty  well  cleansed  of  crime.  The  fate  of 
Jenkins,  Stuart,  Whittaker  and  McKenzie  showed  that  rogues 
and  roguery,  of  whatever  kind,  could  no  longer  expect  to  find  a 


586 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


safe  lurking-place  in  San  Francisco.  Many  of  the  suspected,  and 
such  as  were  warned  off  by  the  committee,  had  departed,  and 
gone,  some  to  other  lands,  and  some  into  the  mining  regions  and 
towns  of  the  interior.  Those,  however,  who  still  clung  to  Cali- 
fornia, found  no  refuge  any  where  in  the  State.  Previously,  dif- 
ferent cases  of  Lynch  Law  had  occurred  in  the  gold  districts,  but 
these  were  solitary  instances  which  had  been  caused  by  the  atro- 
city of  particular  crimes.  When,  however,  the  Vigilance  Com- 
mittee of  San  Francisco  had  started  up,  fully  organized,  and 
began  their  great  work,  Sacramento,  Stockton,  San  Jose,  as  well 
as  other  towns  and  the  more  thickly  peopled  mining  quarters, 
likewise  formed  their  committees  of  vigilance  and  safety,  and 
pounced  upon  all  the  rascals  within  their  bounds.  These  associ- 
ations interchanged  information  with  each  other  as  to  the  move- 
ments of  the  suspected  ;  and  all,  with  the  hundred  eyes  of  an 
Argus  and  the  hundred  arms  of  a  Briareus,  watched,  pursued, 
harassed,  and  finally  caught  the  worst  desperadoes  of  the  country. 
Like  Cain,  a  murderer  and  wanderer,  as  most  of  them  were,  they 
bore  a  mark  on  the  brow,  by  which  they  were  known.  Some 
were  hanged  at  various  places,  some  were  lashed  and  branded, 
but  the  greater  nurnber  were  simply  ordered  to  leave  the  country, 
within  a  limited  time,  under  penalty  of  immediate  death  if  found 
after  a  stated  period  within  its  limits.  Justice  was  no  longer 
blind  or  leaden-heeled.  With  the  perseverance  and  speed  of  a 
bloodhound,  she  tracked  criminals  to  their  lair,  and  smote  them 
where  they  lay. 

.  Thus  by  almost  a  universal — a  national  effort,  was  our  beau- 
tiful country,  which  had  so  long  contained  and  been  defiled  by 
the  sweepings  from  the  prisons  and  the  thieves'-alleys  of  other 
lands,  once  more  made  pure,  sweet  and  safe.  Hercules  did  no 
greater  labor  when  he  cleansed  the  Augean  stable  by  turning  a 
river  through  it.  The  people  of  California,  and  more  particular- 
ly the  people  of  San  Francisco,  had  turned  the  great  stream  of 
justice,  from  its  former  slow,  devious  and  uncertain  course,  and 
sent  its  waters  headlong  to  overwhelm  criminals  and  wash  society 
clean  from  the  stains  that  crime  had  left.  For  a  long  time  after- 
wards, the  whole  of  California  remained  comparatively  free  from 
outrages  against  person  and  property. 


THE  VIGILANCE  COMMITTEE. 


587 


From  all  the  evidence  that  can  be  obtained,  it  is  not  supposed 
that  a  single  instance  occurred  in  which  a  really  innocent  man 
suffered  the  extreme  penalty  of  death.  Those  who  were  execut- 
ed generally  confessed  their  guilt,  and  admitted  the  punishment 
to  have  been  merited.  We  have  seen  that  it  was  so  in  the  case 
of  three  of  those  hanged  at  San  Francisco. 

The  Vigilance  Committee  has  long  ceased  to  act,  but  the 
association  has  never  been  formally  dissolved.  The  original 
members  are  doubtless  ready,  if  ever  sad  occasion  should  require, 
again  to  assert  the  right  of  self-preservation,  and  the  supremacy 
of  natural  law  over  defective  civil  rules,  tedious  if  not  corrupt 
tribunals,  mastery  of  scoundrels  and  the  quirks  of  professional 
tricksters,  if  thereby  the  substantial  ends  of  justice  can  be  best 
or  alone  obtained,  and  society  relieved  from  the  horrors  of  un- 
checked and  triumphant  villany.  Let  rogues  then  beware  !  It 
is,  however,  to  be  sincerely  hoped,  that  never  again  shall  there 
need  to  be  revived  those  terrible  times  of  1851.  California  is 
perhaps  not  yet  quite  so  subject  to  the  influence  and  strength  of 
law  as  most  of  the  Atlantic  States  or  the  more  civilized  coun- 
tries in  Europe  ;  but  she  is  fast  being  gently  and  securely  broken 
in  to  its  majestic  and  salutary  sway.  Her  career  has  been  unlike 
that  of  any  other  modern  nation,  aud  the  many  anomalies  in  her 
history  must  be  peculiarly  and  leniently  judged.  God  save 
California  ! 


Ycrba  Buena  Cemetery 


DEATHS  AND  BURIALS. 

This  is  a  melancholy  subject  for  a  chapter  in  our  "  Annals." 
The  approaches  of  death  are  terrible  every  where,  but  especially 
in  places  like  San  Francisco.  In  his  native  land  and  own  home, 
the  sinking  invalid  is  cheered  by  the  sweet,  loving  attentions  of 
the  woman, — it  may  be  mother,  wife,  sister,  or  daughter, — that  is 
dearest  to  him,  and  the  kind  inquiries,  visits  and  discourse  of 
the  friends  of  his  youth  or  ripened  years.  He  thinks  that  death 
has  lost  its  chief  terrors  when  he  sees  only  gentle  faces,  hears 
soft  and  soothing  tones,  and  knows  that  his  worldly  affairs  are 
arranged,  and  that  those  dearest  to  his  heart  will  be  protected 
when  he  has  gone.  Few  of  such  consolations  attend  the  dying 
in  San  Francisco.  It  is  so  still ;  but  that  was  more  particularly 
the  case  in  the  times  of  the  great  immigration  of  1849,  1850, 
and  1851.  It  is  to  these  years,  and  especially  to  the  first  named, 
that  the  chief  interest  of  the  city  attaches  ;  and  we  are  natu- 
rally inclined  to  dwell  more  upon  the  events  of  that  strange  time. 
Although  the  climate  of  San  Francisco  is  admitted  to  be  un- 


DEATHS  AND  BURIALS. 


589 


usually  salubrious,  the  mortality  which  prevailed  in  the  years 
mentioned  was  very  great.  Most  of  the  immigrants  had  arrived 
in  a  state  of  body  which  was  far  from  sound.  The  majority 
came  by  sea,  and  had  been  subjected  to  all  the  ills  which  a  voy- 
age of  five  or  six  months'  duration  usually  induces.  The  ships 
were  generally  small,  old  and  inconvenient,  having  never  been 
properly  fitted  to  carry  passengers  ;  while  all  were  crowded  to 
excess.  The  provisions  were  in  many  cases  scarcely  fit  to  be 
eaten  ;  and  in  all  there  was  naturally  a  deficiency  of  fresh  vege- 
tables and  meats.  The  general  diet  was  of  course  quite  unlike 
that  to  which  the  passengers  had  been  accustomed.  Salt,  dry 
and  stale  food,  bad  water,  want  of  exercise,  and  confinement  for 
many  hours  daily  in  close,  unaired  cabins  ;  all  these  things 
within  half  a  year's  time  impaired  the  strongest  constitution, 
and  afflicted  many  with  scurvy  and  kindred  diseases.  When 
such  people  landed  at  San  Francisco  those  who  were  least  sick 
thought  they  were  well  enough,  for  hope  at  the  moment  was 
strong  and  buoyant.  Those,  again,  who  were  confessedly  unwell, 
found  there  was  no  suitable  accommodation  or  sanitary  treatment 
to  be  had.  Both  classes,  while  they  now  had  fresh,  and  perhaps 
better  food  than  before,  had  much  worse  habitations  than  when 
they  lived  on  shipboard.  Canvas-covered  tents,  with  the  bare 
earth  for  flooring,  were  miserable  lodgings  for  sick  people  at  any 
season,  but  when  the  heavy  winter  rains  set  in,  they  became 
only  the  abodes  of  disease  and  death.  As  if  previous  sickness, 
change  of  diet,  bad  lodging,  exposure  to  excessive  damp,  and 
sometimes  personal  dissipation,  were  not  enough  to  kill,  disap- 
pointed hopes  came  in  the  end  to  blast  the  principle  of  life,  and 
put  an  end  to  further  misery. 

While  this  was  often  the  case  with  the  newly  arrived,  the 
immigrant  of  a  few  months'  older  standing  had  perhaps  gone  to 
the  mines.  There  he  had  been  unsuccessful,  or  his  already  en- 
feebled constitution  was  finally  broken  down  by  the  excessive 
fatigues  of  gold  digging — and  none  but  those  who  have  tried 
that  kind  of  labor  know  or  can  guess  its  severity  ;  and  he  hastily 
returned  to  San  Francisco,  to  mourn  his  crushed  hopes,  seek  in 
vain  for  medical  relief,  and  die.  Even  those  who  had  gleaned  a 
fortune  at  the  mines,  when  they  came  to  town  to  spend  their 


590 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


gains,  soon  fell  victims  to  over-excitement  and  continued  de- 
bauchery. Gambling  and  intemperance  slew  many  fine  youthful 
spirits,  that  in  their  native  land  had  promised  to  be  great  and 
good  men,  but  who,  left  to  themselves,  quickly  fell  before  the 
temptations  and  vices  of  San  Francisco.  The  chief  fatal  diseases 
of  the  time  were  dysentery  and  inflammation  of  the  lungs. 
Brain  fevers  were  also  common,  induced  by  excessive  excitement. 
Great  numbers,  particularly  of  the  new-comers,  had  ulcerated 
bowels,  as  was  shown  on  dissection  of  the  bodies  of  many  of  those 
that  died  in  the  public  hospital. 

In  early  days,  when  the  inhabitants  knew  or  professed  no 
faith  but  that  of  old  Mother  Church,  when  Yerba  Buena  had  a 
civil  existence,  and  San  Francisco  was  still  but  young,  the  dead 
of  these  places  were  buried  in  the  church-yard  of  the  mission. 
Death  then  came  seldom,  for  the  population  was  scanty  ;  and 
the  loss  of  half  a  day  was  of  little  consequence  at  any  time  to 
the  survivors.  But  when  the  great  rush  of  immigrants  hap- 
pened, time  became  money,  and  deaths  were  numerous.  Few 
men  would  then  spare  as  much  leisure  as  sufficed  to  accompany 
the  corpse  of  a  stranger — nay,  even  of  a  friend,  to  a  grave  in  the 
mission  burial  ground  ;  that  is,  if  the  deceased  were  a  Catholic, 
or,  if  of  any  other  faith,  to  the  public  cemetery  then  established. 
The  distance  was  considered  great — a  mile,  or  two,  perhaps — 
and  the  way  was  difficult,  and  sometimes  almost  impassable. 
The  usual  custom  of  interring  in  consecrated  ground  was  soon, 
therefore,  unheeded,  and  the  bodies  of  the  dead  were  hastily  put 
any  where  out  of  sight.  There  was  no  record  of  deaths  kept  by 
the  authorities,  and  no  examination,  inquest,  or  inquiry  whatso- 
ever, was  made  by  them.  In  the  bustle  of  the  place,  and  con- 
tinual change  of  the  population,  the  dead  man  was  not  missed, 
and  nobody  dreamed  of  seeking  for  the  absent.  He  perhaps  had 
gone  into  the  interior,  or  home,  or  to  the  mines, — any  loose 
rumor  satisfied  the  few  inquisitive  acquaintances  of  the  deceased. 
Perhaps  it  might  sometimes  flash  across  their  minds  that  their 
old  mate  had  made  a  stranger  journey  still,  one  "  to  that  bourne 
from  whence  no  traveller  returns  ; "  then  they  would  shrug  their 
shoulders,  mutter  a  "poor  fellow"  phrase,  and  apply  to  the 
more  pressing  affairs  of  the  moment  that  engrossed  all  their 


DEATHS  AND  BURIALS. 


591 


thoughts.  Friends  at  the  distance  of  many  thousand  miles 
might  write  dozens  of  letters,  hut  who  could  give  them  informa- 
tion of  the  missing,  unheard  of,  unseen,  unknown  emigrant  ? 
To  look  for  any  individual  among  the  motley,  changing  crowds 
of  San  Francisco,  was  fruitless  labor.  Nobody  knew,  nobody 
paid  any  heed  to  the  dying,  save  the  inmates  of  his  own  tent  ; 
or  if  perhaps  he  dwelt  alone  in  some  small  shanty,  the  dweller  in 
the  next  adjacent. 

As  a  rule,  the  immigrants  were  comparatively  poor,  and 
could  not  afford  to  pay  the  extravagant  fees  charged  for  medical 
aid  ;  while  the  dying,  disappointed,  returned  miner,  had  often 
no  funds  to  purchase  even  the  daily  necessaries  of  life.  There 
were  several  private  establishments  for  the  sick,  but  their 
charges  were  enormous,  and  put  it  beyond  the  power  of  ordinary 
folk  to  gain  admission.  The  city  paid  four  dollars  a  day  for 
each  patient  in  their  public  hospital,  and  to  be  received  there 
cost  trouble  and  the  aid  of  friends.  At  the  same  time,  there 
was  naturally  a  strong  feeling  of  repugnance  to  enter  such  a 
place.  By  the  majority  its  door  was  regarded  as  the  certain 
gate  of  death,  and  not  altogether  without  reason.  Notwith- 
standing, the  city  hospital  was  filled  to  overflowing,  and  was  the 
scene  of  much  loathsomeness  and  misery.  But  most  of  the 
deaths  happened  in  private  places.  Often  the  corpse  of  some 
unknown  was  discovered  lying  in  a  retired  spot,  behind  some 
thicker  bush  than  usual,  perhaps,  or  in  a  remote  tent,  or  at  dawn 
in  the  public  streets.  How  he  had  died,  whether  slain  by  his 
own  hand  or  by  that  of  another, — whether  struck  down  by  sheer 
hunger,  exposure,  or  disease,  could  often  be  scarcely  ascertained. 
The  man  was  dead  ;  and  that  fact  was  generally  enough  for  the 
most  curious.  It  might  be  said,  that  almost  in  every  case  the 
hapless  sufferer  was  neglected  and  alone  ;  and  so  he  breathed  his 
last.  The  nature  of  his  latest  lament,  his  pangs  of  mind  and 
body,  his  horror  and  despair,  faith,  fear,  and  hope  of  a  hereafter, 
few  had  opportunities  of  learning.  His  fellow-lodgers,  in  the 
tent  at  night, — for  during  day  most  such  dwellings  were  deserted, 
— or  the  nearest  neighbors,  or  first  noticers  of  the  corpse,  to  rid 
themselves  of  a  nuisance,  dug  a  hole  in  the  ground  behind,  or 
near  the  tent,  or  where  it  happened  to  be  found,  and  there  they 


592 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


buried  the  body.  Coffins  and  shrouds  were  luxuries  which  the 
dead  needed  not,  and  the  living  could  not  spare.  Sometimes 
the  more  intimate  acquaintances  of  the  deceased,  with  a  lingering 
regard  for  his  remains,  would  bear  the  corpse  up  to  Russian  Hill, 
on  the  summit  of  which  was  a  small  unenclosed  space  that  many 
years  before  had  been  made  use  of  as  a  burying  ground  by  the 
Russian  settlers  of  the  town  and  bay.  Or,  if  they  happened  to 
be  closer  to  Clark's  Point,  they  would  inter  the  body  on  the  ris- 
ing slope  of  Telegraph  Hill,  in  a  dreary  spot,  which,  by  common 
tacit  consent,  had  been  set  apart  for  such  purposes.  A  thin, 
flat  piece  of  board,  painted  white,  with  a  few  black  letters  on  it, 
or  a  rude  wooden  cross,  stuck  in  the  ground,  alone  marked  the 
place  where  the  body  was  deposited  ;  and  even  these  memorials 
were  of  rare  occurrence.  Generally,  however,  the  deceased  was 
buried  near  the  place  where  he  died  ;  and  when  the  dry,  sandy 
soil,  that  covered  the  tomb  was  levelled  by  the  winds  and  rains, 
no  monument  told  what  lay  beneath. 

During  this  period  a  piece  of  ground  near  the  North  Beach  was 
used  as  a  regular  graveyard.  No  permission  had  been  granted  by 
the  authorities  for  that  purpose  ;  but  after  one  funeral  had  taken 
place,  another  and  another  quickly  followed  to  the  same  quarter, 
until  gradually  it  began  to  be  considered  a  public  cemetery.  It 
was  unenclosed,  and  to  the  eye  seemed  only  a  bleak  and  dreary 
common.  Here  the  same  rude  style  of  interment  was  observed 
as  elsewhere  over  the  bounds  of  the  great  encampment  forming 
the  city  ;  with  perhaps  this  difference,  that  the  small  painted 
grave-boards  and  wooden  crosses  might  be  a  little  more  common. 
But  all  this  while  occasional  burials  in  different  portions  of  the 
city  were  continuing.  People  could  not  be  troubled  to  walk 
slowly  and  reverently  half  a  mile,  in  those  busy  times,  to  inter  a 
dead  stranger.  A  shallow  hole  in  the  nearest  open  space  served 
the  purpose  just  as  well  as  the  grandest  mausoleum  would  have 
done.  In  grading  the  streets,  sinking  wells  and  digging  the 
foundations  of  houses  in  after  years,  the  bones  of  such  as  had 
been  buried  in  this  fashion  have  been  repeatedly  brought  to  light. 
In  vain  may  the  loving  mother  and  fond  sister,  the  tender  wife, 
affectionate  children,  and  dear  friends,  on  both  sides  of  the  distant 
Atlantic,  be  still  mourning  the  absence,  and  continued,  unaccount- 


DEATHS  AND  BURIALS. 


593 


able,  cruel  silence  of  the  long-gone  adventurer ;  in  vain  they 
may  patiently  wait  and  tearfully  hope  for  his  return  with  the 
treasure  for  which  he  had  perilled  ease  and  life.  Like  the  mother 
of  Sisera,  who  had  gone  forth  to  conquer,  they  may  sit  watch- 
fully at  the  window,  and  moan  aloud — Have  the  chariot  wheels 
ceased  to  turn  ?  And  why  tarry  the  fleet  steeds  ?  Has  lie  not 
sped  and  divided  the  prey  ?  Alas  !  the  proud,  hopeful  wan- 
derer has  fallen.  The  secret  of  his  death,  its  time,  place,  manner, 
and  all  its  bitter  circumstances,  will  never  be  revealed  ! 

In  February,  1850,  the  ayuntamiento  set  aside  a  large  tract 
of  land  situated  nearly  midway  between  the  town  and  the 
mission,  for  the  purpose  of  a  public  burial  place,  which  was 
called  "  Yerba  Buena  Cemetery  ; "  but  the  distance,  the 
approaching  rainy  season,  and  other  causes,  hindered  this  piece 
of  ground  from  being  used  immediately  to  any  great  extent  for 
the  ends  to  which  it  had  been  appropriated.  For  a  while,  people 
preferred  the  other  irregular  places  we  have  mentioned  for  bury- 
ing the  dead.  But  at  last  the  property  near  North  Beach 
became  desirable  for  building  purposes,  and  the  bodies  there 
buried  were  exhumed  and  removed.  A  proper  feeling  of  rever- 
ence for  the  remains  of  human  beings  began  to  revive.  Gradu- 
ally therefore  the  irregular  interments  ceased,  and  most  of  the 
dead  were  now  laid  in  the  public  cemetery  of  Yerba  Buena, 
which  began  to  fill  up  with  a  rapidity  almost  incredible. 

At  this  time  a  majority  of  those  who  died  were  actual  pau- 
pers, and  their  remains  had  to  be  taken  charge  of  by  the  author- 
ities, who  bestowed  the  scantiest  possible  care  upon  the  interment. 
Still  the  cheapest  rate  at  which  the  city  contrived  to  bury  was 
from  fifty  to  one  hundred  dollars  for  each  body.  A  coffin,  or  box, 
of  thin  rough  boards  alone  cost  twenty  dollars.  A  cart  was  en- 
gaged to  take  these  boxes  or  coffins  to  the  public  cemetery,  and 
on  occasions  several  were  taken  at  a  single  load,  and  when  these 
were  tumbled  out  of  the  vehicle  the  driver  hastened  back  for 
others.  Rows  of  graves  were  dug  a  few  feet  deep  in  the  loose 
sand,  and  there  the  coffins  were  laid  as  they  were  brought,  with- 
out care,  or  reverence,  or  in  the  presence  of  a  single  mourner. 
The  names  of  the  deceased  might  possibly  be  known,  and  their 
ages  and  country  guessed  at ;  but  the  particular  place  of  their 
38 


594 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


birth  and  their  history  was  generally  a  blank.  The  only  funerals 
that  were  attended  with  any  great  regard  to  decency  and  becom- 
ing solemnity  were  such  as  were  bestowed  upon  members  of  Free- 
Masons'  and  Odd-Fellows'  lodges,  or  where  the  dead  had  happily 
possessed  a  large  circle  of  friends,  and  might  perchance  have 
been  old  residents  of  the  place,  that  is,  of  one  or  two  years'  stand- 
ing. Sometimes  also  a  train  of  Chinese  mourners  might  be  seen 
burning  bits  of  paper  over  the  graves  of  their  departed  country- 
men, or  performing  similar  antic  ceremonies. 

For  some  years  Yerba  Buena  Cemetery  remained  an  unen- 
closed waste.  It  lies  in  a  hollow  among  miserable  looking  sand- 
hills, which  are  scantily  covered  with  stunted  trees,  worthless 
shrubs,  and  tufted  weeds.  It  extends  over  a  large  space  of 
ground,  and  is  still  among  the  most  dreary  and  melancholy  spots 
that  surround  the  city.  In  1850,  there  was  nothing  visible, 
below  and  around,  but  the  loose  barren  sand-hills,  with  their 
scattered  patches  of  wild  bushes,  while  above  was  the  boundless, 
pitiless  firmament.  The  din  of  the  city  could  not  penetrate 
there.  The  only  sound  sometimes  heard  was  the  mournful 
requiem  of  the  distant  waters  of  the  bay,  when  stirred  to  solemn 
music  by  a  gale.  The  dead  needed  no  lullaby,  and  cared  not  for 
picturesque  and  pleasing  scenery  ;  but  to  the  living  visitor,  who 
feels  only  his  own  emotions,  which  he  attributes  to  insensible  clay, 
the  aspect  of  the  place  was  sad  and  desolate  in  the  extreme. 
Since  that  period  it  has  been  enclosed  by  a  wooden  fence,  and  a 
portion  of  the  ground  is  now  thickly  covered  with  simple  tablets 
and  some  highly-decorated  monuments  to  the  departed.  Many 
of  the  tombs  are  formed  in  the  modern  Parisian  style,  and  in 
their  trim  flower-beds,  neat  rails,  crosses  and  tablets,  imitate  the 
sepulchres  of  Pere  La  Chaise.  It  is  a  most  interesting  though 
melancholy  task  to  walk  over  the  place,  and  mark  the  inscriptions 
on  the  tombs.  The  years  of  the  dead  had  been  so  few,  and  the 
places  of  their  birth  were  so  diverse  !  People  from  all  parts  of 
the  world  lie  buried  there  ;  and  especially  natives  from  every 
State  in  the  American  Union.  Their  race,  language,  religion, 
their  age,  personal  character  and  manners,  actions,  thoughts, 
passions,  hopes  and  dreams,  had  been  all  different  in  earlier  days. 
At  last  they  came  from  the  remotest  quarters  to  work  as  rivals 


DEATHS  AND  BURIALS. 


595 


together  in  California,  and  win  the  dangerous  gift  of  gold.  Now 
they  sleep  cordially  side  by  side  in  Yerba  Buena  Cemetery. 
What  avail  now  their  doting  visions  of  wealth,  fame  and  iriflu- 
ence,  the  actual  heaps  of  the  precious  metal  ?  American  and 
European,  Asiatic  and  African  are  now  the  same  filthy  substance. 
In  life,  the  white  man  prided  hirnself  that  his  veins  held  not  the 
blood  of  yellow,  red  or  black  races  ;  the  man  of  "  progress,"  that 
he  was  not  like  the  slothful,  ignorant,  slavish  native  of  warm 
climates  :  now,  in  Yerba  Buena  Cemetery  there  is  none  better, 
none  worse  in  all  human  respects. 

A  mile  farther  to  the  west  lies  the  burial-place  of  the  mis- 
sion, densely  packed  with  the  bodies  of  such  good  Catholics  as 
preferred  being  buried  in  ground  consecrated  by  their  own  church ; 
and  who  left  money  and  friends  to  carry  their  wishes  into  effect. 
Those  interred  here  were  chiefly  natives  of  the  country  or  Euro- 
peans. The  space  is  small,  but  the  graves  are  numerous. 
Scarcely  can  one  find  the  inscriptions  on  two  adjoining  tablets  in 
the  same  language.  Here  one  is  Spanish ;  the  next  may  be 
Italian,  French,  German,  Portuguese  or  English. 

The  things  we  have  mentioned  exhibit  in  a  striking  manner 
the  strange  mixed  population  of  which  San  Francisco  is  composed. 
To  show  that,  and  one  general  wild  and  mournful  phase  of  the 
place  and  people,  is  the  object  of  these  remarks.  It  may  be 
proper  to  add  here,  the  following  statistics  of  burials  to  the  1st 
of  January,  1854.  No  record  of  interments  previous  to  July, 
1850,  is  now  in  existence  ;  the  imperfect  register  that  had  been 
kept  having  been  destroyed  by  fire  in  1851.  An  approximate 
knowledge  of  the  number  can  only  be  arrived  at  by  the  exhuma- 
tion of  bodies  at  the  principal  places  of  burial,  and  the  graves 
still  discernible  in  Happy  Valley  and  on  Russian  Hill.  The 
number  of  interments  prior  to  1850,  is  thus  estimated  : — 


At  North  Beach  burial  ground   840 

In  the  vicinity  of  Happy  Valley   75 

On  the  hill  rising  from  Clark's  Point   30 

On  Russian  Hill   25 

Total   970 


From  tne  beginning  of  1850,  to  June  1st,  1854  : — 


596 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


At  Yerba  Buena  Cemetery  4,450 

At  the  Catholic  ground  (Mission  Dolores)  .-.  300 

At  the  Jewish  Cemetery   50 

Total  4,800 

Total  burials  to  January  1st,  1854   5,770 

From  the  register  of  deaths  kept  for  three  and  a  half  years 
by  the  city  undertaker,  we  obtain  the  following  : — 

Interments  from  July,  1850,  to  July,  1851    1,475 

"  "    July,  1851,  to  July.  1852    1.005 

«  "    July,  1852,  to  Julyj  1853    1,575 

«  "    July,  1853,  to  Jan'y,  1854   620 

Total  during  3^  years  4,675 


It  will  be  seen  that  the  number  of  burials  in  1850-51  far 
exceeds  that  of  the  last  half  year  of  1853,  when  the  pupulation 
was  perhaps  nearly  three  times  as  great.  This  remarkable  dis- 
parity may  be  accounted  for,  in  the  removal  of  the  causes  of 
deaths  we  have  already  named.  The  long  passages  around  Cape 
Horn,  in  small  and  badly  provisioned  ships,  as  well  as  the  toil- 
some and  debilitating  journeys  across  the  plains,  are  now  com- 
paratively few  in  number ;  while  the  immigrants,  however  they 
may  have  travelled,  are  sure  to  find  wholesome  provisions  and 
comfortable  accommodations  upon  their  arrival.  People  are  no 
longer  compelled  to  live  in  wretched  tents,  exposed  to  every 
variety  of  weather,  sleeping  upon  the  hard  ground,  and  eating 
food  unfit  for  brutes.  The  immigrants  reach  San  Francisco  after 
short  passages  in  well  provided  steamships ;  and  all  the  neces- 
sary requirements,  in  dwellings  and  in  food,  are  furnished  for  the 
entire  population.  The  healthy  and  fortunate  have  time  and 
means  to  care  for  the  sick  and  indigent ;  and  the  hospitals  have 
so  greatly  improved  in  regard  to  accommodations,  cleanliness, 
attention,  and  medical  assistance,  as  no  longer  to  be  considered, 
as  they  formerly  were,  the  certain  gates  of  death. 

A  more  suitable  cemetery  than  "  Yerba  Buena  "  has  recently 
been  laid  out  in  a  beautiful  tract  of  land  lying  between  the 
presidio  and  the  mission,  some  three  or  four  miles  west  of  Ports- 
mouth Square,  and  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  "  Lone 


DEATHS  AND  BURIALS. 


597 


Mountain,"  from  which  its  name  has  been  derived.  The  grounds 
embrace  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  inclosed  with  a  handsome 
fence.  There  are  many  beautiful  spots  within  this  space.  De- 
lightful dells,  scooped  out  among  the  hills,  with  the  evergreen 
oaks  bordering  and  fringing  their  quiet  beauty ;  valleys  smiling 
all  over  with  flowers,  of  every  hue,  and  knolls  covered  with 
shrubs,  rejoicing  in  their  crowns  of  white  lilac.  The  views  are 
as  various  and  sudden  as  the  avenues  and  their  turnings.  There 
are  portions  full  of  hidden  springs,  and,  in  a  word,  the  spot  is 
capable  of  being  made  one  of  the  most  delightful  in  California. 
More  than  twenty  miles  of  avenues  have  been  laid  out,  cleared, 
and  sufficiently  graded.  These  are  as  serpentine  and  zigzag  as 
nature  herself  could  dictate.  Sweeping  round  the  hill-sides, 
running  through  the  vales  and  dingles,  suddenly  turning  at  acute 
or  obtuse  angles,  now  in  a  straight  line,  now  a  curve,  all  of  the 
grounds,  when  completed,  will  form  one  of  the  most  curious  and 
beautiful  diagrams  imaginable.  It  is  intended  to  give  each 
avenue  the  name  of  one  of  the  cemeteries  in  the  Eastern  States, 
for  instance  :  Laurel  Hill,  Mount  Auburn,  Greenwood,  Oak  Hill, 
Cypress  Grove.  By  the  side  of  many  of  these  avenues,  the  ever- 
green vales  and  various  charming  shrubs  and  flowers,  some  of 
them  in  full  bloom,  extend  like  an  artificial  fringe,  and  form  a 
quiet  shade  over  the  spaces  destined  for  a  last  still  repose. 


Fire  of  June  22d,  1851. 


THE  GREAT  FIRES. 

The  first  "great"  fire  occurred  on  the  24th  of  Decemher,  1849. 
Some  such  calamity  had  been  dreaded  through  the  months  of 
high  winds,  by  all  who  took  into  consideration  the  exceedingly 
inflammahle  nature  of  the  buildings.  Thin  boards,  cloth,  and 
paint,  were  tempting  inviters  of  the  destroyer.  When  it  did 
come,  it  spread  like  a  pestilence  ;  and  although  the  windy  season 
had  passed,  it  consumed  completely  the  most  flourishing  portion 
of  the  city.  Dennison's  Exchange,  in  which  the  fire  originated, 
was  ceiled  with  cotton  cloth,  and  that  was  painted.  Instantly 
this  was  on  fire,  and  the  whole  building  was  burning  before  the 
neighborhood  was  aroused,  it  being  not  yet  quite  six  o'clock  in 
the  morning.  Scarcely  a  breath  of  wind  was  stirring  to  fan  the 
fiery  flame.  At  once  the  citizens  crowded  to  the  scene.  Then 
the  din  of  a  thousand  voices  arose  amid  the  crash  of  falling 
frames,  the  jingling  of  battered  windows,  the  sharp  sound  of 


THE  GREAT  FIRES. 


599 


axes  ;  and,  above  all  this,  the  roar  of  the  devouring  element, 
which  now  surged  wildly  round  the  Parker  House,  from  the  win- 
dows and  doors  of  which,  at  both  ends,  dense  clouds  of  smoke 
rolled  forth.  Just  then  the  cry  of  "stored  powder"  was  raised, 
and  a  general  stampede  of  five  or  six  thousand  persons  ensued. 
So  rapidly  spread  the  flames,  that  the  conflagration  was  at  once 
like  a  lion  broke  loose,  defying  all  control.  On,  and  still  onward, 
it  went  and  spread — water,  labor,  powder,  every  thing  seemed 
powerless  to  stay  it.  Glutted  at  last,  when  half  the  square  was 
in  ashes,  nothing  but  smoke  from  burning  cinders,  like  the  breath 
from  the  red  nostrils  of  a  dying  monster,  was  to  be  seen,  where 
so  recently  had  stood  the  works  of  human  skill  and  labor.  More 
than  a  million  of  dollars  had  been  destroyed  in  the  property  thus 
turned  to  ashes. 

But  those  who  had  suffered  did  not  wait  for  the  embers  to 
grow  dim,  and  the  cinders  to  disappear,  before  applying  anew 
their  native  energy.  At  once  new  buildings  were  in  process  of 
erection — built — occupied,  and  the  business  of  the  section  again 
travelling  its  former  course  almost  before  the  smoke  had  sped 
away  from  sight.  Four  months  rolled  away,  the  city  had  re- 
vived, and  prosperity  smiled  in  all  her  streets.  Even  the  black- 
ened district,  blasted  by  the  fire  of  December,  had  put  on  a  glow 
"f  health.  Just  then,  on  the  morning  of  the  4th  of  May,  1850. 
the  second  great  fire  commenced,  almost  on  the  very  site  of  the 
previous  one,  and  within  a  few  hours  swept  away  three  entire 
blocks,  destroying  property  to  the  estimated  amount  of  four  mil- 
lions of  dollars.  But,  again,  with  more  than  former  energy,  the 
people  went  ahead,  and  within  ten  days  from  the  time  of  the 
fire,  more  than  half  the  burnt  district  was  covered  with  new 
buildings. 

This  enterprise  and  energy  were  doomed  not  long  to  press 
onward  unchecked.  Already  the  fire-fiend  felt  again  the  crav- 
ings of  hunger,  and  hovered  around,  preparatory  to  his  third 
dreadful  meal.  Ashes  had  been  hidden  by  new  structures. 
Timber  and  brick  had  followed  close  upon  the  track  of  the  devas- 
tator, charred  timbers  had  given  place  to  beautiful  dwellings, 
and  streets  filled  with  active  men  took  the  place  of  those  so 
lately  swept  by  the  living  flames.    But  change  is  the  order  of 


600 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


life,  of  nations,  and  of  cities.  The  14th  of  June,  1850,  came, 
and  with  it  the  third  of  those  dreadful  devastations  which 
seemed  sent,  like  the  serpent  of  old,  to  destroy  the  young  Her- 
cules in  its  cradle.  This  fire  has  been  so  fully  spoken  of  else- 
where in  this  book,  that  it  may  be  only  necessary  here  to  say, 
that  it  exceeded  in  extent  and  loss  both  of  those  which  had  pre- 
ceded it.  Like  those,  it  was  frightful,  as  well  from  its  rapidity 
as  from  the  completeness  of  the  destruction.  It  was  in  a  differ- 
ent location  from  the  fires  already  noticed,  being  more  to  the 
south,  and  reaching  to  the  bay.  As  before,  efforts  to  check  it 
availed  not.  The  same  causes  aided  the  spread  of  the  flames, 
and,  besides,  the  summer  sea-breezes  were  at  full  blast.  So  it 
devoured  until  satisfied.  When  the  fiery  meal  was  done,  the 
citizens,  like  lively  waiters  at  the  fire-king's  board,  cleared  away 
the  rubbish,  and  set  a  new  meal,  more  tempting  than  before. 
The  appetite  and  digestion  of  the  consumer  seems  to  have  been 
unimpaired  by  these  repasts.  Not  yet  glutted,  he  did  not  long 
endure  the  pangs  of  hunger,  but  once  more  sat  down  to  breakfast 
at  public  expense. 

At  about  four  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  17th  of  Septem- 
ber, 1850,  the  startling  cry  of  "  Fire!  fire!"  alarmed  the  wake- 
ful, and  aroused  the  sleeping,  with  a  suddenness  and  terror  that 
an  earthquake  could  not  have  produced.  Perhaps  in  no  other 
place  in  the  wide  world  could  that  fearful  cry  create  at  once 
such  general  alarm  and  terror,  and  throw  every  individual  of  the 
community  into  such  sudden  and  overwhelming  excitement.  So 
many  whirlwinds  of  destruction  had  swept  over  the  devoted  city 
at  short  intervals,  and  with  such  fearful  strides,  that  the  whole 
community  was  as  excitable  as  if  they  had  stood  on  the  brink  of 
a  crater.  In  a  few  minutes  the  streets  were  full  of  people,  and 
the  fire  companies  were  on  a  full  run  for  the  scene.  But  so 
rapidly  did  the  flames  spread,  that  for  a  long  time  all  efforts  to 
arrest  them  seemed  utterly  vain. 

At  first  the  atmosphere  was  perfectly  calm,  but  the  winds 
increased  as  rapidly  as  the  flames,  whirling  the  black  masses  of 
smoke,  the  lurid  sheets  of  fire,  and  immense  quantities  of  blazing 
cinders  aloft,  and  in  all  directions.  The  conflagration  spread  on 
every  side.    From  the  "  Philadelphia  House,"  on  the  north  side 


THE  GREAT  FIRES. 


601 


of  Jackson  street,  where  the  fire  commenced,  it  extended  in- 
stantly in  all  directions,  notwithstanding  several  buildings  were 
at  once  torn  down.  The  speed  of  the  terrible  courser  was  too 
rapid  for  those  who  contested  the  field  with  him.  Of  the  entire 
square,  bounded  by  Jackson,  Kearny,  Pacific,  and  Dupont 
streets,  the  "Polka"  was  the  only  building  saved.  On  the 
south  side  of  Jackson  street  every  thing  was  swept  away  up  to 
the  plaza,  and  east  to  Kearny  street,  leaving  between  the  latter 
and  Dupont  street  only  the  "  Alta  California"  office,  the  Cali- 
fornia, Lafayette,  and  Excellent  restaurants,  and  two  dwelling- 
houses. 

Below  Kearny  street,  the  whole  row  on  the  east  side  was  de- 
stroyed, with  the  exception  of  the  Verandah.  About  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty-five  buildings  were  consumed.  The  entire  loss 
could  not  be  ascertained  with  any  degree  of  accuracy.  It  was 
far  less  in  proportion  to  the  space  burned  over  than  at  any  of  the 
previous  fires,  from  the  fact  that  a  large  portion  of  the  buildings 
destroyed  were  of  one  story,  and  small.  The  total  loss  was  esti- 
mated at  amounts  varying  from  two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand 
to  one  million  of  dollars.  Probably  three  hundred  thousand  dol- 
lars would  have  been  a  fair  estimate.  That  the  buildings  cost 
more,  vastly,  than  they  were  worth  at  the  time  of  the  fire,  is  un- 
doubtedly a  fact.  Many  of  them  were  mere  shanties,  and  were 
easily  replaced,  and  at  a  cost  much  less  than  that  for  which  the 
first  ones  had  been  erected. 

To  those  who  had  leisure,  and  a  position  suitable  to  take  a 
view  of  the  whole  sea  of  flame,  and  who  could  divest  themselves 
of  the  sensations  of  pain  incident  to  the  occasion,  it  was  a  grand, 
a  sublime  sight.  The  entire  city  was  illuminated  with  a  fierce 
glow  of  light,  and  the  surrounding  hills  sent  back  again  its  re- 
flective brilliancy,  accompanied  by  ten  thousand  echoes  of  crack- 
ling timbers,  rushing  flames,  the  quick  strokes  of  the  engines, 
rattling  of  carts  and  wagons,  the  wrenching  of  falling  houses, 
the  roar  and  the  tumult  of  thousands  upon  thousands  struggling 
almost  hopelessly  against  their  dread  enemy,  which  swayed  to 
and  fro  in  terrible  mockery  of  human  effort.  The  greedy  flames 
shot  forth  their  dry,  forked,  snake-like  tongues,  lapping  at  every 
thing  within  their  reach,  as  if  conscious  of  their  own  malignity 


602 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


and  power  ;  licking  at  the  windows  and  walls  and  house-tops  ; 
darting  out  horizontally  through  jaws  of  black  smoke  and  teeth 
of  sparkling  cinders  ;  rushing  across  alleys  and  streets  and  vacant 
lots  ;  twisting  or  writhing  in  agony  or  delight,  anon,  as  if  bear- 
ing an  expression  of  their  joy  and  mighty  vengeance,  shooting 
upwards  to  the  stars,  those  clear  eyes  which  looked  down  so 
quietly  from  their  azure  thrones. 

Soon  came  the  broad  light  of  day,  giving  a  still  more  strange 
and  gorgeous  mantle  to  the  hill-sides,  crowded  with  busy,  or 
gazing,  or  shocked  human  beings,  and  mingling  its  heavenly 
rays  with  those  that  held  their  revel  dance  amid  the  halls  and 
household  gods,  and  wrapped  themselves  about  the  works  of 
labor  and  genius,  like  so  many  scarlet  mantles.  Through  a  sea 
of  blood  the  sun  seemed  to  rise  and  gaze  upon  the  work,  his 
great  Titan  eye  glowering  down  upon  the  devoted  city  as  if  red 
with  anger  and  offended  majesty.  Yet  few  saw  it.  The  little 
things  about,  and  near  and  dear  to  the  brave  struggling  hearts, 
were  of  much  greater  importance  than  the  great  ones  far  away. 

When  at  length  dwellings  and  chattels  were  in  the  dust, 
and  smoking  embers,  and  ashes,  and  occasional  jets  of  not  yet 
glutted  flame  alone  indicated  the  sites  of  recent  homes  and  busy 
marts,  it  was  painful  to  see  the  ejected  sufferers,  men,  women, 
and  children,  sad  and  tearful,  clinging  to  the  relics  of  late  for- 
tunes and  firesides.  The  public  square  was  literally  crowded 
with  whatever  could  be  snatched  from  the  hungry  fire.  Up  to  a 
late  hour  at  night  many  j)ersons  were  still  there  with  the  few 
remnants  left  from  their  former  property  and  comforts. 

But  the  enterprise  which  had  built  the  city  from  a  barren 
waste,  had  smoothed  its  hills  of  sand,  and  filled  up  the  valleys 
between,  and  covered  with  habitations  the  places  where  so  long 
and  so  recently  had  prowled  the  Indian,  and  the  cayote  had 
howled,  now  rose  up,  as  the  flames  had  risen,  mighty  and  effect- 
ive, and  begun  re-creating  what  these  had  destroyed.  The  pa- 
tience which  had  endured  a  weary  trip  around  Cape  Horn  ;  the 
perseverance  that  had  pushed  its  way  over  the  plains  between 
Missouri  and  the  land  of  gold,  plains  dreadful  in  their  desolation 
of  wild  sage  ;  the  daring  which  had  traversed  the  hills,  moun  - 
tains,  and  valleys  of  Mexico,  undaunted  by  thirst,  hunger,  the 


THE  GREAT  FIRES. 


603 


pitiless  thrust  of  the  cactus,  the  chappaval's  thorn,  the  stealthy 
wile  of  the  Apache,  and  the  fierce  wrath  of  the  Camanche  ; 
these  were  not  consumed  with  the  cloth  partitions  and  iron 
warehouses,  but  arose  with  new  energy,  as  they  had  before  done, 
from  the  bivouac  or  the  hammock. 

So  the  rejuvenated  giant  grew  and  progressed.  Above  the 
ashes  new  dwellings  arose.  Where  the  flames  had  scarce  ceased 
crackling,  the  hammer  and  the  saw  were  heard,  answering  back 
to  the  stone-cutter's  chisel  and  the  earnest  ring  of  the  mason's 
trowel.  Like  the  structures  of  the  coral  insect,  the  islands  which 
rise  from  the  ocean's  depths,  San  Francisco  grew  upwards  from 
her  own  ashes,  supplanting  the  frosts  of  destruction  with  a  crop 
of  success.  Fine  buildings  succeeded  piles  of  rubbish,  charred 
wood,  and  tottering  walls.  The  appearance  of  the  conflagration 
passed  away,  commerce  spread  her  white  wings,  and  came  and 
went  like  the  eagles  ;  trade  changed  and  exchanged  its  commo- 
dities ;  gold  dust  flowed  like  a  river  from  its  mountain  homes 
when  the  spring  sun  shines  and  the  snows  melt  ;  immigration 
grew  to  a  great  wave,  and  rolled  in  a  rapid  population  ;  and 
prosperity  smiled  in  all  the  streets. 

But  amid  all  this  there  lingered  in  the  minds  and  memories 
of  the  people  a  feverishness  and  sensitive  chord  of  apprehension 
that  thrilled  at  the  slightest  alarm,  like  a  spider's  web  when  struck 
by  an  insect.  The  sound  of  the  first  stroke  of  a  fire-bell  was 
enough  to  clear  church  or  theatre,  or  drowsy  bed,  in  an  instant. 
The  dreadful  scenes  witnessed  had  inscribed  their  history  deep 
and  dark,  and  could  not  be  erased.  This  proclivity  to  alarm  had 
soon  an  ample  cause  of  new  exercise.  The  anniversary  of  the 
fire  of  May  4th,  1850,  approached.  Threats  had  been  made,  it 
was  said,  that  it  was  to  be  signalized  by  a  similar  spectacle. 
These  rumors  existed,  whether  the  threats  had  been  made  or  not. 
They  were  discussed  upon  the  streets,  and  in  places  of  business 
and  pleasure.  The  infamous  gang,  which  infested  the  city,  was 
known  to  be  desperate,  and  wicked  enough  to  do  this,  or  any 
other  heinous  thing. 

The  sun  had  gone  down  over  the  western  hills,  and  the  dying 
sea-breeze  wasted  its  last  breath  against  the  brow  of  night.  The 
curtain  had  fallen  upon  the  last  scene  of  the  last  play,  the  lec- 


) 


604 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


turer  had  retired  from  the  stand,  the  clergyman  from  the  pulpit. 
The  lawyer  was  dozing  over  his  brief,  and  weary  limbs  bad  laid 
down  on  the  sleeper's  couch.  Tbe  editor  had  put  the  last  period 
to  his  leader,  and  turned  from  his  nagging  duties  to  tremble  at 
the  shrill  outcry  of  "  Fire  !"  That  dreadful  word  in  a  moment 
found  an  echo  on  a  hundred  tongues,  and  the  pealing  bells  and 
rushing  engines  answered  back  to  the  sound.  It  was  nearly 
midnight  on  the  eve  of  May  4th,  1851.  The  flame  when  first 
seen  was  in  a  paint-shop,  on  the  south  side  of  the  plaza,  and  was 
not  larger  than  a  man's  hand  ;  but  in  five  minutes,  the  whole 
upper  story  was  one  entire  blaze. 

At  first,  the  wind  was  but  a  breath ;  but  it  had  scarcely 
lapped  the  flames,  ere,  like  a  tiger,  after  his  first  taste  of  blood, 
its  whole  nature  awoke  to  the  fiery  carnival,  and  became  an 
avenging  and  malicious  spirit.  It  caught  the  black  clouds  of 
smoke  and  the  flashing  streams  of  flame,  and  with  a  living  skill 
twisted  them  into  wreaths  and  festoons  fit  to  adorn  the  brow  of 
crumbling  Sodom.  As  if  its  prison-bars  had  snapped  with  the 
first  flame,  and  the  doors  of  its  cells  had  burst  open,  from  every 
point  of  the  compass  its  dread  ministers  poured  forth,  and  joined 
the  banquet  in  one  general  whirlwind,  turning  hotel  and  store, 
office  and  dwelling,  into  a  fiery  and  dizzying  waltz  of  conflagra- 
tion. Nothing  could  stay  the  fury  and  progress  of  the  united 
wind  and  flame.  On,  and  still  onward,  through  the  hours  of 
that  dreadful  night,  it  marched  and  rushed,  and  devoured,  greedy 
and  remorseless,  while  food  could  be  found  for  the  gnawing  hun- 
ger of  the  destroyer.  Over  the  marts  of  commerce  and  trade, 
over  the  altars  of  home,  the  desk,  the  bar,  the  bench  ;  over  the 
white  bed  of  the  maiden  and  the  crimson  couch  of  the  creature  ; 
over  the  parlor  and  the  public  hall ;  the  mart  of  luxury  and  the 
depot  of  comforts,  it  rolled  its  red  tongues,  licking  up  to  the 
very  cinders  every  thing  which  had  been  brought  or  made  to 
sustain,  to  embellish,  or  to  beautify.  There  are  occasionally 
events  in  the  history  of  our  lives,  so  unexpected  and  appalling  in 
their  nature,  that  the  heart  almost  ceases  its  functions,  and  the 
brain,  confused  and  stupefied,  makes  thought  and  expression 
difficult  and  uncertain.  Such  was  the  condition  of  the  citizens 
Of  San  Francisco  as  this  dreadful  conflagration  broke  in  all  its 


THE  GREAT  FIRES. 


605 


terrors  upon  their  view,  and  the  smoke  from  two-thirds  of  the 
city's  foundations  dimmed  the  light  of  hope  as  it  veiled  with 
black  the  bright  face  of  heaven. 

The  tornado  of  fire  in  its  devouring  path  over  the  city,  fur- 
nished a  scene  of  more  grandeur,  terror  and  sublimity,  and,  de- 
void of  one's  sympathies,  of  more  beauty,  than  any  other  event 
which  had  transpired  in  our  nation  during  the  present  century. 
And  yet  all  of  one's  sensibilities  were  inevitably  interested,  and 
were  necessary  in  order  that  this  awful  exhibition  of  nature  in 
her  wildest  and  most  pitiless  mood,  should  duly  and  perhaps  pro- 
fitably affect  man  through  his  more  kindly  qualities.  The  com- 
mencement of  the  fire  was  like  the  flash  of  gunpowder,  so  almost 
instantaneous  was  its  spread.  For  a  few  moments,  hope,  fear 
and  dread  balanced  upon  the  brakes  of  the  engines.  As  those 
gallant  philanthropists,  the  firemen,  bent  every  thought,  and 
strained  each  muscle,  in  a  death  contest  with  the  common  ene- 
my, hope  for  an  instant  spoke  of  triumph.  But  physical  exer- 
tions and  prayers  were  equally  unavailing — the  city's  doom  had 
come. 

Many  persons  inhabiting  or  owning  buildings  which  appeared 
to  be  out  of  the  possible  range  of  destruction,  looked  upon  its 
commencement  without  a  thought  of  themselves,  actuated  only 
by  their  sympathies  for  others.  How  suddenly  ended  their 
dreams  of  security  !  In  a  few  hours,  or  minutes,  they  too  were 
wanderers  in  the  streets,  houseless,  homeless,  hopeless,  shipped 
of  every  thing.  As  the  first  faint  hope  of  stopping  the  flames  at 
the  place  of  origin,  died  out,  the  city's  terrible  impending  fate 
became  more  and  more  manifest.  And  yet  no  one  could  antici- 
pate to  its  full  extent  the  scope  and  completeness  of  the  eventual 
ruin.  The  winds  from  the  north-west  soon  increased  to  whirl- 
winds around  the  flaming  piles  ;  the  heated  air,  loaded  with 
smoke,  cinders  and  flames,  rushed  up  towards  heaven,  crackling 
and  roaring  like  a  tornado,  while  fresh  gusts  and  gales  came 
rushing  in  from  every  side  to  fill  the  melting  vacuum  with  new 
ministers  of  destruction. 

The  sight  was  sad,  afflictive,  awful.  Great  masses  of  smoke 
ascended  and  rolled  away,  loaded  with  the  wealth  of  men,  the 
rewards  of  toil  and  danger,  bearing  far  above  the  crumbling  city 


606 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


great  flocks  and  sheets  of  burning  cinders,  and  forming  huge 
clouds  touched  with  every  tint,  from  clear  white  light  to  the 
darkness  of  night.  Frame  houses  faded  away  like  frost  work. 
Brick  structures  became  batteries  of  flame,  and  poured  forth  im- 
mense jets  from  their  windows  and  doors.  Iron  and  zinc  curled 
up  like  scorched  leaves,  and  sent  forth  their  brilliant  flames  of 
green,  blue  and  yellow  tints,  mingling  with,  and  modifying  the 
glare  of  the  great  red  tongues  of  fire  which  flashed  upwards  from 
a  thousand  burning  houses.  The  hill-sides  were  lighted  as  if  the 
sun  were  above  the  eastern  mountains,  and  their  trees,  shrubs, 
herbage,  houses  and  people  were  as  distinguishable  in  the  bright 
light,  as  if  it  were  noon.  But  darkness  hung  over  a  large  portion 
of  the  shipping,  where  the  broad  and  heavy  ocean  of  smoke  lay 
down  in  impenetrable  gloom  over  the  bay. 

People  became  paralyzed.  Many  removed  their  stocks  of 
goods  four  or  five  times,  and  had  them  overtaken  and  destroyed 
by  the  flames  at  last.  The  streets  were  crammed  with  masses 
of  human  beings  and  rushing  teams,  only  giving  way  before  the 
advance  of  the  elements,  as  the  smoke,  and  heat,  and  crashing 
walls  pushed  them  back.  Men  became  mad.  Some  rushed 
headlong  into  the  flames.  Weeping  women  and  prattling  infan- 
cy were  wandering  amid  ashes  and  destruction.  Every  few  mo- 
ments the  earth  and  air  trembled,  as  great  buildings  were  torn 
into  fragments  by  explosions  of  gunpowder,  and  the  atmosphere 
was  filled  with  shattered  timbers,  bricks  and  mortar.  The  mul- 
titude hung  upon  the  borders  of  this  "  vast  sea  of  flame,"  few, 
comparatively,  knowing  what  were  the  dangers  and  exertions  of 
those  who  were  within  the  range  of  the  stifling  smoke  and  scorch- 
ing heat.  In  less  than  nine  hours  from  the  beginning,  more  than 
twenty  squares  existed  only  in  memory,  and  in  the  ascending 
columns  of  smoke  and  flame  which  covered  the  site  of  the  city. 

The  Union  Hotel  burned  like  a  furnace  until  the  woodwork 
was  nearly  destroyed,  when  the  huge  walls,  five  stories  high, 
pitched  headlong  into  the  street,  and  over  the  wrecks  of  neigh- 
boring dwellings,  long  before  they  reached  the  earth,  completely 
lost  in  the  flames  and  smoke  which  ascended  from  below.  So 
intense  was  the  heat  that  jets  of  water  poured  from  the  hose 
became  instantly  converted  into  steam,  or  were  licked  up  by  the 


THE  GREAT  FIRES. 


607 


thirsty  flames.  Nothing  less  than  a  river  of  water  could  have 
quenched  them.  But  the  saddest  sight  of  all  was  the  destruction 
of  brave  but  bewildered  men,  who,  finding  themselves  suddenly 
surrounded  by  fire,  rushed,  staggering  and  uncertain,  from  flame  to 
flame,  in  hopeless  efforts  to  escape,  until  strangled  and  scorched, 
they  withered  and  fell  in  full  view  of  thousands  who  were  entire- 
ly powerless  to  save  them.  Others,  after  battling  the  remorseless 
demon  inside  of  what  they  considered  fire-proofs,  finding  their 
efforts  to  save  the  buildings  vain,  endeavored  to  escape,  but  too 
late.  The  doors  and  window  bliuds  were  red  hot,  and  in  some 
instances  could  not  be  opened,  and  the  last  chance  of  safety 
failed.  The  sensations  excited  by  gazing  upon  the  blackened 
remains  of  poor  humanity,  as  they  burned  amid  the  coals  in 
the  cellars,  the  next  day  after  the  fire,  still  beyond  the  reach  of  all 
who  viewed  them,  are  indescribable,  and  such  as  none  could  de- 
sire to  experience  for  the  second  time. 

People  could  not  speak  their  thoughts.  Feeling  predomi- 
nated over  thought.  Within  eighteen  months,  they  had  seen  the 
finest  part  of  the  city  sink  away  four  times  before  the  destroying 
angel,  leaving  only  ashes  behind.  But  with  all  the  experience 
which  they  had  given,  the  people  were  not  prepared  for  the  fifth 
terrific  visitation  which  laid  the  city  once  more  in  the  dust.  The 
grandeur  of  the  scene  was  beyond  belief.  Descriptions  by  the 
pen  would  be  but  dark  lines,  and  the  painter  has  not  found  the 
colors,  nor  the  light  and  shade  which  could  do  it  justice.  The 
result,  when  a  few  hours  had  passed,  was  before  all  eyes,  except 
those  which  the  dreadful  devastation  had  burned  into  silence  for 
ever,  amid  the  cinders,  rubbish  and  smouldering  heaps  of  broken 
walls.  The  dead  alone  were  blind  to  the  desolation  which 
reigned  where  joyousness  had  so  lately  run  riot.  A  few  hours 
before,  the  moon  and  stars  had  looked  down  from  their  tranquil 
heaven  upon  beautiful  edifices  and  thronging  men,  upon  gorgeous 
saloons  and  hopeful  occupants,  brilliantly  illuminated  resorts  of 
bright  faces  and  happy  hearts.  Now,  the  wreaths  of  smoke  rising 
upwards  from  cinders  and  dust,  told  wealth  had  turned  to  rubbish, 
and  hope  to  ashes.  It  was  a  terrible  blow  upon  the  city.  Its 
progress  seemed  stopped,  its  prosperity  paralyzed.  The  destruc- 
tion had  been  greater  than  that  of  all  the  previous  fires  combined. 


608 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


Immense  amounts  of  goods  were  destroyed,  and  many  anticipated 
that  for  years  the  effects  would  he  painfully  apparent.  But  even 
then  there  were  those  who  thought  differently,  and  they  were  of 
the  majority.  One  thus  expressed  the  general  sentiment  the  day 
after  the  fire  :  "  So  great  is  our  confidence  in  the  natural  location 
and  advantages  of  this  place,  and  in  the  recuperating  energies  of 
our  fellow  citizens,  that  we  do  not  for  a  moment  hesitate  to  say 
that  San  Francisco  will  rise  again  and  occupy  the  position  which 
nature  evidently  intended  her  to  fill  and  adorn.  Our  recovery 
will  not  be  as  rapid  as  heretofore,  perhaps,  but  it  will  be.  Of  this 
fact,  neither  our  own  citizens  nor  our  friends  abroad  need  doubt. 
There  is  hope  enough,  energy  enough,  determination  enough 
among  us  to  do  it.  California  possesses  in  her  resources  the  in- 
herent ability,  and  San  Francisco  has  in  her  position,  that  which, 
aided  by  the  labor  and  indomitable  perseverance  of  the  American 
people,  will  bring  her  out  of  even  this  last  and  most  crippling 
misfortune.  It  will  take  time  and  energy,  bold  hearts  and  will- 
ing hands,  hopefulness  and  patience  to  do  it,  but  it  will  be  done." 
The  spirit  which  could  exist  and  speak  thus  after  twenty  squares 
of  a  city  which  was  not  two  years  old  were  but  a  mass  of  smoking 
ruins,  and  those  squares  constituting  nearly  all  the  settled  portion 
of  the  city,  was  equal  to  any  contingency.  And  it  proved  itself 
so,  and  fully  substantiated  the  confidence  and  expression  of  the 
writer. 

As  a  complete  calamity  there  was  scarcely  a  parallel.  There 
had  probably  never  been  another  so  entire  a  destruction  of  a  city 
since  the  burning  of  Moscow.  More  than  three  quarters  of  it  had 
been  blotted  out.  The  destruction  of  property,  the  loss  of  life, 
the  suffering,  the  privation,  the  ruin — complete  a  picture  of  so 
much  misery  as  makes  the  heart  ache  to  think  of  it.  The  loss 
could  scarcely  be  exaggerated.  One  had  to  sj)eak  of  millions. 
It  was  the  greatest  by  far  of  any  which  had  visited  the  city,  and 
it  was  the  more  disheartening  because  of  its  following  so  closely 
upon  the  track  of  the  others.  Almost  the  entire  city  had  been 
the  product  of  Californian  industry.  Very  little  foreign  capital 
had  been  employed  in  erecting  the  buildings  and  improving  the 
streets.  It  was  the  result  of  labor  performed  in  one  shape  or 
another  within  the  country  itself.    And  it  was  a  painful  and 


THE  GBEAT  FIRES.  609 


disheartening  circumstance  to  have  all  this  blotted  out  in  a  sin- 
gle night. 


Diagram  of  the  burnt  district.  May  4tli,  18S1. 


The  rewards  of  such  patient  industry,  of  such  active  enter- 
prise, of  such  unremitting  toil,  had  been  accumulated  within  the 
short  space  of  three  years.  San  Francisco  had  been  the  world's 
wonder.  There  is  no  similar  instance,  perhaps,  in  the  history  of 
civilized  society  where  so  much  had  been  accomplished,  in  so 
short  a  space  of  time.    But  the  same  causes  which  existed  in  the 

be<nnnin";  were  existent  still.    There  were  the  same  rich  and  ex- 
es o 

haustless  mines,  and  the  same  trade  which  had  made  San  Fran- 
cisco, in  consequence  of  the  gold,  what  she  had  been.  So  when 
the  people  reflected  that  human  labor  had  done  all  this  in  three 
years,  they  were  not  cast  down,  but,  like  the  apostle,  thanked 
God,  and  took  courage.  It  required  even  a  greater  calamity  to 
defeat  the  progress  of  the  city.  It  postponed,  but  did  not  pre- 
vent her  commercial  importance. 

Her  citizens  met  the  disaster  like  men.  The  first  shock 
naturally  seemed  to  paralyze  and  drive  them  almost  to  despair. 
But  when  they  reflected  upon  the  causes  which  had  made  them, 
and  remembered  that  they  still  existed,  they  resolved,  and  at 
once,  to  meet  the  calamity  with  fortitude,  and  to  remedy  it. 
29 


610 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


True,  there  was  something  paralyzing  in  the  array  of  twelve 
millions  of  dollars  destroyed  in  one  night.  When  one  reckons 
up  the  columns  of  that  sum,  and  reflects  what  a  vast  amount  of 
human  labor  it  represents,  he  is  appalled  at  the  idea  of  its  sud- 
den destruction.  But  then  it  was  recollected  that  not  all  this 
immense  loss  fell  upon  San  Francisco  and  her  citizens.  The 
buildings  destroyed  had  been  theirs,  but  a  large  portion  of  the 
goods  belonged  elsewhere.  This  was  one  of  the  chances  of  trade, 
and  however  regretted,  it  was  only  just  that  they  who  had  shared 
in  the  profits  of  the  most  lucrative  trade  in  the  world,  should 
also  share  in  its  reverses. 

The  greatest  misfortunes  often  bring  a  breath  of  consolation 
on  their  wings.  So  of  this  dreadful  conflagration.  The  city  had 
been  crowded  with  goods.  The  enormous  profits  which  the 
adventurers  had  realized,  had  induced  many  others  to  make 
large  shipments.  Thus  a  vast  amount  of  goods  filled  the  stores 
and  storehouses,  and  the  market  was,  as  a  natural  consequence,  dor- 
mant and  ruinous.  The  fire  came  and  furnished  a  market  for  a 
great  portion  of  the  stock,  and  although  the  returns  for  it  made 
no  very  flattering  balance  in  the  ledger,  still  the  enhanced  value 
of  what  remained  partially  compensated  for  what  had  been  lost. 
Consequently,  business  soon  revived.  Some  had  been  ruined, 
many  had  lost  every  thing.  But  generally  each  one  again  buckled 
on  his  armor,  and  commenced  the  battle  anew.  And  soon  the 
city  once  more  commenced  arising  from  ashes  and  dust. 

Within  ten  days,  between  two  and  three  hundred  buildings 
had  been  completed,  or  were  in  a  fair  state  of  progression,  within 
the  burnt  district.  About  fifteen  hundred  buildings  had  been 
destroyed  within  ten  hours.  At  nine  o'clock,  on  the  morning  of 
May  4th,  the  last  of  that  number  was  a  bed  of  ruins  ;  but,  by 
the  14tb  of  the  same  month,  fully  one-fifth  of  the  whole  number 
destroyed  was  again  fit  for  habitation  and  business,  or  were  fast 
approaching  that  condition.  Such  determination,  energy  and 
perseverance  soon  swept  out  nearly  all  traces  of  the  fire  from  the 
face  of  the  city.  And  people  with  buoyant  hearts  hoped  and 
trusted  that  the  city  had  passed  through  her  last  great  affliction. 
But  another  trial  still  awaited  her  and  them.  Still  another  fire 
anniversary  approached.    The  14th  of  June  of  the  previous  year 


THE  GREAT  FIRES. 


611 


had  been  signalized  by  a  very  disastrous  conflagration,  and  the 
citizens  feared  a  repetition  of  the  frightful  anniversary  of  the 
4th  of  the  preceding  May. 

Again  it  was  whispered  that  the  lawless  gang  of  desperadoes 
who  still  infested  the  city  had  threatened  to  keep  the  anniversary 
of  the  fire  of  June  14th,  1850,  in  a  manner  suitable  to  the 
scenes  of  that  day,  and  their  own  sentiments  of  hatred  and 
revenge.  Two  days  before,  one  of  their  number — Jenkins — had 
been  hanged  on  the  plaza  by  the  enraged  populace  ;  and  that 
class  of  villains  to  which  he  belonged,  it  was  said,  had  sworn 
vengeance.  But  great  vigilance  prevented  the  consummation  of 
the  fiendish  attempt,  if  such  was  intended.  However,  this  state 
of  security  was  not  to  last  long.  Sunday,  June  22d,  came,  with 
its  winning  call  to  peace,  quiet  and  devotion.  The  bells  were 
ringing  out  their  invitation  to  prayer  and  praise,  and  the  streets 
were  filled  with  people  on  their  way  to  public  worship.  Just 
then  the  bells  changed  their  tone,  and  terror  succeeded  all  feel- 
ings of  devotion.  The  sixth  great  fire  had  commenced,  and  the 
buildings  of  nearly  fifteen  squares  had  felt  the  sun's  light  for  the 
last  time.  People  forgot  the  church  and  rushed  to  the  scene  of 
conflagration  on  the  corner  of  Pacific  and  Powell  streets.  The 
prayer-book,  the  altar  and  the  Bible,  psalm,  hymn  and  sermon, 
passed  by  unheeded,  and  -the  dreaded  devastator's  court  took 
precedence  of  pew  and  pulpit,  prayer  and  exhortation.  An  im- 
mense crowd  was  at  once  at  the  scene  of  disaster.  The  firemen 
were  there,  too,  but  no  reservoirs  were  near,  and  the  element  had 
its  will.  Like  Hercules  it  rose  superior  to  all  opposition.  The 
flames  were  too  rapid,  and  the  heat  in  a  short  time  became  so 
intense  that  every  person  was  driven  from  the  vicinity.  Build- 
ings were  blown  up,  but  that  availed  nothing.  The  shattered 
wreck  was  soon  in  a  blaze,  and  burned  with  all  the  more  intensity. 
Men  contended  with  the  flames  until  they  could  not  breathe, 
and  then  left  their  offices  and  dwellings,  and  rushed  into  the 
streets,  or  upon  the  plaza.  There,  most  melancholy  sights  met 
the  view.  Large  portions  of  the  goods  removed  there  for  safety, 
caught  fire  and  were  totally  consumed.  But  the  most  horrible 
sight  of  all  was  that  of  two  or  three  corpses,  one  of  a  man  who, 
being  sick,  was  removed  in  his  bed  to  the  plaza,  and  there  died 


612 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


while  the  fire  was  raging.  Another  was  the  trunk  of  a  man 
burned  to  death,  and  partly  consumed.  The  scene  here  was 
singular  and  terrific.  Goods  had  been  moved  to  it  from  all  parts 
of  the  city,  but  they  caught  fire  from  the  intense  heat  and 
cinders,  and  a  third  part  of  them  were  destroyed.  Patients 
from  the  hospital,  women  and  children,  were  gathered  there,  or 
hurried  thence  as  from  certain  destruction. 


J1  II  I 


C  A  LI  F  O  R  N  I  A  ST, 


ir  ~]\    ii    |!    irni  ir 

Diagram  of  the  burnt  district,  June  22d,  1S51. 


There  was  no  doubt  that  the  fire  was  the  work  of  an  incendiary. 
No  fire  had  been  used  about  the  house  in  which  it  commenced  for 
any  purpose  whatever.  As  it  progressed,  the  flames  would  suddenly 
start  up  in  advance,  and  in  one  or  more  instances  persons  were  de- 
tected in  applying  fire.  It  was  any  thing  rather  than  a  consoling 
thought  that  three  or  four  millions  of  dollars  should  be  destroyed, 
and  thousands  of  people  turned  houseless  into  the  streets,  merely 
to  gratify  the  hatred  or  love  of  robbery  of  a  few  scoundrels.  In 
three  or  four  hours  all  this  sad  work  was  done.  Calculations, 
plans,  comforts,  hopes,  people,  were  all  sent  a-begging.  The 
burden,  although  it  did  not  so  much  affect  the  mercantile  por- 
tion of  the  community,  fell  heavily  upon  the  middle  classes  and 
poor,  and  drove  them  in  great  numbers  from  the  city.  Some 


THE  GREAT  FIRES. 


613 


went  to  the  mines,  others  to  the  interior  cities,  while  some  em- 
braced the  first  opportunity  of  leaving  the  country  for  Australia, 
the  Eastern  States,  or  other  places. 

There  seemed  so  little  security  that  many  who  were  unable 
to  erect  any  thing  more  expensive  than  wooden  buildings,  pre- 
ferred not  to  risk  the  little  which  they  had,  in  such  structures. 
But  others  were  of  different  means  and  metal.  With  them  all 
was  progress  and  hope.  Energy,  perseverance  and  determination 
were  still  at  work  and  in  earnest,  and  were  destined  to  once  more 
build  up  the  city  from  her  ruins.  A  full  confidence  in  the  ad- 
vantages of  her  commercial  and  geographical  position  impressed 
the  idea  of  a  certain  and  glorious  future  destiny,  and  in  the  con- 
fidence of  such  a  hope  and  belief,  the  six  terrible  fires  were  com- 
paratively forgotten.  So  from  her  fiery  grave  she  arose  again, 
and  has  progressed  until  the  present,  interrupted  only  by  the 
vicissitudes  to  which  trade  and  commerce  are  ever  liable.  A 
number  of  fires  of  lesser  magnitude  than  those  here  described, 
have  since  occurred  ;  but  these  have  been  speeddy  arrested  by 
the  judicious  preparations  that  have  been  made,  together  with 
the  triumphant  labors  of  an  unrivalled  fire  department. 


San  Francisco  Firemen. 


THE  FIRE  DEPARTMENT. 

Were  the  Mediterranean  as  great  an  ocean  as  the  Pacific,  no 
more  striking  resemblance  could  be  added  to  the  many  already 
existing  between  Constantinople  and  San  Francisco — chief  among 
which  is  the  number  of  tremendous  conflagrations  to  which  both 
have  been  liable.  Neither,  properly  considered,  have  grown  as 
great  cities  grow.  House  by  house  have  not  slowly  replaced  one 
another  after  years  of  crumbling  and  decay,  as  the  atoms  of  a 
living  being,  gradually  renewed  and  multiplied,  cause  it  to  in- 
crease in  size  and  beauty.  Both  are  embodiments  of  the  fabled 
phoenix — new  creations  have  successively  had  their  seed  in  the 
ashes  of  the  old — armed  warriors  rose  from  the  graves  of 
peasants.  Every  change  was  a  death — the  fire-cry  was  the 
call  of  the  dread  angel,  at  whose  sound  men's  hearts  sank,  and  a 


THE  FIRE  DEPARTMENT. 


615 


whole  people  mourned.  The  resurrections  soon  dispelled  sorrow  ; 
but  who  could  say  which  would  be  the  final  death  ?  Even  the 
phoenix  will  cease  to  reproduce.  The  reader  of  the  history  of 
this  great  city  must  by  this  time  have  identified  it  with  these 
occurrences,  though  all  that  can  be  said  will  fail  to  impress  him 
with  the  full  sense  of  the  awful  horrors  that  those  dread  alarums 
created  in  its  citizens.  The  three  years  of  prosperous  and  healthy 
growth  that  have  made  San  Francisco  a  well-formed  and  comely 
place, — and  not  a  stunted  and  scarred  piece  of  patchwork, — have 
been  brought  about  by  other  causes  than  the  improved  style  of 
architecture.  The  torch  has  been  repeatedly  lighted  since  June, 
1851,  and  there  have  been  the  same  high  winds  to  fan  the  flames 
to  greater  fury  ;  but,  except  in  isolated  cases,  the  damage  done 
has  been  but  trifling.  More — aye,  every  thing,  is  due  in  this 
connection  to  the  unrivalled  "  Fire  Department."  Firemen  in 
other  cities  are  immensely  useful  in  restraining  conflagrations  to 
which  they  are  all  liable  ;  but  the  fire-brigade  of  San  Francisco 
enters  on  a  service  of  terrific  danger.  The  enemy  they  have  to 
encounter  might  fright  a  dozen  armies.  They  are  forlorn  hopes, 
that  have  to  storm  the  very  batteries  of  the  fire-fiend.  Their 
hard-fought  battles,  their  many  victories,  and  the  able  defence 
and  guard  they  exercise  over  their  precious  charge,  have  gained 
them,  better  than  laurel  or  gold,  the  sincerest  thanks  and  warm- 
est attachment  of  their  fellow-citizens.  San  Franciscans  would 
laugh  were  it  said  that  we  flattered  the  fire  department.  Does 
a  man  praise  his  right  arm  for  performing  its  wonderful  func- 
tions ?  Yet  the  fire  department  is  the  right  arm  of  San  Fran- 
cisco. At  the  ring  of  the  alarm-bell,  it  is  not  alone  the 
errand-boy,  the  counter  clerk,  or  the  rowdy  corner  loafer  that 
start  for  a  scene  of  temporary  excitement.  But  the  merchant- 
millionnaire  springs  from  his  cushioned  seat  ;  the  judge  leaves 
court  and  cases ;  the  industrious  mechanic  drops  his  tools ; 
editors,  lawyers  and  doctors  abandon  quills,  briefs  and  pills,  and 
with  pallid  cheek  but  nervous  sinews  hurry  their  engines  to  the 
threatened  spot.  They  are  playing  for  a  fearful  stake.  Men 
must  be  daring  gamblers  to  foil  the  enemy  they  deal  with. 
Honor  to  whom  honor  is  due.  Give  it  freely  to  the  Are  depart- 
ment, and  when  to  it,  to  the  whole  body  of  enlightened,  public- 


616 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


spirited  and  prominent  citizens.  These  are  men  prouder  of  their 
leathern  capes  than  though  they  were  bedecked  with  the  toddery 
uniform  of  a  militia  general — men  who  have  poured  out  their 
means  with  no  stinting  hand  in  the  formation  of  the  department. 
The  volunteer  system  need  not  be  abandoned  for  a  paid  fire 
organization.  Nothing  could  replace  the  loss  of  an  institution  so 
highly  valued.  San  Franciscans  might  get  along  without  gov- 
ernment— dispense  with  churches — -abolish  drinking  houses  and 
places  of  amusement — cease  soldiering — give  over  reading  news- 
papers— or  see  without  regret  their  gambling  saloons  vanish  in 
the  clouds.  Pleasures  are  easily  done  without ;  but  home — 
bread — years  of  toil — life  itself,  are  not  coolly  and  calmly  to  be 
tossed  into  the  flames 

The  first  steps  taken  towards  establishing  a  fire  department, 
date  from  Christmas,  1849,  the  day  after  the  first  great  fire. 
Meetings  for  that  purpose  were  held  by  numerous  influential 
citizens,  who  had  been  old  Atlantic  firemen,  among  whom  were 
Frederick  D.  Kohler,  David  C.  Broclerick,  George  H.  Hossefros, 
George  W.  Green,  William  McKibben,  Benjamin  Ray,  Charles 
W.  Cornell,  John  A.  McGlynn,  and  others.  In  January,  1850, 
the  councils  first  moved,  by  appointing  F.  D.  Kohler  chief  engi- 
neer, with  instructions  to  proceed  to  permanently  organize  a 
suitable  fire  department.  At  that  time,  three  engines  were  all 
the  machinery  that  was  to  be  found  in  the  city,  and  those  not 
properly  provided  with  hose.  Three  companies,  known  as  the 
San  Francisco,  Empire  and  Protection,  were  soon  formed  for 
each  of  these  and  brought  into  active  service  in  the  fires  of  May 
and  June  following.  Before  the  last  was  well  burned  out,  public 
notice  was  given  for  meetings  to  be  held  that  very  evening,  to 
take  measures  properly  to  organize  fire  companies.  It  was  evi- 
dent that  such  conflagrations  might  be  momentarily  anticipated 
— and  what  could  three  imperfectly  provided  companies  do  to 
arrest  them  ?  As  a  result  of  these  actions,  the  fire  department 
was  regularly  organized  by  ordinance  of  councils,  passed  July  1st. 

The  government  of  the  department  was  intrusted  to  a  chief 
engineer  and  assistants,  and  a  board  of  delegates,  to  consist  of 
two  representatives  from  each  company,  which  officers  were  to  be 
elected  by  the  members.    Appropriations  were  at  the  same  time 


THE  FIRE  DEPARTMENT. 


617 


ordered  for  the  construction  of  cisterns  and  the  purcnase  of  appa- 
ratus. The  first  election  under  this  ordinance  was  held  in  Sep- 
tember, and  F.  D.  Kohler  chosen  Chief  Engineer  ;  Edward  A,. 
Ehhets  and  Thomas  K.  Battelle,  Assistant  Engineers.  The  com- 
panies enrolled  were  the  Empire,  Protection,  Eureka,  Howard, 
Monumental  and  California  engine  companies ;  St.  Francis, 
Howard  and  Sansomc  hook  and  ladder  companies.  Under  tliis 
government  things  began  to  assume  a  proper  form,  and  so  great 
an  interest  was  excited  in  behalf  of  the  department,  that  the 
councils  were  induced  to  expend  the  city  funds  liberally  in  pro- 
curing apparatus  and  locating  reservoirs.  From  this  date  a 
regular  system  has  prevailed  in  governing  the  department,  based 
on  that  of  New  York. 

The  disasters  of  September,  1850,  and  May  and  June,  1851, 
called  for  the  utmost  exertions  of  the  whole  department,  and 
seemed  to  demonstrate  to  puritanic  folks,  by  their  unchecked 
progress,  that  the  hand  of  man  was  of  little  avail  in  protecting 
the  doomed  city.  The  true  cause  of  the  inefficiency  of  the  de- 
partment, was  in  the  want  of  water.  The  few  cisterns  were 
speedily  exhausted — the  tide  was  out — and  the  houses  built  upon 
piles  in  the  bay  were  consumed  with  the  platforms  upon  which 
they  stood,  leaving  only  great  black  spaces  of  slime  and  mud. 
The  chief  attention  of  the  officers  henceforth  was  directed  to  the 
remedying  of  this  deficiency. 

In  August,  1851,  Mr.  Kohler  retired  from  his  position  as 
chief  engineer,  and  first  assistant  Mr.  Ebbets,  being  absent  from 
the  city,  Mr.  T.  K.  Battelle,  the  second,  served  as  chief  until  the 
annual  election,  held  November  3d,  at  which  Mr.  F.  E.  R.  Whit- 
ney was  elected  chief  engineer  ;  Charles  L.  Case,  first  assistant  ; 
Wra.  McKibbin,  second  assistant ;  and  R.  R.  Harris,  third  as- 
sistant. On  the  17th  of  the  same  month,  Mr.  Whitney  was 
compelled  to  resign  by  ill  health,  and  on  December  6th,  Mr. 
George  H.  Hossefros  was  chosen  for  the  office,  the  duties  of  which 
he  performed  to  the  complete  satisfaction  and  great  advantage  of 
the  department.  On  the  7th  February,  1852,  Messrs.  Case  and 
Harris  also  resigned,  in  consequence  of  which  Mr.  McKibbin  be- 
came first  assistant,  and  Messrs.  James  A.  Huntsman  and  Gardi- 
ner P.  Kingsland  were  elected  second  and  third.    All  of  these 


618 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


officers  devoted  much  time  to  the  proper  development  of  the  sys- 
tem, and  succeeded  in  raising  it  to  its  present  standard. 

The  calamities  of  1851  stimulated  the  department  to  greater 
exertions,  and  induced  the  councils  to  pass  numerous  ordinances 
for  its  benefit.  In  May,  1852,  they  created  a  board  of  fire  wardens, 
consisting  of  the  three  assistants  and  the  secretary  of  the  board 
of  delegates,  and  superintended  by  the  chief  engineer,  with  such 
police  jurisdiction  over  the  respective  fire  districts,  as  to  allow 
them  to  examine  all  places  in  which  fires  are  used,  ascertain 
whether  danger  is  to  be  apprehended  from  any  of  them,  and  dis- 
cover and  have  punished  any  violation  of  the  various  ordinances 
for  the  prevention  of  future  conflagrations. 

A.t  the  annual  election  of  December  6'tb,  1852,  Mr.  Hossefros 
was  re-elected  chief  by  a  handsome  majority,  and  Messrs.  Charles 
P.  Duane,  A.  R.  Simons  and  E.  A.  Ebbets  chosen  assistants. 
Business  calling  Mr.  Hossefros  to  the  Atlantic  States,  he  resigned 
his  office,  and  as  if  an  evidence  of  their  regard  for  him  was  need- 
ed, every  fireman  and  each  company  vied  to  do  him  honor,  and 
present  him  tokens  of  respect  on  the  day  of  his  departure,  with 
an  enthusiasm  seldom  ever  equalled.  Mr.  Charles  P.  Duane  was 
elected  chief  at  the  ensuing  election  of  December  5th,  1853  ; 
Messrs.  Edward  A.  Ebbets,  first  assistant,  Joseph  Capprise, 
second,  and  Charles  S.  Simpson,  third  assistant,  all  of  whom  are 
yet  in  office. 

No  one  any  longer  apprehends  any  danger  from  fire  to  San 
Francisco.  With  fifty  large  public  cisterns  already  constructed, 
others  under  way,  and  numerous  others  built  by  private  individu- 
als ;  with  thirteen  powerful  and  well  supplied  engines,  and  three 
hook  and  ladder  companies,  under  the  control  of  an  average  of 
nine  hundred  and  fifty  certificate  members  (who  are  by  statute 
exempt  from  jury  duty  while  members,  and  after  five  years'  ser- 
vice, exempt  for  life),  the  most  dangerous  fire  can  be  subdued. 

In  1852,  the  department  organized  a  charitable  fund,  which 
at  this  time  exceeds  $26,000,  invested  at  good  interest,  and 
which  has  already  afforded  much  relief  to  those  who  had  need  of 
its  interference.  It  will  be  in  place  here  to  give  a  succinct  histo- 
ry of  each  company. 

Empire  Engine  Company,  No.  1. — This  company  was  one  of 


THE  FIRE  DEPARTMENT. 


619 


those  that  took  part  in  the  organization  of  the  department  di- 
rectly after  the  first  great  fire  :  bnt  does  not  date  its  regular 
existence  until  June  4th,  1850.  The  citizens  most  influential 
in  its  origin  were  Messrs.  D.  C.  Broderick,  F.  D.  Kohler,Wm. 
McKibbin,  Geo.  W.  Green,  C.  W.  Cornell  and  John  A.  McGlynn. 
D.  0.  Broderick  was  elected  the  first  foreman  ;  G.  W.  Green,  as- 
sistant ;  Wm.  McKibbin,  secretary  ;  and  James  Grant,  treasurer. 
The  Empire  has  continued  in  the  spirit  of  its  motto,  "  onward," 
a  fine  company,  to  the  present  date,  always  having  a  full  roll, 
and  doing  active  service  on  every  regular  occasion.  The  appa- 
ratus is  a  beautifully  decorated  New  York  side-lever  engine,  and 
is  located  on  Kearny  street  between  Sacramento  and  California 
streets.  The  members,  early  in  1851,  organized  a  target  com- 
pany in  the  New  York  fashion,  which  parades  one  hundred  and 
twenty-five  muskets. 

Manhattan  Engine  Company,  No.  2,  was  organized  very  re- 
cently (January,  1854),  through  the  exertions  of  Messrs.  David 
L.  Beck,  D.  B.  Arrowsmith,  and  other  gentlemen,  who  felt  a 
lively  interest  in  the  department.  Their  number,  which  they 
had  obtained,  because  it  was  left  blank,  at  the  date  of  their  for- 
mation, had  been  previously  assigned  to  two  co  npanies,  viz.  :  the 
Protection,  1852,  and  the  Lady  Washington,  both  having  been 
disbanded,  the  latter  very  recently.  Tbe  Manhattan,  though 
young,  has  given  proof  of  its  strength  and  usefulness,  and  now 
numbers  over  fifty  good  members — all  permanent  citizens.  The 
apparatus  is  a  New  York  side-lever  engine,  with  hose  cart,  and 
is  located  on  Montgomery  street,  adjoining  the  Metropolitan 
theatre. 

Howard  Engine  Company,  No.  3. — This  is  one  of  the  old 
companies  that  has  nobly  stood  the  test  of  time.  It  was  organ- 
ized June  14th,  1850,  by  various  citizens,  who  had  been  old  Bos- 
ton firemen.  The  prime  movers  in  the  enterprise  were  Messrs. 
Franklin  E.  B.  Whitney,  John  S.  Eagan,  Tbomas  K.  Battelle, 
and  G.  Lewis  Cook.  A  few  days  after  their  organization  they 
were  placed  in  possession  of  a  fine  Hunaman  engine,  which  had 
arrived  from  Boston  in  the  ship  Windsor  Fay,  having  been  or- 
dered early  in  1849,  on  private  account,  by  the  well-known  and 
public-spirited  citizen,  William  D.  M.  Howard,  who  without  de- 


G20 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


lay  placed  the  engine  in  the  possession  of  this  company.  As  a 
compliment  to  this  gentleman,  who  had  been  exceedingly  liberal 
in  the  expenditure  of  money  in  the  formation  of  tbe  department, 
the  company  resolved  to  adopt  the  name  of  "  Howard."  Their 
efficiency  has  been  repeatedly  proven.  The  engine  has  no  supe- 
rior in  the  city,  and  is  very  beautifully  painted.  Its  house,  a  fine 
brick  building  with  stone  front,  is  in  Merchant  street,  between 
Montgomery  and  Sansome  streets.  The  lower  floor  is  appropri- 
ated as  the  engine  room  ;  the  meeting  room  is  in  the  upper  story, 
and  is  very  elegantly  and  tastefully  furnished. 

California  Engine  Company,  No.  4,  was  organized  October 
10th,  1850,  principally  by  citizens  residing  in  Happy  Valley, 
prominent  among  whom  were  Messrs.  Moses  G.  Leonard,  George 
N.  Shaw,  W.  Neely  Thompson,  Greorge  J.  Oakes,  George  M. 
Garwood,  Caleb  Hyatt,  K.  S.  Lamott,  George  Endicott,  and  oth- 
ers, of  whom  Mr.  Garwood  was  elected  foreman.  They  were 
supplied  with  the  old  San  Francisco  engine,  the  early  cotempo- 
rary  of  the  Empire  and  Protection,  which  was,  however,  destroyed 
by  the  fire  of  May,  1851.  In  June,  1852,  the  company  ordered 
from  Boston  a  new  Hunaman-build  engine,  of  the  same  class  as 
the  Howard,  at  a  cost  of  $3,750,  now  in  their  possession  and  in 
active  service,  with  a  large  company  to  run  it.  It  occupies  a  fine 
two-story  building  on  Market  square,  opposite  the  Oriental  Ho- 
tel ;  and  possesses  a  belfry  and  bell,  which  latter  has  often  replied 
to  the  summons  given  from  the  Monumental  bell,  in  the  days  of 
the  Vigilance  Committee. 

Knickerbocker  Engine  Company,  No.  5,  was  organized  Octo- 
ber 17th,  1850,  through  the  exertions  of  James  H.  Cutter, 
Charles  E.  Buckingham,  John  Wilson,  R.  R.  Harris,  and  others, 
and  on  October  25th,  procured,  at  a  cost  of  $3,000,  a  small  size, 
piano-box  engine,  Van  Ness  make.  The  first  officers  elected 
were  James  H.  Cutter,  foreman  ;  John  Wilson,  assistant  foreman  ; 
and  Charles  E.  Buckingham,  secretary.  The  company  have  im- 
proved daily,  and  are  on  hand  at  the  first  tap  of  the  bell,  and 
have  no  superior  in  ability  to  work  at  fires.  The  house  originally 
occupied  by  the  Knickerbocker,  in  Merchant  street,  was  de- 
stroyed by  fire  on  the  night  of  November  9th,  1852.  The 
present   engine   building  is  a  two-story  cut-stone  edifice,  in 


THE  FIRE  DEPARTMENT. 


621 


Sacramento  street,  between  Sansome  and  Leidesdorff  streets, 
begun  in  March,  1853,  and  completed  in  July,  at  a  cost  of 
§8000.  It  was  furnished  for  the  occupancy  of  the  company  by 
October  15th,  at  a  further  expense  of  §2,000.  The  very  hand- 
some mahogany  piano-box  engine,  now  in  use,  is  of  the  first 
class,  Smith's  make,  and  was  procured  December  8th,  1852,  at  a 
cost  of  §3,250. 

Monumental  Engine  Companies,  Nos.  6  and  7. — These  com- 
panies were  organized  in  June,  1850,  consisting  of  three  engines, 
on  the  plan  of  the  Baltimore  fire  department,  as  an  independent 
association.  They  procured  the  three  pieces  known  in  Baltimore 
as  the  Mechanical,  Union  and  Franklin,  which  had  been  shipped 
to  this  city.  The  principal  parties  in  this  association  were 
Messrs.  George  H.  Hossefros,  Wm.  Divier,  John  S.  Wcathred, 
Joseph  Capprise,  Robert  B.  Hampton,  W.  H.  Silverthoru,  J.  H. 
Ruddach,  and  other  old  Baltimorean  firemen.  As  the  city  coun- 
cils could  not  recognize  independent  companies,  they  refused  to 
appropriate  any  moneys  to  their  use.  The  companies  hesitated  to 
comply  with  their  ordinance  until  13th  of  September,  when  they 
joined  the  general  organization  as  three  companies  and  received 
the  numbers  6,  7,  and  8  ;  thus  by  their  delay  being  numbered 
higher  than  companies  which  had  been  formed  later.  They  have 
always  done  good  duty,  and  have  as  high  as  three  hundred  en- 
rolled members.  The  first  officers  of  the  association  under  its 
old  rules  were,  William  Divier,  president  ;  R.  H.  Bennett  and 
W.  L.  Bromley,  vice-presidents  ;  George  H.  Hossefros,  chief 
engineer  ;  W.  H.  Silverthorn  and    Austin,  assistant  engi- 

neers ;  W.  Lippincott,  secretary  ;  and  R.  B.  Hampton,  treasurer. 
In  January,  1853,  they  resigned  the  number  of  8,  and  ran  two 
companies,  G  and  7  ;  and  at  this  date,  April  1,  1854,  they  have 
resolved  themselves  into  one  number,  6,  for  the  purpose  of  pro- 
perly working  a  new  piece  of  apparatus,  of  the  largest  class,  built 
by  Messrs.  Rogers,  of  Baltimore,  and  shipped  in  February. 
This  will  be  the  largest  engine  on  the  Pacific,  and  will  require  a 
large  torce  to  work  it.  Mr.  George  H.  Hossefros,  late  chief  engi- 
neer for  two  years,  has  been  elected  foreman  of  the  consolidated 
Monumental  Company,  No.  G.  Their  house  is  located  in  Bren- 
ham  Place,  facing  Portsmouth  Square,  and  is  surmounted  with 


622 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


a  bell — not  merely  a  bell,  but  "  the  bell  "  of  San  Francisco — for 
who  is  conversant  with  the  history  of  this  city  in  1851,  that  does 
not  remember  the  awful  tones  of  this  bell,  as  it  gave  the  signal 
for  the  assembling  of  the  Vigilance  Committee,  and  tolled  the 
death-knells  of  four  of  the  most  accomplished  villains  that  ever 
disgraced  California  ?  It  was  the  first  bell  for  public  purposes 
ever  raised  in  the  city ;  weighs  only  one  hundred  and  eighty 
pounds,  and  cost  one  dollar  per  pound.  For  clearness  of  sound 
it  cannot  be  excelled,  and  even  now  competes  with  the  city  bell. 

Pacific  Engine  Company,  No.  8,  was  organized  September 
9th,  1853,  to  take  the  number  left  blank  from  the  Monumental 
No.  8.  Benjamin  Oakley,  jr.,  Frank  Gray,  D.  0.  Brown,  and 
other  citizens  in  the  vicinity  of  Pacific  wharf  and  Broadway,  were 
instrumental  in  forming  it.  It  is  located  in  Front  street,  be- 
tween Jackson  and  Pacific  streets.  The  company,  though  labor- 
ing under  many  disadvantages  from  location  and  want  of  appa- 
ratus,  have  done  fair  service,  and  are  now  making  efforts  to 
procure  a  proper  house  and  engine — so  much  needed  in  that 
portion  of  the  city. 

Vigilant  Engine  Company,  No.  9,  was  organized  April  8, 
1852,  by  Messrs.  Martin  R.  Roberts,  W.  H.  Bovee,  J.  D.  Blux- 
ome,  C.  S.  Biden,  D.  L.  Beck,  and  others.  The  apparatus  is  a 
New  York  side-lever  engine,  housed  in  a  brick  building  on 
Stockton  street,  between  Broadway  and  Pacific  streets.  At  this 
date  the  company  are  making  arrangements  for  the  erection  of  a 
fine  stone  building,  and  have  ordered  a  first-class  engine  from 
New  York,  which  is  expected  to  arrive  in  Jidy. 

Crescent  Engine  Company,  No.  10,  was  organized  November 
4th,  1852,  by  Messrs.  James  P.  Casey,  Charles  Bachman,  L.  M. 
Byrne,  J.  Hawes  Davis,  and  others,  and  is  located  in  Ohio  street, 
between  Pacific  street  and  Broadway.  They  possess  a  New 
York  engine,  and  for  celerity  and  efficiency  at  fires  cannot  be 
excelled.  In  the  ranks  are  very  many  old  Atlantic  firemen. 
The  city  is  now  providing  for  the  construction  of  a  fine  building 
for  No.  10. 

Columbian  Engine  Company,  No.  11,  was  organized  Novem- 
ber 4th,  1852,  by  Messrs.  T.  W.  Brennan,  J.  Kimbal,  J.  D 
Brower,  J.  H.  Shepeard,  Daniel  N.  Tucker,  and  others,  and  has 


THE  FIRE  DEPARTMENT. 


623 


proved  a  good  company  in  every  respect,  having  now  a  full  roll 
of  sixty-five  members.  The  house  is  located  in  Bush  street, 
above  Kearny,  and  the  engine  is  Van  Ness  make,  piano-box  style, 
handsomely  polished  and  finished,  with  patent  running  gear.  They 
work  two  streams  of  water,  and  at  late  fires  have  done  great  service. 

Pennsylvania  Engine  Company,  No.  12. — This  active  com- 
pany was  organized  November  4th,  1852,  by  Messrs.  Robert  B. 
Quayle,  P.  E.  Garvin,  John  V.  McElwee,  John  Hanna,  George 
R.  Gluyas,  H.  S.  Brown,  E.  T.  Batturs,  and  others.  The  house 
is  located  in  Jackson  street,  between  Kearny  and  Dupont  streets. 
The  engine,  known  as  the  old  Franklin,  of  Philadelphia,  is  at 
present  in  their  possession.  They  have  had  built  in  the  latter 
city,  by  Agnew,  a  magnificent  first-class  Philadelphia  engine, 
which  is  expected  to  arrive  in  August,  and  will  be  a  competitor 
of  the  new  engine,  building  for  the  Monumental,  in  Baltimore. 
This  company  has  been  on  a  steady  increase  since  its  organiza- 
tion, and  is  one  of  the  best  governed  in  the  department.  Their 
uniforms  are  of  the  Philadelphia  style,  from  which  city  many 
of  its  members  have  brought  the  spirit  of  enthusiasm  which  has 
so  long  characterized  its  own  fire  department.  As  an  instance 
of  the  liberality  of  the  San  Franciscans  towards  the  perfection 
of  their  department,  we  may  add  an  anecdote  told  in  Philadel- 
phia, in  connection  with  this  very  engine.  The  company  had 
sent  in  advance  $5,000  to  pay  for  the  construction  of  a  magnifi- 
cent engine,  and  not  deeming  that  sum  sufficient,  shortly  after- 
wards forwarded  another  instalment.  The  economic  Philadelphia 
artisan,  already  at  a  loss  how  to  expend  upon  his  work  the  first 
apparently  enormous  sum,  now  applied  for  information  as  regard- 
ed the  use  to  be  made  of  the  second  amount,  alleging  his  inability 
to  do  otherwise  than  pocket  it.  "  Convert  it  into  silver  or  gold 
and  stick  it  on  any  where,"  replied  the  members.  And  this  same 
generous  spirit  is  actuating  all  the  companies  in  their  desire  to 
obtain  unrivalled  apparatus.  An  immense  sum  of  money  has 
been  expended  in  New  York  on  an  engine  recently  constructed 
by  order  from  San  Francisco. 

Young  America  Engine  Company,  No.  13,  was  the  last  or- 
ganized, on  the  1st  of  January,  1854,  by  citizens  living  at  the 
Mission  Dolores,  for  the  protection  of  property  in  that  neighbor- 


624 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


hood,  which,  is  between  two  and  three  miles  from  Portsmouth 
Square.  Being  so  young,  we  can  say  no  more  concerning  this 
company  than  to  express  a  hope  that  their  future  will  he  char- 
acterized by  the  energy  implied  in  the  name  they  have  chosen. 

St.  Francis  Hook  and  Ladder  Company,  No.  1,  was  organ- 
ized on  the  14th  of  June,  1850,  chiefly  by  Messrs.  E.  V.  Joice, 
Samuel  H.  Ward,  J.  C.  Palmer,  C.  P.  Duane,  W.  A.  Woodruff. 
George  W.  Gibbs,  B.  G.  Davis,  and  others.  This  is  one  of  the 
original  companies  of  the  permanent  organization,  and  has  always 
maintained  its  position  in  the  department.  In  the  years  1850; 
'51  and  '52,  the  principal  work  at  conflagrations  fell  on  the  hook 
and  ladder  companies,  owing  to  the  impossibility  of  obtaining 
water  for  the  engines.  This  company  is  located  in  Dupont 
street,  between  Clay  and  Sacramento  streets,  and  has  a  fine 
brick  building  under  contract  for  its  future  occupancy. 

LaFayette  Hook  and  Ladder  Company,  No.  2,  was  organized 
in  September  19th,  1853,  by  Messrs.  H.  A.  Cobb,  E.  Grisar,  and 
a  number  of  the  French  citizens  of  San  Francisco.  Their  num- 
ber formerly  belonged  to  the  Howard  Hook  and  Ladder  Compa- 
ny, which  was  organized  in  1850,  but  disbanded  in  1852.  The 
LaFayette  is  established  on  the  principle  of  the  Parisian  fire 
companies,  and  is  the  first  on  this  plan  in  the  United  States.  In 
the  ranks  are  many  old  French  firemen.  They  drill  regularly 
and  have  become  very  perfect  in  their  routine  of  duty.  They  are 
good  firemen,  and  under  the  government  of  their  present  fore- 
man, Mr.  Cobb,  have  rendered  good  service  at  recent  fires. 

Sansome  Hook  and  Ladder  Company,  No.  3,  was  organized 
June  14th,  1850,  by  Messrs.  A.  DeWitt,  Florence  Mahoney,  C. 
L.  Case,  E.  A.  Ebbets,  J.  L.  Van  Bokkelen,  George  A.  Hudson, 
William  Adrain,  H.  A.  Harrison,  W.  H.  Hoffman,  Wm.  Greene, 
F.  A.  Bartlett,  R.  L.  Van  Burnt,  and  others,  residing  in  San- 
some street  and  its  vicinity, — adopting  the  name  of  that  street 
as  their  own, — for  the  protection  of  the  property  on  which  they 
had  chiefly  organized.  The  truck  used  by  this  company  is  the 
largest  in  the  State,  and  carries  fifty-feet  ladders.  The  company 
is  one  of  the  best  organized  in  the  city,  and  has  intrusted  to  its 
charge  the  powder  magazine,  intended  for  blowing  up  buildings 
at  fires  in  time  of  need,  to  use  which  none  others  are  authorized. 


THE  FIRE  DEPARTMENT. 


625 


The  motto  borne  on  the  truck,  in  celebration  of  the  admission  of 
California  into  the  Union,  "  Though  last  not  least,"  has  been 
well  sustained.  William  Greene  was  first  foreman,  and  was  suc- 
ceeded in  the  fall  of  1850  by  E.  A.  Ebbets,  and  on  the  appoint- 
ment of  the  latter  as  assistant  engineer  of  the  department  in  the 
spring  of  1851,  J.  L.  Van  Bokkelen  was  elected  foreman,  and 
has  acted  as  such  to  this  date.  The  company's  house  is  located 
on  Montgomery  street,  between  Jackson  and  Pacific  streets,  and 
is  constructed  with  carved  stone  front,  brick  walls,  two  stories 
high,  with  deep  basement.  The  entire  building  cost  $24,000  : 
the  lot  is  valued  at  $15,000  ;  and  the  furniture,  as  magnificent 
as  is  to  be  found  in  any  private  dwelling,  cost  over  $5,000, — 
making  in  all  an  expense  of  $44,000.  A  large  library  belongs 
to  the  company,  which  from  the  constant  additions  it  is  receiv- 
ing, will  doubtless  be  as  extensive  as  any  in  the  city. 

The  Sansome  Hall,  and  the  other  handsome  structures,  which 
are  already  completed  or  in  course  of  erection  for  the  various 
companies,  show  how  even  a  fireman's  duties  may  be  combined 
with  pleasure  and  comfort.  The  fire  department  is  always  one 
of  the  chief  features  in  public  processions,  and  yearly  celebrates 
its  own  anniversary  by  a  general  turn-out  on  the  22d  of  Februa- 
ry. The  universal  prosperity  and  harmony  between  the  various 
associations,  are  evidences  enough  of  the  excellence  of  the  present 
government  and  laws  of  the  department. 


40 


Departure  of  a  Steamship. 


STEAMER-DAY. 

Once  a  fortnight,  at  the  beginning  and  middle  of  every  month, 
San  Francisco,  which  is  never  without  some  feverish  excitement, 
gets  gradually  worked  up  to  a  crisis.  Different  places  have  also 
their  occasional  periods  of  intense  interest.  What  in  other 
countries  may  be  the  annual  fair  to  a  village  belle,  a  great  saint's 
day  of  obligation  to  devout  Roman  Catholics,  the  solitary  "  cheap 
pleasure  trip"  to  the  artisan  who  has  toiled  and  moiled  unceas- 
ingly for  a  twelvemonth,  the  last  day  of  grace  to  a  tottering 
merchant  who  must  meet  his  bill — but  what  need  is  there  of 
comparisons  ?  Steamer-day  in  San  Francisco  stands  alone  ; 
it  is  sui  generis.  Every  body,  man,  woman,  and  child,  native  and 
foreigner,  merchant  and  miner,  general  dealer,  laborer,  and  non- 
descript adventurer,  old  resident,  and  recent  immigrant — every 
body  is  deeply  interested  in  this  day.  Mails  in  the  Atlantic 
cities  start  oftener,  and  affect  only  particular  sections  of  the  com- 


STEAMER-DAY. 


627 


munity  ;  but  the  great  eastern  mails  that  leave  San  Francisco 
depart  at  long  intervals,  while  they  directly  concern  all  classes. 
The  people  who  live  here  are  not  yet  independent,  either  in  busi- 
ness or  in  home  and  affectionate  feelings,  of  the  connections  of 
their  native  countries.  Hence,  an  immense  amount  of  corres- 
pondence is  written  and  forwarded  every  two  weeks. 

Some  days  before  the  1st  or  the  16th  of  the  month,  the  mer- 
chant, who  must  send  returns  for  the  goods  he  has  received,  and 
perhaps  sold,  begins  to  consider  how  best  he  can  "  raise  the 
wind."  He  is  not  a  Prospero,  who,  by  waving  his  wand,  consult- 
ing his  book,  and  muttering  a  few  conjurations,  can  command 
the  elements  ;  but  he  summons  his  "  faithful  Ariel,"  his  manag- 
ing clerk,  and  the  two  take  a  long  spell  of  a  different  description. 
Daily,  hourly,  obstinate  debtors  are  dunned  ;  and  are  alternately 
beseeched,  wheedled  and  bullied,  to  come  down  with  the  dust — 
the  one  precious  product  and  export  of  California.  One's  own 
funds  are  failing,  and  money  every  where  has  suddenly  and  alarm- 
ingly become  scarce.  Debtors  are  doubtfid,  and  no  credit  is 
given  the  unfortunate  cash-hunter  himself.  Yet  money  must  be 
had  for  steamer-day.  This  is  essential  to  the  merchant's  honor 
and  his  continuance  in  business.  Cash  bargains  are  therefore 
hurried  through  at  any  sacrifice,  and  temporary  loans  effected, 
upon  tangible  security  always,  at  usurious  rates — from  four  to 
five,  up  to  ten  or  twelve  per  cent,  per  month.  Every  means  is 
taken  to  collect  a  given  sum.  While  the  merciless  creditor 
assails  his  shuffling  debtor,  he  himself  turns  a  dull  ear  to  re- 
proaches, entreaties  and  threats  of  his  own  creditors  and  dun- 
ners.  Every  man  for  himself  in  such  matters.  All  the  business- 
men in  San  Francisco  are  bustling  about  ;  every  body  is  abusing 
another  for  dilatoriness  in  making  payments.  What  should  have 
been  paid  before  last  steamer-day  not  yet  forthcoming  ! — what 
was  a  cash  transaction  two  days  ago  not  yet  settled  for  !  Why, 
it  was  shameful,  unbusiness-like,  atrocious  conduct  !  Where  did 
such  people  expect  to  go  to  when  they  died  ?  So  the  angry 
dunner  says  to  one  neighbor,  and  so  another  speaks  to  the  poor 
enraged  man  a  few  minutes  afterwards.  The  agony  and  the 
"  hope  deferred "  of  making  up  the  required  sum  continue  to 
grow  in  intensity  until  the  last  moment  that  bank,  post,  and 


628 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


express  arrangements  permit  the  remittance  to  be  made.  "When 
the  gun  of  the  departing  steamer  is  heard,  the  merchant  feels 
once  more  at  ease.  His  excited  nervous  system  becomes  relaxed  ; 
and  for  another  week,  or  ten  days,  he  cares  not  though  he  re- 
ceives not  a  cent.  He  smiles  again  on  his  delinquent  debtor  ; 
they  drink  lovingly  together,  and  exchange  segars,  and  chat 
and  joke,  in  the  most  friendly  manner,  of  their  individual  trou- 
bles and  throes  in  providing  for  the  dread  steamer-day.  There 
is  little  business  done  the  day  before  the  mail  leaves,  and  none 
on  the  forenoon  of  the  day  of  its  departure.  Not  only  is  time 
consumed  in  attending  to  the  indispensable  remittances,  but 
numerous  business  letters  must  be  answered,  the  state  of  the 
markets  described,  account  sales  made  out,  suggestions  given  to 
foreign  merchants  for  particular  shipments,  and  new  orders  sent 
on  one's  personal  account.  The  business  letters  alone  of  an  ex- 
tensive mercantile  house  must  closely  occupy  the  time  of  the 
heads  of  the  firm  for  at  least  a  whole  day  before  the  mail  is 
closed. 

The  purely  business  letters  may  be  the  most  urgent  and  pe- 
cuniarily important  communications,  but  those  between  the 
mere  resident  and  his  friends  at  home  are  the  most  interesting. 
Many  residing  here  have  left  wives  and  families  in  far  distant 
countries.  To  such  the  opportunity  is  invaluable  of  telling  of 
their  various  movements,  of  their  speculations,  hopes  and  fears, 
their  health  and  comforts,  and  to  express  all  their  affectionate 
wishes  and  love  towards  those  most  dear  to  them.  But  besides 
the  married  and  family  man,  all  have  more  or  fewer  acquaint- 
ances and  dear  friends  whom  they  wish  should  know  of  their 
"  whereabouts."  When  emigrants  leave  home  to  settle  perma- 
nently in  a  new  land,  they  very  soon  cease  to  feel  interest  in 
their  native  place  and  old  friends,  and  gradually  give  up  the 
first  habit  of  communicating  by  letter  with  them.  But  many 
of  the  San  Franciscans  have  the  surety  of  speedily  rejoining  the 
friends  and  country  they  had  left,  whilst  most  of  them  hope  and 
expect  that  they  will  be  enabled  to  do  so  in  a  few  years  at  far- 
thest. Hence,  all  these  find  it  their  interest,  as  they  feel  it 
their  pleasure,  to  keep  up  a  familiar  correspondence  with  the 
mother  country.    The  answers  that  will  appear  by  and  by  to 


STEAMER-DAY. 


629 


their  several  communications  will  be  eagerly  looked  for,  and  pe- 
rused over  and  over  again.  To  continue  to  receive  such  interest- 
ing epistles,  they  must  be  faithfully  acknowledged.  Replies  and 
other  letters  are  accordingly  multiplied  for  each  mail.  With 
many  people,  the  entire  day  before  the  sailing  of  the  steamer  is 
consumed  in  writing  these.  No  wonder  that  the  occasion  is 
looked  forward  to  with  much  interest. 

But  it  is  not  merely  epistolary  communications  and  the  ne- 
cessity of  remitting  that  give  lifelike  interest  and  excitement  to 
steamer-day.  Always  two,  and  often  three,  large  vessels  leave 
upon  that  occasion,  conveying  together  from  a  thousand  to  some- 
times nearly  two  thousand  persons.  That  alone  is  an  immense 
body  of  people,  who  are  naturally  very  much  excited  by  thoughts 
of  the  long  passage,  and  the  peculiar  circumstances  attending 
their  departure.  Besides  these  it  may  be  supposed  that  at  least 
thrice  the  same  number  of  persons  are  directly  interested  as  the 
nearest  friends  of  the  actual  passengers,  while  the  whole  city  en- 
tertains some  kind  of  curiosity  as  to  who  are  leaving  and  a 
general  feeling  of  interest  on  the  subject.  Numbers  have  come 
from  the  mines  and  interior  towns  to  take  their  departure  from 
San  Francisco  ;  and  these  crowd  the  hotels  and  boarding-houses 
for  a  few  days  until  the  steamer  sails.  From  every  large  lodg- 
ing-house there  is  somebody  departing,  while  in  almost  every 
house  there  are  companions  and  confidants  of  those  leaving. 
These  must  commune  and  prepare  ;  they  must  drink,  smoke  and 
palaver ;  buy  and  interchange  gifts,  and  make  solemn  promises 
of  futuTe  communications.  All  is  eagerness  and  excitement,  on 
both  sides,  until  steamer-day  has  come  and  gone. 

Follow  the  crowd  on  the  eventful  day.  The  merchant  has 
dispatched  his  letters,  his  expresses,  his  remittances,  and  has  now 
a  little  leisure.  So  he  takes  a  stroll  down  to  the  pier-head  to 
see  some  old  friends  off.  The  mail-bags  are  closed,  and  the 
anxious  correspondent  with  home  may  now  begin  to  count  the 
weary  weeks  and  days  before  he  receives  fond  answers.  He  also 
can  spare  an  hour,  and  dreamily  wends  his  way  to  mark  the  no- 
ble ship  set  sail  that  bears  the  mail,  his  letters  included.  The 
express  wagons  that  bear  two  millions  of  treasure  are  on  their 
way.    The  loafer  and  the  compulsorily  idle  man  likewise  attend, 


630 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


because  they  are  fond  of  a  show  and  have  nothing  else  to  do. 
General  business  is  in  some  measure  suspended,  or  lazily  conduct- 
ed until  the  steamer  is  actually  gone.  The  baggage  of  the  pas- 
sengers, which  is  seldom  very  much,  is  being  conveyed  on  board. 
Some  adieus  have  already  taken  place  ;  but  most  are  to  be  made 
upon  the  wharf  or  on  the  ship's  deck.  The  mail  boat  for  Pa- 
nama starts  from  Pacific  street  wharf ;  the  opposition  vessel,  for 
San  Juan  del  Sud  (Nicaragua  route),  from  the  wharf  at  Jackson 
street.  Let  us  take  our  stand  on  the  latter.  As  it  happens,  the 
ship  is  neither  the  largest  nor  the  finest  of  the  line,  yet  it  is  an 
excellent  boat  notwithstanding,  and  we  have  a  friend  on  board 
who  is  leaving  for  the  east. 

The  "  Brother  Jonathan  "  is  already  beginning  to  be  crowd- 
ed. Above  and  below,  passengers  with  flushed  faces  and  scarcely 
steady  steps  are  prowling  among  the  heaps  of  packages  and 
boxes,  searching  for  their  own.  They  bustle  about,  and  after 
some  thick  speechifying  and  unnecessary  gestures  discover  their 
"  bunks,"  and  secure  their  "  traps  "  as  closely  as  possible.  All 
is  confusion.  Something  is  sure  to  be  forgotten  at  the  last  mo- 
ment ;  something  of  the  utmost  consequence  is  still  to  be  done. 
There  is  neither  time  nor  fit  person  to  do  the  thing  needful ;  and 
the  unhappy  passenger  dare  not  leave  the  ship  for  an  instant,  lest 
she  sail  without  him.  There  is,  however,  no  real  danger  of  that, 
though  there  is  so  much  fear.  One  half  of  the  passengers  are 
still  on  the  wharf,  talking  fast  and  hurriedly  with  friends,  and 
preparing  to  take  the  last  farewells.  On  board,  a  majority  of 
the  people  are  those  who  have  only  come  to  see  the  emigrant 
off.  Small  groups  cluster  wherever  there  is  standing  room  on 
the  different  decks.  The  bottle  is  produced,  and  the  last  drop 
taken  ;  champagne  freely  flows  among  the  state-cabin  nobs,  and 
rum  or  ready-mixed  bottled  cocktails  among  the  snobs  over  all 
the  ship.  But  we  forget — in  California  happily  all  are  equal  and 
independent,  and  there  can  be  neither  the  pure  snob  nor  nob, 
where  originally  all  came  alike  penniless,  and  nearly  all  who 
make  money  do  it  "  by  the  sweat  of  their  brow."  Well,  some 
continue  poor,  and  some  wax  wealthy.  Some  have  been  indus- 
trious and  thrifty,  enterprising  and  successful :  these  soon  grow 
rich.    Others  have  been  lazy  and  idle,  perhaps  weak,  sick  or  in- 


STEAMER-DAT. 


631 


capable,  or  they  have  spent  their  gains  in  intemperance,  gaming 
or  debauchery  ;  and  these  will  never  make  or  long  keep  a  fortune 
in  any  country.  Among  them  all,  some  can  and  do  pay  for  state- 
cabins  ;  others  can,  but  will  not  ;  a  considerable  number  ought 
not,  but  do  ;  while  the  most  cannot,  and  consequently  do  not. 
All,  however,  are  rejoiced  to  hold  their  friends  to  the  last,  and 
seek  to  show  their  joy  in  various  ways — in  cheerful  discourse  and 
in  drinks,  in  a  warm  shake  of  the  hand,  a  half-stifled  sigh  and  a 
heartfelt  look. 

Near  the  forecastle  there  is  a  group  of  shaggy-haired  and 
bronzed-faced  though  good-looking  fellows.  These  are  going 
home  with  the  profits  of  a  successful  trip  to  the  mines.  They 
still  wear  the  old  red  or  blue  woollen  shirt,  the  battered  hat  and 
the  belt  of  the  digger.  Somewhere  hidden  about  their  persons 
are  certain  little  bags  with  fifty  or  a  hundred  ounces  of  the 
"  dust,"  ay,  or  perhaps  five  hundred  ounces,  for  aught  that  a 
stranger  could  tell.  They  conceal  likewise  a  five  or  six-shooter, 
or  a  brace  of  pistols,  capped  and  loaded  with  ball,  or  it  may  be  a 
formidable  blade  that  makes  the  blood  run  cold  to  touch.  Some- 
times indeed  these  weapons  are  openly  displayed.  Such  men 
shall  not  be  robbed  of  their  hard  won  treasure  without  making 
some  effort  to  save  it,  or  they  will  have  dire  revenge  at  all 
events  for  their  loss.  There  may  not  be  much  risk,  once  on 
board,  and  on  the  fair  way  to  a  law-protected  land  ;  but  habit 
is  a  second  nature,  and  still  they  bear  the  old  faithful  companions 
of  their  toils  and  dangers.  These  determined  "  b'hoys  "  are  the 
fortunate  and  careful  miners.  Beside  them  are  others  of  a  dif- 
ferent stamp.  The  hollow  cheek,  sunken  eye  and  feeble  gait 
tell  of  broken  constitutions.  Sickness  seized  the  hapless  adven- 
turer at  the  mines,  just  when  the  foundation  of  his  "  pile  "  was 
being  laid  famously.  There  was  a  struggle  for  a  little  while  be- 
tween avarice  and  the  longing  for  health  and  life.  Disease 
threatened  the  latter  in  unmistakable  symptoms.  The  patient 
was  unwillingly  forced  to  relinquish  his  best  hopes,  and  drag 
himself  to  town  for  advice  and  aid.  He  continued  weak,  and 
was  becoming  poor — for  doctors'  bills  are  heavy  in  California. 
So  while  he  could  still  muster  strength  and  pay  his  passage,  he 
resolved  to  go  home,  to  see  old  friends,  his  mother  and  the  sweet- 


632 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


heart  he  had  been  betrothed  to,  and  then  "  go  sleep  with  his 
fathers." 

The  mining  class  form  a  large  portion  of  the  fore-cabin  and 
steerage  passengers.    Many  of  these,  since  their  first  coming  to 


Miners  homeward  bound. 

California,  had  visited  "the  States"  on  previous  occasions. 
They  took  seasons  of  working  at  the  mines,  and  passed  the  in- 
tervals in  making  jaunts  home  and  enjoying  themselves  with 
their  families  and  friends.  When  the  annual  period  came  round, 
like  regular  birds  of  passage,  they  migrated  once  more  to  the 
foot-hills  and  valleys  of  the  Sierra  Nevada,  to  labor  lustily  for  so 
many  months,  accumulate  another  nice  little  "  heap,"  then  de- 
scend upon  San  Francisco,  to  leave  it  shortly  afterwards  upon 
steamer-day. 

There  are  numerous  enfeebled,  dispirited-looking  passengers 
in  the  fore  part  of  the  vessel.  These  are  the  disappointed. 
They  came  to  California,  mistaking  the  country  and  miscalcu- 
lating their  own  powers  and  the  opposition  before  them.  Per- 


STEAMER-DAY. 


633 


haps  they  were  without  the  physical  qualifications  for  work,  or 
some  nicety  of  disposition  or  false  pride  prevented  them  from  do- 
ing what  their  most  successful  neighbors  had  had  to  do  at  a  pinch 
— turn  their  hand  to  any  supposed  mean  occupation  for  a  bare 
living.  These  sad  and  often  seedy-looking  mortals  had,  it  might 
be,  visited  the  mining  country  ;  they  looked  on  for  a  time — 
wrought  a  day  or  two,  perhaps  only  an  hour,  till  their  bones 
ached  and  their  backs  seemed  breaking.  Then  they  roared  a 
curse  against  the  mirage  of  gold,  and  set  off  to  San  Francisco. 
They  had  still  a  little  money  remaining  of  their  first  capital ; 
but  billiard  rooms  and  bars,  and  the  numerous  other  places  for 
extracting  cash  from  the  idle  and  foolish,  were  rapidly  reducing 
the  amount.  They  made  application  for  situations  of  different 
kinds,  but  they  showed  little  energy  even  in  that,  and  somehow 
they  were  unsuccessful.  They  had  not  the  courage  to  offer  to 
make,  or  to  carry,  bricks,  or  lime,  to  break  up  the  French  mo- 
nopoly and  blacken  boots  or  hawk  coals,  keep  a  stall,  slaughter  a 
cow,  or  feed  pigs,  help  to  lighten  a  ship's  hold,  serve  as  waiter  at 
an  eating-house,  or  start  into  the  interior  nnd  learn  to  plough, 
sow  and  reap,  set  and  dig  potatoes,  or  herd  cattle.  Some  of 
these  honest  though  supposed  inferior  occupations  may  always  be 
depended  upon  by  the  truly  industrious  in  San  Francisco,  while 
nobody  need  long  remain  in  the  despised  situation,  if  his  real 
abilities,  energy  and  good  conduct  deserve  promotion  to  a  better. 
Our  good-for-nothing  fellows,  however,  would  descend  to  nothing 
so  "low."  Low,  indeed  !  as  if  they  were  the  porcelain  of  the  old 
world,  and  their  nearest  neighbors  were  only  common  delf. 
Well,  time  and  their  money  were  silently  and  rapidly  disappear- 
ing. At  last,  a  more  vigorous  effort  than  usual  made  them  re- 
solve to  "shake  the  dust  from  their  feet,"  and  go  home,  with  the 
faintest  possible  hope  of  having  the  "fatted  calf"  slain  on  their 
reappearance  there.  Importunities  had  probably  coaxed  or  forced 
a  few  dollars  from  an  old  friend  who  was  "  doing  well "  in  San 
Francisco,  and  these,  with  the  scanty  sum  left  of  their  own 
means,  just  paid  up  the  reduced  amount  of  passage  money. 
Such  unfortunates  carry  away  a  poor  impression  of  the  country  ; 
but  their  spiteful  tales  serve  only  to  make  themselves  ridiculous 
among  those  who  know  the  miserable  character  of  the  teller. 


634 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


The  thriving  artisan  who  is  paid  so  liberally  for  his  services, 
and  all  other  classes  in  turn  occasionally  visit  "the  States." 
Health  or  business,  pleasure  or  personal  duty  and  love  to  the 
dear  absent,  lead  most  of  the  more  respectable  people  to  leave 
the  city  for  a  few  months,  once  in  every  two  years,  or  so.  There 
is  likewise  always  a  moderate  number  of  officials,  either  of  the 
city  or  State,  or  of  the  general  government,  who  must  occasion- 
ally pay  a  visit  to  the  eastern  capitals.  Then  sometimes  come- 
dians and  other  public  performers,  "  stars  "  in  their  way,  and  a 
few  "  swells  "  and  sharpers  of  the  "  Sydney-cove  "  school,  a  com- 
pany of  Uncle  Sam's  soldiers,  a  clique  of  filibustering  speculators, 
bound  ultimately  for  God  knows  what  unprotected  country,  and 
many  other  curious  characters  book  themselves  for  berths.  A 
continued  migration,  backwards  and  forwards,  is  taking  place. 
Of  all  those  leaving  probably  one-third  are  sure  to  return  within 
a  few  months.  The  voyage  is  long  and  inconvenient,  with  its 
own  dangers  too  ;  but  the  voyager  and  the  friends  he  is  about  to 
leave  do  not  imagine  that  their  separation  will  be  eternal. 
There  are  only  some  contingencies  in  the  way  which  tend  to  give 
their  parting  the  slightest  dash  of  melancholy.  This,  however,  is 
usually  mixed  and  disguised  by  a  deal  of  gleesome  envy  and  ban- 
ter on  the  part  of  him  that  stays,  and  much  eager,  joyous  hope 
in  him  that  goes.  Generally  there  are  a  few  ladies  among  the 
passengers,  though  they  are  nearly  lost  to  sight  among  the  dark 
crowd  of  the  "  lords  of  creation."  The  female  passengers  have 
commonly  a  few  friends  of  their  own  sex  who  sometimes  attend 
and  see  them  fairly  off. 

A  considerable  number  of  the  passengers  are  foreigners  ;  and 
while  most  of  these  first  visit  the  Eastern  States,  they  intend  to 
travel  much  farther.  In  New  York  and  the  Atlantic  ports,  they 
will  find  abundant  and  cheap  opportunities  of  reaching  their 
Beautiful  France,"  or  "  Dear  Father-land,"  or  "  Old  England." 
They  generally  bear  away  a  fair  share  of  the  golden  spoil,  and  it 
is  doubtful  whether  many  of  them  will  ever  return.  Boon  com- 
panions and  tried  old  mates  of  their  own  country  witness  their 
departure,  and  cheerfully  congratulate  them  on  the  prospect 
of  being  soon  again  in  a  peaceful,  happy  home  with  "  the  old 
familiar  faces." 


STEAMER-DAY. 


635 


But  leviathan  begins  to  blow  and  heave  uneasily,  eager  to  be 
off.  The  escape  steam-pipe  seems  too  narrow  a  throat  for  the 
angry  breath  of  the  monster,  and  loudly  threatens  to  burst,  and 
the  mighty  hulk  quivers  at  the  sound.  The  clamor  strengthens 
on  deck.  The  mate  begins  to  move  about  and  shout,  and  the 
men  leap  to  obey  his  orders.  The  chief  engineer  and  his  aids  are 
at  their  posts,  awaiting  the  word  of  command  from  the  captain, 
who  at  last  condescends  to  enter  on  the  scene  of  action.  A  rapid 
shuffling  of  feet  is  heard,  baggage  is  unceremoniously  tumbled 
aside,  sailors  handle  the  hawsers,  and  laggers  rush  hastily  to  the 
wharf.  The  last  drop  has  been  drank,  the  last  good-bye  given. 
The  wharf  is  densely  crowded  with  spectators,  while  the  voyagers 
every  where  occupy  the  different  decks  of  the  magnificent  ship. 
There  are  a  few  turns  ahead  of  the  paddle-wheels,  and  then  a  few 
turns  astern  ;  the  creature  is  lazily  stretching  its  gigantic  limbs 
before  it  begins  serious  work.  The  cables  are  cast  loose,  and 
leviathan  yawns,  and  slowly  drags  its  ponderous  length  half 
round. 

There  is  meanwhile  a  general  stillness  observed  by  the  spec- 
tators both  on  board  and  on  the  wharf.  Their  kind  wishes,  re- 
membrances, orders,  farewells  had  all  been  given  ;  and  the  heart 
was  too  full,  or  the  eye  too  busily  engaged  with  the  ever  attrac- 
tive scene,  to  permit  further  active  demonstrations.  Only  a  few 
unsentimental  wretches  will  persist  in  bawling  an  untimeous 
coarse  witticism,  and  shout  still  more  "  God-bless-ye-s  "  between 
the  ship  and  the  wharf.  Perhaps  a  passenger,  already  "  half 
seas  over,"  in  the  delirium  of  his  joy  and  drink,  will  toss  his  hat 
to  a  friend  whom  he  is  sorrowfully  leaving,  as  a  token  of  his  last 
affection  ;  or  the  deserted  crony  will  tbrow  his  own  "  tile " 
towards  the  "  bosom  friend  "  of  many  tipsy  hours.  Three  to  one, 
these  last  fond  memorials  drop  short  into  the  water.  Sometimes 
quite  a  brisk  fire  will  be  thus  kept  up  for  a  quarter  of  an  hour, 
while  the  ship  is  getting  under  way  ;  and  oranges,  hats,  some- 
times coats  even,  last  notes  and  packets,  jokes  and  repartees,  will 
fly  from  man  to  man  across  the  widening  space  that  separates  the 
parties.  Such  noisy  salutations  and  gifts,  however,  are  in  the 
end  confined  to  a  few.  During  the  last  ten  minutes  the  passen- 
gers are  forming  into  a  close  line,  and  lean  across  the  rails. 


636 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


Occasionally  they  appear  to  whisper  to  each  other  about  the 
incidents  passing  a  few  yards  off.  Now  one,  and  then  another, 
bows  to  some  friend  in  the  crowd,  whose  eye  he  could  not  resist 
catching  once  again,  while  a  faint,  half  joyous,  half  melancholy 
smile  plays  upon  his  face.  The  friend  answers  the  familiar  nod, 
and  seeks  to  avoid  meeting  any  more  the  gaze  of  the  departing. 

Slowly  and  heavily,  leviathan  plashes  and  plunges  ;  it  moves 
round  the  outer  end  of  the  pier  till  its  head  is  clear  of  the  farther 
wharf.  Then  the  great  heart  ceases  for  a  moment  to  heat,  mus- 
tering its  energies  for  the  coming  race.  The  excitement  among 
all  increases.  Now  the  ponderous  iron  beams  lazily  rise  and  fall. 
For  a  moment  there  is  no  perceptible  motion  of  the  ship.  The 
excitement  is  intense.  Then  one  sharp  eye,  and  next  another, 
discovers  and  proclaims  loudly  that  the  large  hulk  is  really  moving. 
Onward — slowly,  slowly — a  little  faster,  though  still  but  slowly — 
then  moderately — a  little  more  quickly — then  faster,  proudly, 
triumphantly,  with  a  continually  accelerating  speed  !  Oh,  it  is 
a  beautiful,  a  grand  sight,  such  a  majestic  vessel  exerting  its 
enormous  power,  and  growing  momently  in  strength  and  swift- 
ness !  So  soon  as  the  ship  is  seen  to  be  really  moving  ahead 
the  interest  of  the  spectators  is  at  the  height.  Hats,  caps, 
handkerchiefs,  hands,  are  eagerly  waved,  and  a  multitude  of 
cheerful  voices  bid  a  long  farewell.  The  travellers  gaily  show 
like  demonstrations  of  interest  and  friendship.  A  few  tears 
moisten  the  eyes  of  the  more  sensitive.  With  one  general  im- 
pulse, three  hearty  cheers  are  given  by  the  forsaken,  which  the 
departing  as  heartily  return.  As  the  loud  huzzas  die  away,  and 
the  sullen  crash  of  the  paddles  is  beginning  to  be  distinguished, 
smoke  is  observed  near  the  bow  of  the  ship,  and  at  almost  the 
same  instant  the  boom  of  a  cannon-shot  is  heard,  which  thunders 
and  re-thunders  among  the  cliffs  of  Clark's  Point — and  the 
steamer  has  fairly  started.  For  a  few  minutes  afterwards  the 
eager  crowds  can  mark  the  tall  masts  and  the  fluttering  pennant, 
till  the  ship  gradually  bends  oceanward,  and  Telegraph  Hill  hides 
her  farther  progress  through  the  Golden  Gate.  Then  with  a  long- 
drawn  breath — a  genuine  sigh,  or  a  laugh,  the  multitude  bustle  and 
hurry  off  to  their  proper  kinds  of  business,  to  forget  all  about 

I 


STEAMER-DAY. 


637 


the  event  and  their  emotions,  until  some  subsequent  steamer-day 
recalls  these  to  mind,  by  circumstances  of  a  similar  nature. 

The  arrival  of  the  steamer  bearing  the  eastern  mails  is  like- 
wise an  occasion  of  much  excitement — not  so  much  in  respect  of 
there  being  possibly  some  six  or  eight  hundred  passengers  on  board, 
as  because  there  are  fifty  thousand  letters  and  newspapers  coming 
from  home.  The  telegraph  has  some  hours  before  announced 
that  the  "  Golden  Gate  "  is  approaching  the  Heads.  The  glad 
tidings  soon  spread  through  the  town.  Those  who  expect  to  find 
friends  hasten  to  spy  and  welcome  them  before  even  the  vessel 
touches  the  wharf.  Draymen  and  cabmen  speed  with  their 
wagons  and  coaches  to  secure  a  job.  A  multitude  of  persons 
attend  for  the  novelty  and  excitement  of  the  scene.  There  are 
nearly  as  many  persons  on  the  broad  wharf  as  on  the  occasion  of 
the  steamer  departing.  On  sweeps  the  "  Golden  Gate  " — a  mag- 
nificent specimen  of  the  first-class  ocean  steamer.  Her  decks 
are  crowded  with  human  beings.  Deuse  masses  cluster  on  the 
highest  plank  that  can  afford  them  footing,  and  cling  high  to  the 
rails  and  rigging.  The  passengers  are  chiefly  fresh  immigrants, 
who  have  sought  the  land  of  gold  and  marvels,  to  make  or  recover 
a  fortune.  And  this  is  San  Francisco  !  they  say  to  each  other, 
as  they  mark  the  forest  of  masts,  and  the  lull-sides  covered  with 
buildiugs.  Well!  it  exceeds  all  my  expectations !  But  we  have  not 
space,  Asmodeus-like,  to  uncover  the  chambers  of  their  brain,  and 
tell  the  various  thoughts,  fancies,  hopes,  ambitions,  of  the  sanguine 
immigrants.  Among  them  are  those  who  must  and  shall  suc- 
ceed, and  also  those  who  will  surely  be  disappointed  and  lament- 
ably fail.  Among  the  last  are  a  large  proportion  of  medical  men, 
political  place-hunters,  lawyers,  and  such  as  would  fain  live  more 
by  their  wits  than  by  rude  manual  labor.  The  most  of  these 
men, — many  of  whom  are  highly  educated  in  classic  aud  polite 
literature, — must  forget  their  refined  associations,  and  submit  to 
corporeal  drudgery,  if  they  would  thrive  in  San  Francisco.  If 
they  cheerfully  do  that,  there  is  hope  and  fortune  in  store  for 
them. 

For  a  few  days  such  as  intend  to  betake  themselves  to  gold- 
digging  remain  in  town,  and  with  staring,  greedy  eyes,  look 
about  them,  while  they  recruit  their  strength.    Thus  many  a 


638 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


lank,  awkward,  budding  Hercules  may  often  be  seen  dreamily 
wondering,  wbile  be  wanders  through  the  streets.  Or  if  there  be 
a  good  demand  for  laborers  in  San  Francisco,  some  may  take  a 
few  weeks  spell  at  town  work,  to  earn  a  "  slug"  or  two,  to  help 
them  to  travel  farther.  The  finances  of  the  newly-come  immi- 
grant are  commonly  but  scanty.  Many  skilled  mechanics  and 
tradesmen  are  among  the  number ;  and  these  generally  find 
instant  employment,  if  they  diligently  seek  it,  in  their  various 
occupations.  If  the  particular  kind  of  business,  however,  which 
they  wish,  and  are  best  fitted  for,  cannot  be  obtained,  then,  as 
they  have  hands,  and  eyes,  and  feet,  and  may  have  willing  spirits 
not  above  coarse  work,  they  may  always  find  something  to  do,  to 
keep  soul  and  body  together  and  save  a  little  money  to  wait  till 
their  better  time  comes,  when  they  may  have  a  choice  of  employ- 
ment. But  gradually  many  of  the  fresh  immigrants  swarm  off 
to  Sacramento,  and  others  to  Stockton,  as  the  first  stages  to  the 
mining  regions.  A  considerable  number  of  the  passengers,  par- 
ticularly those  in  the  cabin,  are  only  returned  Californians,  such 
as  had  gone  off  some  months  before.  These  are  gladly  coming 
back  to  speculations  and  hard  work,  to  feverish  passion,  wild 
delights  and  all  the  dear,  wicked,  fast  life  of  San  Francisco. 
The  austerities  of  New  England,  the  dull  proprieties  of  the 
Quaker  City,  and  the  general  monotony  of  society  over  most 
parts  of  the  East,  have  only  sharpened  the  appetites  of  the  old 
settlers  for  the  delightful  excitement  that  ever  reigns  in  the 
noble  city  which  they  themselves  have  helped  to  create. 

The  expresses  hurry  off  their  packages,  mails  are  landed, 
decks  are  cleared,  and  the  passengers  have  all  found  a  temporary 
lodging.  The  post-office  establishment  is  meanwhile  as  busy  as 
possible,  arranging  the  letters  for  delivery.  Merchants  open  their 
private  boxes  and  find  the  all-important  missives  they  looked  for. 
Anxious  crowds  gather  at  the  windows  and  with  beating  hearts 
ask  for  the  longed-for,  half-expected  letters.  The  reader  may 
readily  imagine  their  mingled  hopes  and  fears  as  the  clerk  answers 
their  inquiries.  He  who  is  blessed  with  news  from  home  trem- 
blingly unfolds  the  precious  epistle  in  the  street,  and  devours,  as 
it  were,  with  gloating  eyes,  the  substantial  words.  The  disap- 
pointed seeker  turns  ruefully  away,  to  hope  for  success  next  mail. 


Oriental  Hotel,  corner  of  Battery  and  Hash  streets. 


HOTELS,  RESTAURANTS  AND  BOARDING-HOUSES. 

I.N  1849  and  the  two  or  three  subsequent  years,  although  the 
population  had  swelled  to  a  large  number,  there  were  tew  families 
in  San  Francisco,  and  consequently,  as  lias  already  been  observed, 
there  were  no  homes  for  the  great  mass  of  the  inhabitants.  Men 
lived  as  they  were  never  accustomed  to  live  in  any  other  portion 
of  the  world.  Many,  who  previous  to  emigrating  here,  were  in 
the  enjoyment  of  all  the  pleasures  and  luxuries  of  refined  civilized 
life,  were  now  without  even  its  most  ordinary  comforts.  Numbers 
lodged  in  mean,  inhospitable  tents,  that  were  pitched  everywhere 
upon  the  hills,  in  the  valleys,  and  among  the  bushes ;  and  still 
more,  perhaps,  in  wretched  and  filthy  shanties,  where  from  one 
to  three  score  would  occupy  a  single  large  room,  sleeping  upon 
the  floor,  on  benches,  boxes,  tables,  or  trunks,  or  in  narrow  con- 
tracted bunks  fastened  to  the  weather-boards.  The  majority  of 
those  who  possessed  places  of  business,  passed  their  hours  of 


640 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


slumber  upon  or  under  the  counters  of  their  stores,  or  mayhap 
on  cots,  matresses,  or  settees  with  which  their  offices  were  fur- 
nished. A  clean  and  comfortable  bed  was  a  rare  article  at  the 
time,  and  few  even  aspired  to  the  privilege  of  its  enjoyment. 
Thus  people  lived  at  night,  or  during  such  portions  of  the  night 
that  were  not  passed  in  drinking  saloons,  gambling  rooms,  or 
other  places  of  public  entertainment ;  while  their  meals  were 
taken  at  eating-houses,  of  which  there  was  an  immense  number 
in  every  portion  of  the  town.  These  were  of  every  description, 
good,  bad  and  indifferent,  and  kept  by  every  variety  of  people. 
There  were  the  American  dining-rooms,  the  English  lunch-houses, 
the  French  cabarets,  the  Spanish  fondas,  the  German  wirthchafts, 
the  Italian  osterie,  the  Chinese  chow-choivs,  and  so  on  to  the  end 
of  a  very  long  chapter.  There  were  cooks,  too,  from  every  coun- 
try ;  American,  English,  French,  German,  Dutch,  Chinese,  Chil- 
eno,  Kanaka,  Italian,  Peruvian,  Mexican,  Negro,  and  what  not. 
Hence  people  of  any  nation  might  have  choice  of  a  place  of  the 
kind,  kept  by  their  own  countrymen,  and  where  dishes  were 
served  in  styles  to  suit  their  accustomed  and  peculiar  appetites 
and  fancies.  There  was  an  endless  variety,  too,  in  the  character 
of  the  provisions  furnished  ;  for  besides  the  common  products  of 
the  country,  importations  were  constantly  arriving  from  all  sec- 
tions of  the  globe.  Of  game  no  other  market  ever  furnished  so 
great  an  abundance  or  so  general  an  assortment.  Bears,  elks, 
deer,  antelopes,  hares,  rabbits,  squirrels,  geese,  ducks,  quails, 
snipe,  plovers,  curlew,  of  a  hundred  species,  came  in  from  all 
parts  of  the  country  and  covered  the  walls,  floors  and  stalls  of 
the  market-houses.  Vegetables  indeed  were  scarce,  but  the 
ranches  furnished  no  small  amount  of  cattle  ;  and  bottled  and 
canned  fruits,  fowl,  meats  and  oysters  came  in  immense  quan- 
tities from  abroad.  The  bay  and  rivers  produced  fish  of  many 
sorts,  and  the  shipping  brought  large  quantities  of  every  kind 
of  salt  provision.  Still  the  demand  was  great,  and  the  expense 
of  preparation  for  the  table  enormous,  so  that  the  prices  of  living 
were  necessarily  extravagant.  At  such  establishments  as  Del- 
monico's,  the  Sutter,  Irving,  Jackson,  Franklin  or  Lafayette 
house,  a  gentleman  for  his  dinner  and  wine  would  be  taxed  from 
five  to  a  dozen  dollars  ;  while  at  the  meanest  eating-rooms  a  very 


RESTAURANTS,  HOTELS  AND  BOARDING-HOUSES. 


641 


ordinary  meal  would  cost  froni  one  to  three  dollars.  At  most 
restaurants  the  prices  were  graduated  according  to  the  quantity 
and  quality  of  the  food  eaten  ;  and  a  bill  of  fare  with  the  charge 
for  each  item  was  placed  before  the  visitor.  A  roast  duck  would 
cost  five  dollars  ;  a  broiled  quail,  two  dollars  ;  a  dozen  canned 
oysters,  one  dollar  ;  a  small  piece  of  pork  or  mutton,  seventy-five 
cents  ;  beef,  the  cheapest  meat  of  the  time,  fifty  cents  ;  a  fresh 
egg,  one  dollar  ;  a  potato,  the  size  of  a  walnut,  twenty-five  cents  : 
bread,  butter,  vegetables,  coffee,  and  other  necessary  articles  to 
complete  a  meal,  were  charged  for  in  proportion.  At  first  pota- 
toes were  rare  articles,  and  it  was  no  uncommon  thing  to  see 
posted  at  the  door  of  an  eating-house,  as  an  inducement  for  the 
hungry  to  enter,  the  announcement.  "  Potatoes  to-day,"  or 
"  Potatoes  at  every  meal."  It  can  readily  be  discerned,  that, 
from  want  of  the  necessary  ajqiaratus  and  room  for  cooking,  the 
inexperienced  and  indifferent  character  of  the  men  employed  as 
cooks,  and  the  immense  number  of  persons  daily  to  be  served  in 
the  most  of  these  places,  the  greatest  cleanliness  was  not  gene- 
rally observed,  and  that  very  many  devoured  food  of  the  precise 
character  of  which  it  was  quite  as  well  that  they  were  kept  in 
ignorance. 

Besides  the  common  eating-houses  or  restaurants,  there  were 
a  number  of  fashionable  saloons,  where  a  delicate  meal  of  small 
game  or  oysters  could  be  obtained  at  exorbitant  prices.  These, 
too,  were  drinking-houses,  and  the  resort  in  the  evenings  of  those 
who  had  abundant  means  at  their  disposal,  and  were  especially 
fond  of  luxurious  living.  They  were  generally  kept  by  dashing 
females,  or  such  were  employed  at  high  wages  to  decoy  and  enter- 
tain customers.  Particular  regard  was  paid  to  beauty  and  other 
attractions  in  their  selection,  and  those  who  possessed  the  rarest 
charms  to  please,  drew  the  most  patronage  and  received  the 
heaviest  wages.  Women  were  scarce  in  those  days,  and  men 
were  frequently  willing  to  pay  largely  for  the  slight  privilege  of 
addressing  one  even  in  the  way  of  business.  Many,  therefore, 
were  attracted  to  these  saloons  more  by  a  graceful  figure  and 
charming  face,  than  the  viands  to  be  procured.  It  was  quite  a 
luxury  to  be  spoken  to  and  waited  upon  by  a  pretty  girl.  Not 
a  few  became  the  victims  of  these  fascinating  creatures,  who  were 
41 


642 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


never  slow  in  learning  the  value  attached  to  their  charms,  or  how 
to  bring  these  to  the  most  profitable  market.  The  dupes  were 
not  always  inexperienced  young  men,  nor  debauched  old  bache- 
lors. Many  a  man  possessing  an  amiable  wife  and  interesting 
children  in  the  home  from  which  he  was  temporarily  separated, 
had  his  brains  addled  by  the  skilful  management  of  these  artful 
women.  Money  was  foolishly  squandered  upon  them  in  presents 
of  jewelry  and  dress,  and  the  reward  of  the  giver  in  most  instances 
was  the  gratification  of  an  occasional  deceitful  word  or  smile,  and 
the  deep  mortification  of  discovering  at  last  that  he  had  been 
outwitted,  jilted  and  fooled.  This  sort  of  business  was  carried 
on  to  some  considerable  extent,  and  more  than  one  saloon  girl, 
who  managed  well  their  parts,  have  conti'ived  to  amass  consider- 
able sums  of  money,  by  worming  it  out  of  the  pockets  of  their 
vain  and  admiring  dupes. 

There  was  still  another  and  far  better  class  of  establishments 
of  the  latter  kind,  the  habitual  visitors  to  which  were  people  of 
a  different  character.  Clayton's  well  known  saloon,  which  still 
exists  on  Commercial  street,  was  one  of  the  first  of  these.  Here 
the  most  respectable  citizens  repaired,  to  take  their  glass  of  punch 
or  ale,  a  broiled  quail  or  oyster  stew,  a  cup  of  coffee,  or  whatever 
delicacy  they  might  require.  Here  they  would  meet,  undis- 
turbed by  any  thing  offensive  to  the  most  refined  habits  and 
tastes,  to  talk  over  the  affairs  of  the  times,  and  spend  an  even- 
ing in  a  quiet  and  rational  way.  Still  greater  improvements 
were  made  in  this  line  of  business  by  that  indefatigable  and  in- 
dustrious caterer,  Mr.  M.  L.  Winn.  His  "  Fountain  Head " 
became  celebrated  for  its  gentility  and  cleanliness,  and  more 
especially  by  the  entire  exclusion  of  all  spirituous  and  intoxicat- 
ing drinks  ;  while  his  "  Branch "  at  the  corner  of  Washington 
and  Montgomery  streets,  would  be  a  creditable  establishment  in 
the  oldest  and  best  regulated  cities.  This  is  a  refectory  of  the 
highest  order.  It  is  a  large  saloon,  and  furnished  in  the  most 
tasteful  and  elegant  manner.  It  is  also  conducted  on  the  strict- 
est temperance  principles.  No  inebriating  drinks  are  sold.  Ice- 
creams, jellies,  cakes,  and  other  delicate  refreshments  are  served, 
and  the  visitors  embrace  the  most  respectable  ladies  as  well  as 
gentlemen  of  the  country. 


HOTELS,  RESTAURANTS  AND  BOAR  DING- HOUSES. 


G43 


The  history  of  the  enterprising  proprietor  of  these  establish- 
ments would  make  an  interesting  chapter  in  these  "  Annals,"  which 


Winn's  Brunch. 


want  of  room  will  prevent  our  giving.  The  following  account, 
however,  of  the  extent  of  business  transacted  at  the  "  Fountain 
Head  "  and  "  Branch,"  which  wc  copy  from  the  San  Francisco 
"  Commercial  Advertiser  "  of  6th  April,  1854,  is  too  curious  and 
important  to  be  omitted  : — 

"The  famous  'Fountain  Head.'  was  started  in  July,  1851,  after  the  proprie- 
tor had  been  burned  out  twice,  and  losing  every  thing  he  owned  in  the  world. 
The  ■  Branch.'  at  the  corner  of  Washington  and  Montgomery  streets,  was  first 
opened  in  January,  1853.  We  learn  from  Mr.  Winn,  that  the  average  num- 
ber of  persons  entering  his  two  establishments  daily,  to  satisfy  the  cravings  of 
hunger,  are  3.000.  He  has  100  attaches  to  the  two  houses,  at  an  average 
salary  of  $90  per  month  and  boarded.  The  meat  bill,  per  month,  is  $8,000  ; 
flour  bill,  $4,000;  milk,  $2,000 ;  sugar,  $3.00);  butter,  $230;  other  items 
necessary  to  carry  on  the  two  establishments.  $5,000  ;  rents  in  both  places  for 
one  year,  $51,000;  improvements  in  both  places  during  the  last  year,  $31,000  ; 
can  seat  in  both  places  450  persons  at  one  time ;  paid  for  ice  and  eggs  last 
season,  in  five  months,  $28,000,  more  than  has  ever  been  paid  in  same  length 
of  time  before  or  since;  has  sold  in  one  day  1.500  glasses  ice  cream.  This 


644 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


was  on  July  4th,  last  year.  Keeps  80  lights  burning  in  both  places  every  night  ; 
oil  bill,  $500  per  month;  1.000  flour  barrels  used  to  pack  soda  crackers  to  be 
sent  into  the  country ;  manufactures  and  sends  into  the  country  about  600  fifty 
pound  boxes  of  candies ;  packs  from  200  to  300  boxes  of  crackers  for  country 
and  city  trade ;  takes  every  city  and  country  newspaper  in  the  State ;  has  paid 
in  one  month  $1,600  for  advertising  and  printing;  carpenter's  bill  has  averaged 
$9,000  during  the  last  twelve  months ;  printer's  bill  in  same  time,  about 
$3,000  ;  has  often  fed  5.000  persons  in  one  day ;  upholsterer's  bill  for  the  last 
twelve  months  has  been  about  $6,000 ;  employs  two  draymen  constantly ;  had 
an  agent  in  New  York  to  ship  stores,  until  they  got  so  low  here  that  it  was 
found  to  be  cheaper  to  buy  them  in  California.  Last  }^ear  consumed  daily 
about  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  dozen  of  eggs ;  sells  about  $50  worth  of 
oysters  a  day  ;  manufactures  100  gallons  of  Winn's  golden  syrup  per  month — 
not  furnished  to  any  but  private  families.  Receipts  at  both  houses  average 
$57,000  per  month,  or  a  little  short  of  $2,000  per  day;  artesian  well  lately 
dug  at  the  Fountain  Head  ;  has  paid  before  $200  per  month  for  water ;  is  sell- 
ing confectionaries  to  go  to  all  parts  of  the  world,  and  occasionally  packs  a  few 
boxes  as  specimens  to  New  York  and  London ;  has  sold  as  high  as  6.000 
pounds  of  buckwheat  in  a  month,  made  into  cakes;  has  paid  one  man  in  his 
employ  for  17  months'  services  $17,000  and  board ;  receives  less  custom  on 
Sundays  than  week  dajrs  ;  bill  for  crockery  and  glassware  for  the  last  year, 
has  been  about  $10,000;  consumed  $1,500  worth  of  coal  in  one  month;  has 
paid  as  high  as  $3,000  for  potatoes  in  one  month.  Ice  bill  in  one  month  has 
amounted  to  $2,000.  All  the  above  prices  should  be  taken  as  the  largest  ex- 
penses in  anyone  month;  sometimes  they  have  been  two -thirds  less — for 
instance:  has  paid  $5,000  per  month  for  eggs,  and  as  low  as  $1,000 — other 
articles  the  same.    Paid  last  year  for  taxes  and  licenses,  $1,500. 

"  In  addition  to  the  above  we  are  enabled  to  state  that  Mr.  Winn  has  made 
very  extensive  donations  for  charitable  purposes.  Each  day  his  expenses  for 
feeding  poor  and  hungry  applicants  in  both  of  his  establishments,  amounts  to 
$20.  His  known  kindness  in  these  matters  sends  crowds  to  him,  from  whom 
he  never  asks  a  dime.  The  sufferers  by  the  Sacramento  fire,  and  by  the  Inde- 
pendence, and  by  every  public  calamity,  have  been  the  recipients  of  his  bounty. 
He  has  paid  away  in  the  last  year,  independent  of  the  above,  $7,000  for  the 
support  of  ministers  and  churches.' 

Mr.  Winn,  the  conductor  and  proprietor  of  the  "Fountain 
Head  "  and  :'  Branch,"  arrived  in  San  Francisco  in  1849,  with- 
out one  cent  in  his  pocket,  and  obtained  his  landing  from  the 
ship  in  which  he  sailed  from  Panama,  by  borrowing  money  for 
that  purpose  from  a  friend.  He  commenced  business,  by  manu- 
facturing candy  with  his  own  hands,  and  carrying  it  through  the 
streets  upon  a  tray,  supported  over  his  shoulders  by  a  pair  of  old 
suspenders.    Many  of  the  inhabitants  in  the  fall  of  1849,  will 


HOTELS,  RESTAURANTS  AND  BOARDING-HOUSES. 


G45 


remember  his  traversing  the  streets,  with  his  stock  in  trade,  cry- 
ing at  the  top  of  his  humorous  voice  :  "  Here  is  your  own  Cali- 
fornia candy  !  It  has  neither 
come  round  the  Horn,  nor 
across  the  Isthmus — but  is 
made  iu  your  own  city  ;  and 
none  but  Winn  can  make  it. 
Here  it  is  ! — buy  it  ! — taste 
it,  and  try  it  ! "  Tims  Mr. 
Winn  began  business.  He 
soon  acquired  sufficient  means 
to  pay  oft*  old  debts,  and  open 
a  small  store.  This,  with  all 
his  capital,  was  destroyed  by 
fire  ;  but  he  persevered,  and 
in  despite  of  succeeding  acci- 
dents and  difficulties,  is  now 
doing  a  large  and  nourishing 
business.  He  has  now  a  suc- 
cessor, or  imitator  in  his  early 
trade,  iu  the  person  of  a 
Frenchman,  or  the  Turk,  as 
he  is  called,  who  with  tray  and 
clapper,  vends  sweetmeats  and 
candies  through  the  streets,  the  accompanying  illustration  of 
whom  will  be  readily  recognized  by  every  citizen. 

No  place  in  the  world  contains  any  thing  like  the  number  of 
mere  drinking-houses  in  proportion  to  the  population,  as  San 
Francisco.  This,  perhaps,  is  the  worst  feature  of  the  city.  The 
quantity  of  ardent  spirits  daily  consumed  is  almost  frightful.  It 
is  peddled  out  in  every  gambling-room,  on  the  wharves,  at  almost 
every  corner,  and  in  some  streets,  in  almost  every  house.  Many 
of  the  taverns  are  of  the  lowest  possible  description — filthy  dens 
of  vice  and  crime,  disease  and  wretchedness.  Drunken  men  and 
women,  with  bloated  bodies  and  soiled  garments,  crowd  them  at 
night,  making  the  hours  hideous  with  their  bacchanalian  revels. 
Americans  and  Europeans,  Mexicans  and  South-Americans,  Chi- 
nese and  even  negroes,  mingle  and  dissipate  together,  furnishing 


Turk  with  sweetmeats. 


G46  ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 

a  large  amount  of  business  for  the  police  department  and  the 
recorder's  court.  Bad  spirits  are  swallowed  at  from  one  to  two 
shillings  per  glass,  and  the  motley  assembly  sing,  dance,  quarrel, 
fight,  gamble,  pick  pockets,  and  indulge  in  every  manner  of  vul- 
garity, lewdness  and  obscenity,  to  the  music  of  a  broken  tambou- 
rine, a  cracked  fiddle,  or  a  tuneless  organ.  From  these  pitiful 
dens  there  is  a  gradual  ascent,  through  every  variety  of  grade  of 
liquor-selling  establishments,  to  houses  of  a  highly  respectable 
order.  The  Dutchman  has  his  lager-bier  cellar,  the  Frenchman 
his  wine-room,  the  Englishman  his  pot-house,  the  politician  his 
head-quarters,  &c.  The  most  of  these  drinking  places,  however, 
were  but  indifferently  kept  until,  in  March,  1852,  Messrs.  Barry 
&  Patten  opened  a  house  in  Mr.  Brannan's  fire-proof  block  on 
Montgomery  street.  This  concern  differed  materially  from  all 
others  of  the  kind  in  the  city.  The  rooms  were  fitted  up  in 
the  most  superb  and  costly  manner.  Gambling  was  entirely 
excluded,  and  no  lewd  paintings  decorated  the  walls.  The  lower 
floor  was  occupied  as  a  bar-room  and  cigar  stand.  This  was 
ornamented  with  chaste  oil  paintings,  water-color  pictures,  and 
fine  engravings  in  rich  gilt  frames.  Splendid  lamps  and  chande- 
liers lighted  the  saloon.  The  furniture  generally  was  neat  and 
handsome.  Large  mirrors  were  behind  the  bar,  which  was  abund- 
antly furnished  with  rich  cut-glass  and  silver  ware.  The  finest 
and  most  delicate  wines  and  liquors  only  were  kept,  and  all  the 
fancy  beverages  that  were  ever  conceived  were  here  concocted, 
while  an  inviting  free  lunch  was  daily  set  upon  the  table.  In  no 
other  city  could  be  found  a  more  attractive  place  of  the  kind. 
The  second  floor  was  a  spacious  billiard-room,  containing  a  num- 
ber of  Thurston's  celebrated  English  slate-bed  tables.  This 
house  immediately  became  the  resort  of  the  most  respectable 
gentlemen  of  San  Francisco.  The  proprietors  were  gentlemen 
themselves,  and  their  place  was  remarkable  for  its  gentility.  The 
expenses  of  this  concern  were  enormous.  The  single  article  of 
ice  alone,  a  small  item,  cost  from  fifty  cents  to  a  dollar  a  pound, 
and  an  immense  quantity  was  consumed.  Their  rent  was  sixty 
dollars  per  day,  and  other  expenses,  exclusive  of  stock  consumed 
in  business,  amounted  to  about  one  hundred  dollars  more.  Still 
the  conductors  thrived  and  made  money.    Their  house  continues 


HOTELS,  HESTAURANTS  AND  BOAUDING-HOUSES. 


647 


to  be  among  the  most  popular  and  respectable  in  the  country.  We 
notice  it  thus  especially,  because  it  was  the  pioneer  establishment, 
of  the  kind.  Many  others  of  a  like  character,  among  which  are 
the  Bank  Exchange,  Allen  &  Parker's,  Fisk  &  Patten's,  &c,  &c, 
have  since  sprung  into  existence. 

San  Francisco  may  be  especially  noticed  for  its  numerous 
places  of  amusement.  This  is  attributable  to  the  fact  already 
named,  that  homes  here  were  scarce,  and  people  sought  abroad 
for  pleasures  to  compensate  for  the  want  of  that  domestic  satis- 
faction and  social  intercourse  to  which  they  had  been  accustomed 
in  a  different  condition  of  society.  Indeed,  constant  excitement 
of  some  sort  or  other  seemed  essential  to  the  endurance  of  life 
in  California.  Hence,  the  extensive  patronage  given  to  balls, 
concerts,  operas,  and  theatrical  entertainments.  The  gambling- 
rooms  were  formerly  the  chief  places  of  resort ;  but  as  these 
became  disreputable,  other  places  were  sought,  of  less  objection- 
able character.  Ten-pin  alleys  were  consequently  constructed, 
and  billiard-tables  set  up  in  every  part  of  the  town.  Of  these 
there  are  now  an  immense  number,  and  the  extent  of  their 
patronage  is  astonishing. 

The  first  Hotel  deserving  the  name  was  erected  in  1846,  at 
the  south-west  corner  of  Clay  and  Kearny  streets.  This  was  the 
"  City  Hotel,"  a  view  of  which  is  given  on  page  346  of  this 
book.  It  was  a  long,  one-story  adobe  building,  with  a  verandah 
running  along  the  entire  Kearny  street  front.  Until  after  the 
discovery  of  gold,  this  was  the  only  public-house  of  any  note  in 
San  Francisco.  Soon  after  that  period  it  was  turned  into  a 
gambling-house,  and  became  a  famous  place  of  resort  for  miners 
and  others  visiting  the  city.  It  was  subsequently  divided  into 
many  apartments,  which  were  rented  for  offices,  stores,  drinking- 
rooms,  barber-shops,  and  similar  purposes.  It  was  destroyed, 
much  to  the  regret  of  the  early  inhabitants, — who  desired  to  have 
it  preserved  as  one  of  the  relics  of  the  olden  time, — by  the  fourth 
great  fire  that  swept  over  San  Francisco. 

In  1849,  many  hotels  were  opened  ;  but  they  were  mostly 
of  an  inferior  class,  being  little  else  than  mere  restaurants  and 
lodging-houses.  In  this  year  the  "  Saint  Francis,"  south-west 
corner  of  Clay  and  Dupont  streets,  was  partially  built,  sundry 


048 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


improvements  being  added  in  the  following  year.  This  was  a 
angular  specimen  of  architecture,  the  lofty  structure  being 
formed  from  some  dozen  or  a  score  of  small  houses  originally  in- 
tended for  cottages.  This  was  the  fashionable  house  of  the  day. 
Here  the  ilite  of  the  city  either  boarded,  or  were  accustomed  to 
congregate,  and  it  became  the  theatre  of  many  rare  and  amusino- 


St.  Francis  Hotel,  corner  of  Dupont  and  Clay  streets. 


scenes.  The  chambers  were  separated  by  the  thinnest  sort  of 
board  partitions,  without  either  lath  or  plaster,  and  consequently 
but  little  privacy  could  be  enjoyed  by  the  lodgers.  These  by 
whispering  too  loudly,  or  talking  too  plain,  frequently  and  un- 
consciously gave  their  neighbors  intimations  of  facts  which  it  was 
not  intended,  and,  indeed,  which  it  was  quite  improper  should 
be  known  abroad.  Hence,  the  house  soon  became  as  remarkable 
for  stories  of  laughable  incidents,  and  even  tales  of  scandal,  as 
for  its  ridiculous  aristocratic  pretensions.  The  building,  though 
one  of  the  loftiest  and  roost  inflammable  in  the  city,  escaped  all 


HOTELS,  RESTAURANTS  AND  BOARDIXG-HOUSES. 


649 


the  great  conflagrations  ;  but  was  at  length  partially  destroyed 
by  fire,  on  the  morning  of  October  22d,  1853.  On  this  occasion 
the  firemen  of  San  Francisco  performed  great  feats  of  daring, 
and  accomplished  an  astonishing  triumph.  The  entire  upper 
portion  of  the  house  was  in  flames  when  the  fire  was  discovered, 
but  the  alarm  was  scarcely  given  before  the  firemen  with  their 
apparatus  were  on  the  ground.  By  means  of  ladders,  and 
headed  by  their  chief,  Mr.  Charles  P.  Duane,  they  carried  their 
hose  into  the  second  story,  and  succeeded  in  preventing  the  t 
furious  flames  from  descending  below,  or  communicating  with  the 
adjoining  wooden  structures.  So  rapid,  however,  did  this  fire 
progress  in  its  destructive  work,  that  several  of  the  lodgers  were 
forced  to  jump  from  the  third  story  windows,  while  one  man,  Mr. 
J.  C.  Coleman,  was  burned  to  death. 

The  first  really  substantial  and  elegant  hotel  of  the  city  was 
the  "  Union."  This  was  a  four-story  brick  building,  with  a 
front  of  twenty-nine  feet  on  the  east  side  of  Kearny  street, 
between  Clay  and  Washington  streets,  and  a  depth  of  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  feet.  It  was  constructed,  arranged,  furnished, 
and  conducted  as  well  as  any  similar  establishment  at  that  time 
in  the  United  States.  The  cost  of  the  building  and  furniture 
was  $250,000.  Messrs.  John  Middleton,  A.  A.  Selover  and  E.  V. 
Joice,  were  the  enterprising  projectors,  builders  and  owners  of  this 
superb  concern.  The  tables  were  supplied  with  every  imaginable 
luxury,  and  the  boarders  were  of  the  wealthiest  and  most  re- 
spectable inhabitants  and  visitors  of  the  city.  This  house,  with 
its  contents,  was  destroyed  in  the  fire  of  May  3d,  1851,  and  al- 
though it  has  been  rebuilt  several  times,  after  repeated  conflagra- 
tions, it  never  resumed  its  original  character.  It  is  now  occu- 
pied below  as  an  extensive  billiard-room  and  drinking-saloon, 
while  the  upper  stories  are  divided  into  comfortable  lodging 
apartments.  It  is  a  celebrated  resort  for  all  classes  of  politicians, 
and  most  of  the  schemes  affecting  the  interests  of  the  State  and 
city  are  here  concocted. 

The  Union  was  followed  by  several  other  "first-class"  hotels, 
the  principal  of  which  were  "  Jones's,"  at  the  corner  of  Sansome 
and  California  streets,  and  the  "  Oriental,"  at  the  corner  of 
Bush  and  Battery  streets.     The  former  of  these  had  but  a 


G50 


ANNALS  OF  SAX  FRANCISCO. 


brief  existence.  It  was  soon  converted  into  the  "  Tehama 
House,"  the  rooms  of  which  are  rented  to  lodgers,  who  oDtain 
their  meals  at  "  Alden's  Branch"  (a  restaurant  on  the  lower 
floor),  or  wherever  they  may  prefer.     The   "Oriental"  and 


The  Tehama  House,  corner  of  Sansome  and  California  streets. 


"  Wilson's  Exchange,"  on  Sansome  street,  near  Sacramento,  are 
prominent  hotels  of  the  city.  The  "  Bassette  House"  was  also 
a  large  and  good  hotel,  at  the  corner  of  Bush  and  Sansome 
streets.  This  was  destroyed  by  fire  May  2d,  1853.  It  has  been 
reconstructed  of  brick,  and  is  one  of  the  most  imposing  edifices 
of  the  city.  Early  in  1854,  an  elegant  hotel,  the  "Interna- 
tional," was  opened  on  Jackson  street,  between  Montgomery  and 
Kearny  streets,  under  the  proprietorship  of  Messrs.  E.  S.  Peck 
and  Henry  Fisher.  This  is  located  in  a  central  part  of  the  city, 
and  is  quite  convenient  to  the  several  steamboat  landings.  It  is 
kept  on  the  European  plan,  rooms  being  rented  by  the  day  or 
week  to  the  boarders,  who  obtain  their  meals  at  a  restaurant  on 


HOTELS,  RESTAURANTS  AND  BOARDING-HOUSES. 


651 


the  premises.  On  the  principal  floor  is  a  ladies'  ordinary.  The 
building  is  five  stories  in  height,  fire-proof,  and  admirably 
adapted  in  all  respects  to  the  purposes  for  which  it  has  been 
constructed.    When  completed,  it  will  contain  two  hundred  and 


International  Hotel,  Jackson  street. 


fifty  comfortable  and  well  furnished  rooms.  A  still  larger  hotel 
is  about  to  be  erected  at  the  corner  of  Battery  street  and  Broad- 
way, which  is  intended  to  cover  an  entire  fifty-vara  lot.  Among 
the  ordinary  hotels  of  San  Francisco  at  this  time,  are  the  "  Ports- 
mouth House,"  the  £:  Franklin  House,"  the  "  Mansion  House," 
the  "  Niantic,"  the  "  Crescent,"  &c. ;  besides  which  there  are 
very  many  of  inferior  character,  where  living  is  obtained  at 
cheaper  rates.    The  prices  of  hotel  boarding  have  varied  but  lit- 


652 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


tie  since  1849,  having  constantly  ranged  from  about  two  to  ten 
dollars  per  day. 

Vast  improvements  have  been  made  in  late  days  to  the 
general  manner  of  living  in  San  Francisco.  The  comfortless 
tents  and  shanties  have  given  place  to  neat  and  pretty  buildings. 
The  cheapest  lodging-houses  are  divided  into  small  apartments. 
Men  no  longer  huddle  together  by  scores  in  a  single  room,  but 
every  person  with  moderate  means  can  obtain  an  apartment  to 
himself.  There  are  also  numerous  private  boarding-houses,  kept 
mostly  by  respectable  ladies,  which  have  all  the  qualities  of  de- 
sirable homes  for  single  gentlemen  and  small  families  ;  besides 
which,  the  vast  immigration  of  the  wives  of  old  settlers  and  new 
comers  have  caused  the  erection  and  occupancy  of  beautiful  cot- 
tages and  elegant  mansions,  which  every  where  exist  upon  the 
outskirts  of  the  town.  Comfortable  and  delightful  homes  are 
becoming  numerous,  and  domestic  enjoyment  and  happiness  in- 
crease in  proportion  to  the  arrival  of  respectable  females  and  the 
growing  prosperity  of  the  town. 


Euss's  Garden. 


PUBLIC  AMUSEMENTS. 

Ever  since  all  Greece  gathered  to  witness  the  quadrennial  contests 
of  the  Olympic  sports,  and  the  maidens  of  Rome  wafted  kisses  to 
victorious  gladiators  ;  or  rather,  since  Thespis,  thus  made  im- 
mortal, drove  ahout  his  cart-load  of  histrionic  pioneers  to  the 
delight  of  gazing  Athens,  mankind  have  refused  to  imitate  their 
primeval  ancestors,  who,  tending  their  flocks  by  day,  and  their 
families  by  night,  suffered  neither  from  ennui  nor  atrubilis — but 
require  what  they  call  amusements,  to  make  life  tolerable.  The 
theatre,  and  its  derivatives,  the  opera,  ballet,  circus  and  hippo- 
drome, have  been  called  the  great  instruments  of  social  progress. 
Whether  they  deserve  this  high  claim  or  not,  it  is  at  least  certain 
that  their  advance  has  been  co-ordinate  with  that  of  civilization, 
and  that  such  exhibitions  have  become  essential  in  the  present 


654 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


day.  The  uiind,  like  the  body,  refuses  to  return  to  its  original 
nakedness  after  it  has  been  adorned  with  the  laced  trappings  of 
ingenious  art.  The  homespun,  the  broadcloth,  the  silk  and 
satin,  and  the  royal  purple,  have  supplanted  the  fig-leaf  and  the 
bear-skin,  and  their  wearers  have  the  same  increase  of  mental 
foppery.  The  bloody  rantings  of  the  melo-dramatic  hero,  the 
absurdities  of  the  pantomimic  display,  the  far-fetched  witticisms 
of  the  low  farce,  and  the  vulgar  jibes  of  a  drunken  clown  furnish 
laughter  and  diversion,  and  excite  the  envy  and  emulation  of  the 
gawk  of  the  plough  and  the  soap-locked  rowdy  of  the  city  sub- 
urbs. The  screechings,  yellings,  bowlings  of  operatic  automatons 
in  sibilant  Italian,  guttural  German,  or  nasal  French,  elicit  muf- 
fled taps  from  gloved  hands  of  popinjays,  counter-jumpers  and 
aristrocrats  ;  while  the  sublime  thoughts  and  moral  teachings 
of  great  dramatic  historians,  are  palatable  and  healthful  food  for 
men  of  genius,  talent,  and  education.  For  the  affected  pious, 
and  would-be  godly-minded,  who  shun  the  evil  associations  of 
the  theatre,  and  are  disgusted  with  the  necessarily  public  and 
hence  indecent  exposure  of  female  artistes,  there  are  lectures, 
exhibitions,  panoramas,  and  the  like — rational  amusements — 
fairs,  where  the  ladies  of  a  church,  publicly  stationed,  brazenly 
(not  indecently)  extort  unreasonable  prices  for  worthless  goods 
by  sale  ;  where  stately  Pecksniffs  playfully,  by  lottery  (not  gam- 
bling), amuse  themselves  by  gathering  money  for  a  pastor's  gift. 
There  are  museums,  too,  where  quiet,  demure  quakeresses  may 
unblushingly  gaze  at  the  "  Dream  of  Taglioni,"  christened 
"  Temperance  Dance,"  or  the  "  Pas  de  Quatre  Nations,"  styled  a 
"  Missionary  Jubilee." 

San  Francisco  was,  and  yet  is,  the  very  antipode  of  patriarchal 
simplicity.  Its  flocks  wore  "  golden  fleece,"  and  dwelt  among 
the  mountain  streams  of  the  Nevada  ;  its  tents  had  neither  wives 
nor  children, — only  rough,  rugged,  savage  men.  But  that  guardian 
angel  "  self,"  who  follows  every  one  through  life,  and  who  had 
given  each  of  this  new  race  his  worldly  wealth,  had  endowed  him 
with  the  desire,  necessity,  and  means  of  unlimited  enjoyment. 
At  first  each  sought  gayety  and  pleasure  for  himself,  in  wine, 
women,  and  the  green  cloth  ;  but  the  mind  that  does  not  degen- 
erate soon  satiates  with  solitary  enjoyments.   Public  amusements 


PUBLIC  AMUSEMENTS. 


655 


become  necessary,  if  for  no  other  reason  than  that  people  like  to 
go  where  they  can  see  and  be  seen  ;  and  hence,  long  before  the 
corporated  history  of  this  place,  rude  efforts  were  made  to  revive 
the  dramatic  exhibitions  of  other  countries.  Early  in  184'J  and 
in  1850  respectively,  two  circuses  were  established  as  the  pio- 
neers of  popular  amusements.  One  of  these  was  on  Kearny 
street  above  Clay,  under  the  control  of  a  Mr.  Rowe,  who  subse- 
quently converted  it  into  a  theatre.  The  other,  of  a  few  months' 
later  date,  was  owned  by  Mr.  Foley,  and  was  located  on  Mont- 
gomery street  below  California.  A  short  time  subsequent  to 
these,  another  was  opened  on  the  western  side  of  Portsmouth 
Square.  These  were  mere  tent  structures,  where,  on  rude 
benches,  congregated  crowds  of  easily  satisfied  and  deeply  inter- 
ested spectators,  and  where  spring-boards  bounced  men  of  various 
sizes  successively  over  one,  two,  and  three  horses  ;  and  daring 
riders,  on  broad  wooden  saddles,  jumped  through  hoops  and  over 
ropes,  most  fearfully  to  look  at.  Nowhere  else  were  to  be  had 
the  materials  for  more  legitimate  displays,  and  the  little-exacting 
populace  were  forced  to  content  themselves  with  what  they  could 
get — paying  without  a  murmur,  their  $3  for  pit  seats,  $5  for  box 
places,  and  $55  for  the  princely  luxury  of  a  private  stall. 

On  Monday  evening,  June22d,  1849,  a  concert  of  vocal  music 
was  performed  at  the  old  school-room  on  the  south-west  corner 
of  the  plaza,  and  this  may  properly  be  regarded  as  first  amonsr 
the  regular  amusements  of  San  Francisco.  It  was  given,  entirely 
unassisted,  by  Mr.  Stephen  C.  Massett,  at  the  suggestion  of  many 
of  his  New  York  friends.  The  little  room  was  crowded  to  suffo- 
cation, the  proceeds  yielding  the  vocalist  over  five  hundred  dol- 
lars. The  following  is  the  programme,  a  curiosity  well  worthy  i.f 
preservation,  printed  at  the  office  of  the  "  Alta  California,"  then 
the  only  paper  in  the  city.  "  Front  seats,"  it  will  be  observed, 
were  reserved  for  ladies,  of  whom  there  were  but  four  present. 
The  piano  used  (we  believe  there  was  only  one  in  the  country) 
upon  the  occasion,  was  loaned  by  Mr.  E.  Harrison,  the  collector 
of  the  port,  and  sixteen  dollars  were  paid  for  removing  it  from 
the  custom-house  to  the  school-room,  situated  on  opposite  sides 
of  Portsmouth  Square. 


656 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


"ON  MONDAY  EVENING  NEXT, 

A  CONCERT 
■Will  be  given  at  the  Court-bouse,  Portsmouth  Square, 

BY  MR.  STEPHEN  C.  MA8SETT, 

Composer  of  '  When  the  Moon  on  the  Lake  is  Beaming,'  and  other  popular  ballads. 
PROGRAMME. 

PART  I. 

1.  Song.—'  When  the  Moon  on  the  Lake.'   Words  and  Music  by  S.  C.  Massett 

2.  Recitation. — Mr.  Massett:  The  Frenchman,  the  Exquisite,  and  the  Yankee  in  Richard  IIL 
8.  Song. — Mr.  Massett:  'My  Boyhood's  Home,'  from  Opera  of  Amilie. 

4.  An  Imitation  of  Madame  Anna  Bishop,  in  her  Song  of  '  The  Bunk*  of  Guadalquiver.' 

5.  Song. — '  When  a  child  I  roamed.'    Words  and  Music  by  S.  C.  Massett 

6.  An  Imitation  of  an  elderly  lady  and  German  girl,  who  applied  for  the  situation  of  soprano  and 

alto  singers  in  one  of  the  churches  in  Massachusetts.    S.  C.  Massett. 

part  ii. 

1.  Song. — Mr  Massett:  'When  time  hath  bereft  thee,' from  Gustavns  III. 

2.  Mr.  Massett:  'Loss  of  the  Steamship  President,'  by  Epes  Sargent. 

3.  Mr.  Massett:  '  I'm  sitting  on  the  stile,  Mary,'  by  W.  R.  Dempster. 

4.  An  Imitation  of  the  N.  T.  Razor  Strop  Man,  John  Smith. 

5.  Ballad. — 'She  wore  a  Wreath  of  Roses.'   (Mr.  Massett.)   J.  P.  Knight 

6.  Ballad. — "  List  while  I  sing."   Composed  by  Stephen  C.  Massett. 

7.  Yankee  Imitation. — 'Deacon  Jones  and  Seth  Slope.'   S.  C.  Massett 

8.  To  conclude  with  the  celebrated 

'  YANKEE  TOWN  MEETING  ; ' 

In  which  Mr.  Massett  will  give  imitations  of  seven  different  persons,  who  had  assembled  for  the 

purpose  of  'suppressing  the  press.' 
Tickets  $3  each,  to  be  had  at  Dr.  Robinson's,  Chemist  and  Druggist,  on  the  plaza;  at  the 
'Parker  House,'  of  Mr.  Massett;  at  the  office  of  Col  J.  D.  Stevenson,  and  at  the  door  on  the  night 
of  the  performance. 

N.  B.  Front  seats  reserved  for  ladies ! " 

The  first  theatrical  performance  in  San  Francisco  was  a 
representation  of  "The  Wife"  and  "Charles  the  2d,"  by  a 
small  company,  under  the  control  of  Messrs.  Atwater  &  Madison, 
who  had  been  some  time  organizing  a  theatre,  in  January,  1850, 
in  the  second  story  of  a  building  at  the  rear  of  the  old  "  Alta 
California"  office  (then  located  on  Washington  street,  about 
midway  of  the  plaza),  known  as  Washington  Hall.  The  most 
that  can  be  said  of  the  exhibition  is,  that  the  performance  was 
poor  and  the  room  well  filled.  The  genuine  good  taste  of  the 
people,  however,  could  not  long  remain  satisfied  with  such  im- 
positions. San  Francisco  was  leaving  its  embryo  existence.  Its 
population  of  talent  and  education  ceased  their  menial  occupa- 
tions, emerged  from  their  filthy  lodgings,  and  doffed  their  coarse 
red  shirts  for  Chesterfieldian  apparel.  All  their  wants  now  had 
to  be  of  the  same  luxuriant  kind.    The  circuses  no  longer  drew 


PUBLIC  AMUSEMENTS. 


657 


their  crowds,  and  hence  Rowe  fitted  his  establishment  on  Kearny 
street,  between  Clay  and  Sacramento  streets,  for  stage  perform- 
ances. A  company  of  English  actors  of  undoubted  merit, 
opened  the  theatre,  including  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hambleton,  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Batters,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McCron  and  others.  Mrs.  Stark,  then 
Mrs.  Kirby,  soon  after  arrived,  and  appeared  at  this  place. 

In  Sacramento  the  stage  had  taken  the  lead.  Shortly  after 
the  Washington  Hall  was  opened  at  San  Francisco,  the  "  Eagle 
Theatre  "  on  Front  street,  was  erected  and  continued  for  several 
months.  It  was  speedily  surpassed,  however,  by  the  "  Tehama 
Theatre,"  under  the  management  of  Mrs.  J.  H.  Kirby,  an  accom- 
plished and  talented  actress,  whose  early  exertions  have  done  much 
to  advance  the  profession  to  its  present  stand  in  the  country. 
Mesdames  Bingham,  Hambleton,  Kirby  and  Mestayer ;  and 
Messrs.  Atwater,  Bingham,  Byers,  Downie,  McClosky,  Stark, 
Vinson  and  Zabriskie  have  successively  appeared  upon  its  boards. 
The  "  Tehama  "  drew  large  houses  until  the  following  winter,  when 
the  " Pacific"  and  "American"  divided  with  it  the  patronage  of 
the  people  of  Sacramento. 

Meanwhile,  in  April,  1850,  a  neat  little  theatre  (which  was 
soon  after  destroyed  by  fire)  had  been  established  in  San  Fran- 
cisco, on  Washington  street  near  Montgomery,  where,  a  portion 
of  the  time,  an  amusing  French  vaudeville  company  performed  ; 
and  on  the  4th  of  July  after,  Messrs.  Robinson  &  Evrard,  gave 
the  first  performance  at  their  "Dramatic  Museum"  on  California 
street  near  Montgomery,  with  rather  an  interesting  company  of 
amateur  performers.  In  September  following,  the  original  "Jenny 
Lind  "  was  opened  over  Maguire's  Parker  House  Saloon,  Kearny 
street  near  Washington.  These  houses  were  well  patronized  and 
had  better  stock  companies  than  are  usually  found  in  older  cities. 
At  the  latter,  Mr.  Stark,  an  actor  of  much  ability,  and  Mrs. 
Kirby,  played  a  very  deservedly  successful  engagement.  During 
the  fall  or  winter,  another  small  theatre  was  opened  on  Clay 
street,  near  Montgomery,  which,  for  a  time,  was  under  the 
management  of  Mr.  Bingham.  This  never  became  very  popular. 
This  theatre,  together  with  the  "Jenny  Lind"  and  "Dramatic 
Museum,"  were  destroyed  by  the  fire  of  May,  1851.  The  latter 
was  rebuilt  and  again  soon  after  burned.  A  wooden  building 
42 


658 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


was  also  erected  on  the  site  of  the  "Jenny  Lind,"  which  was  also 
reduced  to  ashes  by  the  fire  of  22d  June,  following. 

Mr.  Maguire  then  constructed  the  large  stone  "Jenny  Lind 
Theatre,"  now  the  City  Hall,  and  opened  it,  October  4th,  1851. 
Before  this  date  the  "  Adelphi,"  a  French  theatre,  was  erected 
on  Dupont  street  near  Clay,  and  in  successful  operation,  under 
the  control  of  Messrs.  Eobinson  &  Wiesenthal.  It  still  exists 
under  the  management  of  M.  Paul.  The  building  of  the 
"  American  Theatre,  "  on  Sansome  street,  between  Sacramento 
and  California  streets,  was  commenced  in  September,  1851,  and 
opened  on  the  20th  October,  since  which  time  it  has  continued 
to  give  an  uninterrupted  series  of  dramatic  representations. 

On  the  14th  February,  1852,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lewis  Baker, 
who  had  reached  San  Francisco  from  Philadelphia  the  preceding 
week,  commenced  an  engagement  at  the  "Jenny  Lind,"  ap- 
pearing as  Master  Walter  and  Julia,  in  the  Hunchback,  and 
played  twenty-one  nights  to  crowded  and  enthusiastic  audiences. 
After  a  sojourn  of  three  weeks  at  Sacramento,  they  again  per- 
formed for  thirty  consecutive  nights  more,  during  all  of  which 
time,  they,  and  particularly  Mrs.  Baker,  formerly  Miss  Alexina 
Fisher,  was  the  chief  and  only  attraction,  the  company  generally 
being  poor,  and  inefficiently  conducted.  After  a  second  engage- 
ment at  Sacramento,  Mr.  Baker  collected  a  small  company,  and 
performed  at  Nevada,  Grass  Valley  and  Placerville,  and  return- 
ing to  San  Francisco  early  in  August,  assumed  the  management 
of  the  "Adelphi."  During  nine  months  Mrs.  Baker  played  every 
evening,  except  Sundays,  and  May,  9th,  1853,  closed  a  season 
which  had  profited  the  management  $30,000,  being  all  that 
time  the  chief  support  of  the  theatre,  and  drawing  crowded 
houses,  notwithstanding  the  opposition  of  the  other  theatres  and 
the  very  successful  careers  of  Signora  Elisa  Biscaccianti  and 
Miss  Catharine  Hayes.  On  the  12th  May,  Mr.  Baker  took 
charge  of  the  "  American,"  and  for  five  months,  with  intervals  from 
other  stars,  his  interesting  and  talented  wife  regularly  appeared, 
yet  the  great  centre  of  attraction.  It  had  been  no  trifling  task, 
at  this  period,  to  restore  order  out  of  the  chaotic  confusion  of  the 
theatre  in  San  Francisco.  The  drama  drooped  from  the  want 
of  industry  and  tact  in  its  managers  and  the  absence  of  proper 


PUBLIC  AMUSEMENTS. 


659 


discipline  among  their  employes,  the  former  regarding  neither 
reason  nor  interest,  while  the  latter  defied  submission  or  control ; 
and  the  neglect  of  the  one  to  provide  proper  accessories,  was 
fully  equalled  by  the  imperfection  of  the  others  in  the  text  of 
the  plays  presented.  This  decadence  in  worthy  attraction  was 
necessarily  followed  by  a  great  diminution  in  the  number  and 
character  of  the  audiences.  With  the  advent  of  Mr.  and  Mrs 
Baker,  however,  commenced  a  new  era  in  the  California  drama. 
The  generous  enthusiasm  which  greeted  the  latter  upon  her 
first  appearance,  increased  with  each  successive  performance.  To 
her  was  confided  the  task  of  developing  the  rich  resources  from 
the  golden  mines  of  the  old  dramatists,  and  of  enriching  the 
Pacific  stage  with  the  brightest  gems  of  histrionic  ability. 

Mr.  Lewis  Baker,  having  assumed  managerial  duties,  labored 
with  unceasing  and  praiseworthy  assiduity  to  reform  existing 
abuses.  He  introduced  a  strict  and  severe  discipline,  had  care- 
ful rehearsals,  and  paid  all  needful  attention  to  the  necessary 
accessories  of  the  stage.  Under  such  auspices,  the  citizens  were 
presented  with  entertainments  of  a  refined  character,  and  in  a 
style  of  excellence  fully  equalled  to  those  of  the  best  theatres  in 
New  York  or  Philadelphia.  Some  idea  may  be  formed  of  the 
managerial  responsibilities  assumed  by  Mr.  Baker,  from  the  fol- 
lowing statement  of  the  expenses  involved  in  the  conducting  of  a 
San  Francisco  theatre  : — The  rent  alone  amounted  to  $30,000  a 
year  ;  the  salary  list,  including  artists,  musicians,  painters,  car- 
penters, &c.,  varied  from  $3,200  to  $3,600  a  week,  without  esti- 
mating the  large  amount  paid  to  stars,  which  has  sometimes 
exceeded  $6,000  for  six  successive  performances.  The  additional 
expenses  for  lighting,  printing,  advertising,  supernumeraries, 
dresses,  &c,  make  up  an  amount  sufficiently  large  to  deter  any 
one  from  entering  rashly  upon  such  an  enterprise. 

On  the  2d  of  January,  1854,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Baker  took  fare- 
well of  the  California  public,  having  succeeded  in  elevating  the 
character  of  theatrical  representations  from  the  low  and  confused 
condition  in  which  inexperienced  management  had  kept  it  reduced. 
During  the  eighteen  months  of  Mr.  Baker's  control  of  the  "  Adel- 
phi "  and  "  American,"  the  improvement  in  the  style  of  entertain- 
ment was  such  as  to  secure  for  him  the  sincere  thanks  and  hearty 


660 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


support  of  the  public.  He  was  a  young  man — almost  a  tyro  in 
years — when  he  came  to  San  Francisco.  Very  early  in  life  he 
had  manifested  a  yearning  for  the  theatrical  profession,  and 
when  his  family  removed  to  Texas,  had  originated  a  theatre  at 
Galveston.  On  the  breaking  out  of  the  Mexican  war,  he  was 
connected  with  the  two  theatres  at  Corpus  Christi,  where  Gen. 
Taylor's  division  was  stationed.  He  subsequently  performed  in 
the  northern  cities,  and,  like  his  wife,  had  already  earned  a  well- 
merited  reputation.  As  a  reward  for  their  exertions,  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Baker  acquired  a  competency  in  California,  and  are  now 
living  in  Philadelphia,  among  old  friends,  and  enjoying  life  amid 
the  most  pleasing  associations  of  their  youth. 

In  the  fall  of  1853,  the  ';  Metropolitan,"  the  most  magnificent 
temple  of  histrionic  art  in  America,  was  built,  and  opened  on 
December  24th,  by  Mrs.  Catherine  N.  Sinclair.  On  the  26th, 
two  evenings  later,  at  the  old  "  American,"  now  eclipsed  by  the 
grandeur  of  its  greater  rival,  and  on  the  point  of  closing,  there 
appeared  one,  who  came  friendless  and  unannounced  to  the 
shores  of  the  Pacific,  but  who  was  destined  to  play  an  important 
part  in  theatrical  affairs  at  this  place,  Miss  Matilda  Heron. 
This  young  lady  had  left  Philadelphia  for  San  Francisco  in  com- 
pany with  Mr.  George  W.  Lewis,  her  agent  (a  gentleman  long 
and  extensively  known  among  theatrical  people),  who  having 
died  on  the  route,  she  accordingly  landed  unknowing  and  un- 
known. Several  gentlemen,  however,  having  heard  of  her  com- 
ing, and  being  informed  of  her  attainments,  actively  interested 
themselves  in  her  behalf,  and  succeeded  in  filling  the  old  theatre 
on  the  night  of  her  appearance,  despite  the  attraction  of  the 
"Metropolitan,"  with  its  new  scenery  and  decorations,  and  the  per- 
sonal appearance  of  its  gifted  proprietress,  aided  by  Mr.  James 
E.  Murdock,  of  Philadelphia  (who  had  obtained  great  popularity 
in  California),  and  a  very  excellent  stock  company.  Miss  Heron 
appeared  as  Bianca,  supported  by  Mr.  Baker,  as  Fazio,  and  was 
greeted  and  sustained  throughout  the  performance  with  an  en- 
thusiasm almost  unequalled.  Her  success  was  unrivalled,  and  her 
whole  engagement,  and  a  succeeding  one  at  the  "  Metropolitan," 
won  for  her  an  enviable  reputation  as  an  actress.  The  San 
Franciscans  claim  the  development  of  her  rare  talents.  Two 


PUBLIC  AMUSEMENTS. 


661 


years  before  she  had  appeared  in  Philadelphia,  a  pupil  of  Mr. 
Peter  Kichings,  and  had  since  played  various  satisfactory  engage- 
ments in  the  Atlantic  cities,  but  without  creating  the  sensation 
her  merits  deserved,  to  which  merits  alone  she  owed  her  success 
in  the  far  west.  Performers  appearing  here  need  expect  little 
aid  from  claquerism.  Intelligent  audiences  are  prepared  to 
reward  the  meritorious,  and  as  surely  condemn  the  upstart. 
The  press  is  untrammelled  ;  editors  are  men  of  superior  literary 
attainment,  who  are  not  accustomed  to  prostitute  their  pens 
for  tempting  rewards.  Hence,  theatrical  criticisms  are  distin- 
guished in  San  Francisco  journals  for  their  unbiassed  justice, 
and  may  be  relied  on  as  the  expression  of  opinion  of  those  com- 
petent to  decide.  By  such  a  test  was  Miss  Heron  tried  and 
lauded.  Her  chief  merit  was  found  in  her  perfect  naturalness 
of  manner  ;  the  total  absence  of  those  screamings,  rantings,  and 
gesticulations  which  have  grown  up  rank  and  deep-rooted  weeds 
on  the  dramatic  field.  It  is  this  feature  that  causes  the  super- 
ficial looker-on  to  regard  her  efforts  with  indifference  ;  that  failed 
to  gain  for  her  a  merited  eclat  from  the  less  critical  people  of  the 
East  ;  that  excited  the  admiration  of  the  Californians.  It  is  a 
human  being  that  performs — not  an  unnatural  contortion  ;  the 
characters  represented  appear  before  you — the  author's  ideas,  in- 
terpreted and  embellished  by  the  artiste's  genius.  Miss  Heron 
has  thus  been  an  eminent  reformer  of  the  California  stage. 
Actors  and  actresses  have  subdued  their  rantings  under  her  in- 
influence,  and  adopted  a  more  life-like  style  of  performing. 
Hence,  the  vast  improvement  in  theatrical  representations  in 
this  city,  even  in  mediocre  players.  Audiences  have  something 
at  which  to  listen  ;  attention  is  riveted  on  the  play.  The  pea- 
nut eaters  of  the  upper  circles,  and  the  gentlemanly  loafers  of 
the  'parquet,  have  been  subdued  into  gentility ;  the  quiet  de- 
corum of  the  parlor  has  supplanted  the  noisy  bustle  of  the  circus  ; 
even  riotous  applause  is  regarded  as  inappropriate.  For  several 
months  Miss  Heron  followed  up  her  brilliantly  successful  career, 
and  left  in  June  on  a  temporary  visit  to  her  home  in  Philadelphia, 
loaded  with  the  most  substantial  evidences  of  the  sincere  affec- 
tions of  a  host  of  admiring  friends,  and  a  discriminating  and 
generous  public.    San  Franciscans  regard  her  triumph  as  their 


662 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


own,  since  through  them  alone  her  merits  were  discovered,  ac- 
knowledged, and  rewarded. 

Other  theatres  have  grown  up  in  this  city.  The  "  San  Fran- 
cisco Hall,"  a  neat  little  temple,  was  erected  in  Washington 
street,  above  and  near  Montgomery  street,  early  in  1853,  was 
conducted  by  Mrs.  Sinclair,  and  has  had  some  talented  performers 
on  its  boards.  The  "  Olympic,"  another  small  theatre,  now  closed, 
was  opened  in  the  Armory  Hall  building,  at  the  corner  of  Wash- 
ington and  Sansome  streets,  in  the  fall  of  the  same  year.  This 
had  but  a  very  brief  and  sickly  existence.  The  French  popula- 
tion have  likewise  another  theatre,  the  "  Union,"  in  Commercial 
street  above  Kearny,  which  for  a  short  time  was  devoted  exclu- 
sively to  the  performances  of  that  class  of  people.  It  was  subse- 
quently opened  by  Miss  Laura  Keene,  who  is  now  (July,  1854) 
giving  popular  entertainments  there  with  a  very  good  American 
stock  company.  The  Germans  and  Chinese  have  each  likewise 
had  places  where  entertainments  adapted  to  their  respective  na- 
tional tastes  have  been  furnished.  The  Orientals  particularly 
have  been  very  liberal  in  their  support  of  their  countrymen's 
enterprise.  Opera  troupes  and  ballet  companies,  Italian,  Ger- 
man, Spanish,  Mexican,  French,  and  English  have  at  various  times 
claimed  and  obtained  a  liberal  share  of  the  public  patronage. 

It  is  not  our  design  to  go  more  minutely  into  the  history  of 
the  corps  dramatique.  The  exalted  rank  and  large  patronage 
attending  the  legitimate  drama  in  San  Francisco,  have  deserved 
the  account  we  have  given.  In  its  theatres,  the  greatest  talent 
of  the  world  now  regularly  appear,  to  enumerate  whom,  would 
no  longer  belong  to  the  characteristic  features  of  the  place,  to 
which  we  seek  to  confine  ourselves.  It  remains,  merely  to  men- 
tion, in  addition  to  those  whose  names  have  already  occurred,  a 
few  of  the  many  eminent  performers  and  dramatic  pioneers  in 
the  city.  Among  the  "  stars  "  that  have  visited  San  Francisco 
are  Mesdames  Anna  Bishop,  Anna  Thillon,  Elisa  Biscaccianti, 
Lola  Montez,  and  Misses  Catherine  Hayes,  Susan  and  Kate 
Dennin,  the  Rousset  sisters,  and  Laura  Keene  ;  Messrs.  J.  B. 
Booth,  James  E.  Murdock,  and  J.  Hudson.  The  prominent  stock 
performers  have  been  Mesdames  Chapman,  Evrard,  Burrill, 
Proctor,  Robinson,  Thorne,  Waller,  Booth,  Celeste,  Claughley, 


PUBLIC  AMUSEMENTS. 


663 


Duprez,  Hambleton,  Judah,  Mansfield,  Montague,  Pelby  and 
Woodward ;  Misses  Carpenter,  Chapman,  Coad,  Edmunds,  Oceana 
Fisher,  Kate  Gray  and  Julia  Gould  ;  Messrs.  Baker,  Barry, 
J.  B.  Booth,  jr.,  Edwin  Booth,  Chapman,  Collins,  Coad,  Evrard, 
Hambleton,  Haywood,  Kent,  King,  McGowan,  Maryatt,  Samuel 
Murdock,  Proctor,  Robinson,  Ryer,  Thome,  Thompson,  Venua, 
Waller  and  Wilder. 

The  gay  populace  of  San  Francisco,  however,  have  found 
other  sources  of  popular  diversion  than  those  just  mentioned. 
During  1849,  '50  and  '51,  the  torcos — bull-bates, — at  the  mission, 
were  largely  attended.  Now,  in  the  same  vicinity  are  two  race- 
courses, probably  not  surpassed  by  any  in  the  world,  where,  espe- 
cially on  Sundays,  the  day  usually  selected  for  all  these  exhibitions, 
the  most  celebrated  of  the  fleet  steeds  of  California  arc  matched 
against  each  other,  to  the  delight  of  interested  multitudes. 

Russ's  Garden,  a  short  distance  from  the  thickly-populated 
portion  of  the  city,  between  the  Mission  Road  and  the  South 
Beach,  also  affords  the  weary  citizens  an  opportunity  of  relaxa- 
tion away  from  the  scene  of  their  toil.  This  is  one  of  the 
most  beautiful  spots  and  popular  places  of  resort  in  the  vicinity. 
Hither  celebrations,  excursions,  and  the  like  rejoicings,  are  held 
by  societies  and  coteries  on  their  various  anniversaries  and  fite- 
days  ;  while  continually  gay  carriage  loads  or  cavalcades,  or  soli- 
tary individuals,  mounted  or  on  foot,  wend  their  way  thither  and 
amuse  themselves  about  the  pleasant  grounds  with  games,  ath- 
letic feats,  or  merry  feasting.  In  the  spacious  amphitheatre  at 
this  place,  sundry  interesting  public  exhibitions  are  occasionally 
given  to  amuse  the  crowds  that  here  assemble. 

In  1850,  a  company  of  model  artists  exhibited  at  the  Parker 
House  with  very  poor  success  ;  and  even  Dr.  Collyer's  company, 
who  opened  rooms  on  a  greater  scale  in  Commercial  street,  re- 
ceived no  better  patronage, — showing  that  the  public  taste  was 
not  so  vitiated  as  was  supposed. 

Balls  by  the  various  races  of  inhabitants,  carried  on  according  to 
their  peculiar  customs,  have  been  of  constant  occurrence,  and  are 
now  so  frequent  as  to  interest  only  their  respective  participants. 
The  German  Turnvereins  amuse  themselves  at  their  gymnasia — 
while  in  Battery  street,  between  California  and  Pine  streets,  a 


664 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


similar  establishment,  kept  by  Mr.  Frank  Wheeler,  is  provided  for 
general  subscribers.  A  large  Music  Hall  has  been  erected  in  Bush 
street,  near  the  corner  of  Montgomery,  by  Mr.  Henry  Meiggs,  and 
here  quiet  folk  are  entertained  with  concerts,  oratorios,  lectures, 
fairs,  and  the  like.  The  "  Mercantile  Library  Company,"  "  Young 
Men's  Christian  Association,"  and  other  societies,  at  various  sea- 
sons every  year,  afford  the  literary  public  opportunities  of  listen- 
ing to  scientific,  moral  and  other  instructive  discourses  by  emi- 
nent speakers. 

Thus  do  the  people  of  San  Francisco  employ  their  leisure 
hours.  Possessed  of  so  many  opportunities  of  gaining  wealth, 
they  freely  use  it  in  the  purchase  of  those  enjoyments  which 
relieve  their  minds  and  bodies  from  the  harassing  toil  to  which 
they  have  been  subjected  in  its  acquirement.  Thus,  notwith- 
standing the  immense  wear  and  tear  of  such  unexampled  energy 
as  is  here  required  in  any  occupation,  the  unstinted  and  universal 
use  of  reasonable  relaxation  and  pleasure,  enables  them  to  retain 
their  vigor,  and  lead  far  more  agreeable  and  useful  lives  than  do 
the  miserable  hoarders  of  slowly-gotten  gains  in  other  countries. 


Fancy  Ball,  California  Exchange. 


SOME  PHASES  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO  "LIFE." 

Perhaps  never  before  in  the  world's  history  has  there  been  ex- 
hibited such  a  variety  and  mixture  of  life-scenes  within  the  same 
extent  and  among  an  equal  number  of  people,  as  in  San  Fran- 
cisco for  the  two  or  three  years  succeeding  the  discovery  of  gold. 
Created  by  a  sudden  appeal  to  the  covetousness  of  human  na- 
ture, and  thus  having  drawn  together  a  promiscuous  crowd  from 
nearly  all  nations,  it  represented  a  new  school  in  the  wild  pine- 
woods,  where  all  the  scholars  were  strangers  to  each  other,  and 
each  was  a  pupil  to  all  the  rest,  and  none  were  teachers  except 
by  example  ;  or  a  mixed  camp  of  an  army  of  allies,  amid  the 
army-chests  of  the  enemy,  friendly  relations  maintained  by  an 
armed  neutrality.  Jack  Tar,  after  the  termination  of  a  long 
cruise,  with  his  prize-money  in  hand,  never  was  more  determined 
upon  a  lark,  than  was  a  large  portion  of  the  sojourning  multitude 
of  the  city.    Away  from  law,  away  from  public  opinion,  away 


666 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


from  the  restraints  of  home,  half  wild  with  the  possession  of  sud- 
den and  unaccustomed  wealth,  "  On  with  the  dance,  let  joy  be 
unconfined,"  seemed  the  motto  best  suited  to  the  conduct  of  a 
large  portion  of  the  people.  The  puritan  became  a  gambler ; 
the  boy  taught  to  consider  dancing  a  sin,  soon  found  his  way  to 
masked  balls  ;  monte  became  as  familiar  as  the  communion,  and 
the  catechism  was  forgotten,  while  the  champagne  popped, 
sparkled,  and  excited.  At  first  it  was  a  society  composed  almost 
exclusively  of  males,  and  as  a  natural  and  inevitable  consequence, 
men  deteriorated.  Excitement  was  sought  in  such  sources  as 
could  be  found.  The  gaming-table,  with  its  cards  and  dice  ; 
the  bar,  with  its  brandy-smashes  and  intoxication, — these  occu- 
pied the  wild  and  reckless,  while  those  whose  ideas  of  wealth 
stopped  not  with  the  first  buckskin  bag  of  dust,  sold  goods  at  a 
hundred  times  their  cost,  got  grants  of  land  for  a  song,  soon  to 
be  worth  thousands  uncounted,  and  spread  out  all  their  hands  to 
take  in  all  the  shore. 

But  soon  woman  began  to  join  the  anomalous  crowd.  Then 
a  new  phase  of  society  appeared.  Then  reason  tottered,  and 
passion  run  riot.  The  allurements  of  the  Cyprian  contested  the 
sceptre  with  the  faro  bank  ;  champagne  at  ten  dollars  a  bottle 
sold  as  readily  in  certain  localities,  as  did  brandy  at  fifty  cents  a 
glass  in  the  saloon.  Men  suddenly  rich,  squandered  more  in  a 
night  than  until  within  a  few  months  they  had  been  able  to 
earn,  or  to  possess,  in  years.  Dust  was  plentier  than  pleasure, 
pleasure  more  enticing  than  virtue.  Fortune  was  the  horse, 
youth  in  the  saddle,  dissipation  the  track,  and  desire  the  spur. 
Let  none  wonder  that  the  time  was  the  best  ever  made.  Natur- 
ally enough  masked  balls  soon  came  in  the  train  of  women,  wine, 
and  gold.  Many  of  these  ball-rooms  were  soon  dedicated  to  the 
service  of  Terpsichore,  Cupid  and  Momus  ;  and  it  must  be  con- 
fessed, also,  that  Bacchus  shared  no  trifling  portion  of  their  devo- 
tions. Imagine  a  vast  hall,  nearly  one  hundred  feet  square,  with 
a  bar  of  fifty  feet  in  length,  built  with  an  eye  to  tasteful  archi- 
tecture, and  with  a  hand  in  the  pocket,  glittering  in  front  with 
gold-leaf,  and  in  the  rear  supported  by  a  battalion  of  cut-glass 
decanters,  colored  glass  ornamental  articles,  a  golden  eagle 
perched  above  the  stock  of  liquors  and  wines — the  American  cannot 


SOME  PHASES  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO  "LIFE. 


667 


drink  a  cock-tail  comfortably  unless  the  "star-spangled  banner" 
float  above,  and  the  national  eagle  look  with  at  least  a  glass-eye 
into  his  potation  ; — in  the  centre  a  piece  of  machinery,  exhibiting 
the  sea  in  motion,  tossing  a  laboring  ship  upon  its  bosom  ;  a 
water-mill  in  action  ;  a  train  of  cars  passing  a  bridge;  and  a  deer- 
chase,  hounds,  horsemen,  and  game,  all  in  pursuit,  or  flight. 
Opposite,  a  full  band,  crowding  every  nook  of  the  room  with 
sweet  echoes,  marches,  cotillions,  mazourkas,  gallopades,  waltzes. 
On  the  third  side,  a  cake  and  coffee-stand  ;  and  behind  it  a  fair 
face,  limber  tongue,  busy  hands,  coining  dust  from  thirst,  gal- 
lantry, and  dissipation. 

It  is  dark,  the  hour  nine  ;  the  rain  drizzles  outside,  and  the 
quaker-grey  out-doors,  wet,  chill,  mud,  gloom  of  the  rainy  season, 
drive  the  lonesome,  the  hilarious,  and  the  dissipated  to  the  door 
where  the  ticket-taker  admits  the  pleasure-seeker,  who  has  de- 
posited his  umbrella  in  the  general  depot  for  those  movable 
roofs,  and  been  relieved  by  a  policeman  of  any  dangerous 
weapon — gold  and  silver  excepted — which  may  accompany  his 
person.  By  the  private  entrance  come  the  maskers,  male  and 
female.  The  Spanish  bandit,  with  his  high  tapering  hat,  orna- 
mented with  ribbons  ;  the  gipsy,  with  her  basket  and  cards  ; 
the  Bloomer,  bountiful  in  short  skirts  and  satin-covered  extremi- 
ties ;  the  ardent  young  militaire,  with  a  borrowed  uniform  and 
sparse  moustache,  which  requires,  like  swarming  bees,  the  assist- 
ance of  a  clattering  tin  kettle  to  congregate  the  scattered  por- 
tions ;  the  Swiss  ballad-singers,  with  their  hurdy-gurdy  and 
tambourine  ;  the  flaunting  Cyprian,  not  veiled  by  domino  or 
mask  ;  and  the  curious,  but  respectable  lady,  hidden  by  cloak 
and  false  visage.  There  is  the  Frenchman  in  a  fantastical  dress  ; 
a  Gallic  count  imitating  the  Yankee  ;  the  Yankee  affecting 
"  Aunty  Vermont  ; "  and  men  already  feeling  the  force  of  their 
libations,  affecting  sobriety. 

Now  the  band  commences,  the  bow  is  drawn,  the  breath 
blown,  and  domino  and  mask  are  whisked  about  into  the  midst 
of  the  dizzy  maze  by  the  Turk  who  has  forgotten  his  cimeter  ; 
the  Pole  who  has  nothing  of  Kosciusco  or  Poniatowski  except 
the  tall  cap  et  cetera  ;  the  Vermonter  imitating  a  courtier  of 
Charles  II.,  and  a  Bed  Bepublican   affecting  Silsbee  or  Dan 


668 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


Marble.  Away  they  whirl  through  the  waltz,  or  dash  along  the 
mazourka,  or  crash  away  promiscuously  in  the  gallopade.  Where 
there  are  no  masks  exercise  brings  no  new  rose  tint  nor  crimson 
to  the  soft  cheek — the  rouge  or  carmine  is  too  thick  for  that. 
The  music  draws  to  a  close  and  ends  with  a  grand  flourish.  Off 
to  the  bar  and  coffee  stand  go  the  maskers,  the  gentlemen  to 
treat,  the  others  to  be  treated.  So  a  few  hours  wear  away. 
The  potations  begin  to  operate,  the  violent  seek  rencontres,  old 
scores  are  to  be  settled,  and  new  quarrels  commenced.  Jea- 
lousy's eyes  take  a  greener  tinge  from  the  bottle  imp,  and  woman, 
forgetting  her  last  prerogative — gentleness — joins  the  ring  and 
gives  point  and  effect  to  feminine  oaths  by  the  use  of  feminine 
nails.  Gradually  the  room  is  thinned,  the  first  departing  being 
careful  to  select  the  finest  umbrellas.  And  when  daylight  comes, 
it  finds  the  usual  characteristics  of  such  "  banquet  hall  deserted." 
Such  is  a  slight  description  of  the  "  California  Exchange  "  in  the 
height  of  its  ball-day  glories,  where  in  one  night  thousands 
of  dollars  were  taken  for  tickets,  and  thousands  at  the  bar  for 
drinks. 

Another  scene.  See  yonder  house.  Its  curtains  are  of  the 
purest  white  lace  embroidered,  and  crimson  damask.  Go  in. 
All  the  fixtures  are  of  a  keeping,  most  expensive,  most  voluptu- 
ous, most  gorgeous,  the  favorite  ones  with  the  same  class  of  hu- 
manity, whose  dress  and  decorations  have  made  so  significant 
ever  since  the  name  of  their  city  and  trade,  "  Babylon."  It  is  a 
soiree  night.  The  "  lady  "  of  the  establishment  has  sent  most  po- 
lite invitations,  got  up  on  the  finest  and  most  beautifully  embossed 
note  paper,  to  all  the  principal  gentlemen  of  the  city,  including 
collector  of  the  port,  mayor,  aldermen,  judges  of  the  county,  and 
members  of  the  legislature.  A  splendid  band  of  music  is  in  at- 
tendance. Away  over  the  Turkey  or  Brussels  carpet  whirls  the 
politician  with  some  sparkling  beauty,  as  fair  as  frail ;  and  the 
judge  joins  in  and  enjoys  the  dance  in  company  with  the  beauti- 
ful but  lost  beings  whom,  to-morrow,  he  may  send  to  the  house 
of  correction.  Every  thing  is  conducted  with  the  utmost  pro- 
priety. Not  an  unbecoming  word  is  heard,  not  an  objectionable 
action  seen.  The  girls  are  on  their  good  behavior,  and  are  proud 
once  more  to  move  and  act  and  appear  as  ladies.    Did  you  not 


SOME  PHASES  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO  "  LIFE." 


669 


know,  you  would  not  suspect  that  you  were  in  one  of  those  dread- 
ful places  so  vividly  described  by  Solomon,  and  were  it  not  for 
the  great  proportion  of  beauty  present,  you  might  suppose  your- 
self in  a  salon  of  upper  tendom.  But  the  dance  is  over ;  now 
for  the  supper  table.  Every  thing  within  the  bounds  of  the  mar- 
ket and  the  skill  of  the  cook  and  confectioner,  is  before  you.  Op- 
posite and  by  your  side,  that  which  nor  cook  nor  confectioner's 
skill  have  made  what  they  are — checks  where  the  ravages  of 
dissipation  have  been  skilfully  hidden,  and  eyes  with  pristine 
brilliancy  undimmed,  or  even  heightened  by  the  spirit  of  the 
recent  champagne.  And  here  the  illusion  fades.  The  cham- 
pagne alone  is  paid  for.  The  soiree  has  cost  the  mistress  one 
thousand  dollars,  and  at  the  supper  and  during  the  night  she 
sells  twelve  dozen  of  champagne  at  ten  dollars  a  bottle  !  This 
is  a  literal  fact,  not  an  idea  being  a  draft  ivpon  the  imagination, 
or  decorated  with  the  colors  of  fancy.  No  loafers  present,  but 
the  male  ton  ;  vice  hides  herself  for  the  occasion,  and  staid  dignity 
bends  from  its  position  to  twine  a  few  flowers  of  social  pleasure 
around  the  heads  and  hearts  of  these  poor  outcasts  of  society. 

It  is  a  dark,  stormy,  dismal  evening  of  December,  '49. 
Few  places  save  the  gambling  saloons  are  comfortable.  Scarce  a 
fire  or  stove  can  be  found  elsewhere.  The  restaurant  where  you 
"  feed  "  is  at  best  but  a  skeleton  frame  of  strips  of  board  covered 
with  "  Lowells,"  through  which  the  rain  comes  down  in  misty 
particles  and  aggregated  streams.  There  is  no  fire  save  in  the 
kitchen.  Wood  is  forty  dollars  a  cord,  room  is  scarce,  company 
is  not  very  select,  and  you  go  any  where  else  for  change,  for  soci- 
ety, for  comfort,  for  heat.  Perhaps  it  is  the  night  for  your  "  chill," 
the  restaurant  is  also  a  bar-room,  its  floor  is  a  rush  mat  laid  upon 
the  ground,  and  on  this  in  your  bed  of  two  blankets  you  are  to 
sleep,  after  the  last  glass  of  liquor  has  been  sold,  not  before.  So 
you  escape  and  go  where  there  is  at  least  heat,  into  the  gambling 
saloon.  Look  on.  See  the  fever  as  it  rages.  Monte,  faro,  rou- 
lette, these  are  its  types,  and  the  sleek,  nimble-fingered  gentry 
who  sit  at  the  centre  of  each  side  of  the  table,  are  the  doctors 
who  prescribe.  Depletion  is  the  prescription  and  human  leeches 
the  remedy.  The  diagnosis  of  a  cool  observer  would  undoubtedly 
be  "  golden  lunacy." 


670 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


Hear  the  ring  of  silver,  the  clinking  of  gold,  the  shuffling  of 
cards,  the  rattling  of  dice,  the  call  of  the  gambler  at  his  table  of 
rouge  et  noir,  "  Make  your  bets,  gentlemen — the  game  is  made 
— five —  eleven — seventeen — twenty — twenty-four — twenty-nine 
— thirty-one — red  wins  ; "  hear  the  band  discoursing  exciting 
music,  fit  for  better  places  and  better  company  ;  breathe  the  oft- 
respired  air  which  has  passed  through  a  thousand  lungs,  and  is 
impregnated  with  a  hundred  diseases,  the  odors  of  villainous  rum, 
and  the  effluvia  of  a  furnace  of  cigars.  See  the  reckless  tempter 
of  fortune  pile  down  his  coin  and  dust  on  some  favorite  card,  and 
notice  how  adroitly  another  card  is  turned  or  dealt  ;  how  sum  by 
sum  passes  from  the  belt  and  buckskin  of  the  miner  into  the 
dealer's  pile,  until  the  earnings  of  months  have  left  the  laborer 
penniless.  With  empty  pockets  but  a  full  heart,  he  drinks  the 
potation  ordered  at  the  gambler's  expense,  and  rising  from  the 
table  walks  away.  To-morrow  morning  a  dead  body  will  be 
found  on  the  hill  side,  upon  which  his  own  hand  has  inflicted  the 
fatal  blow.  Do  you  ask  whose  is  that  poor  senseless  piece  of 
mortal  frailty  ?  From  an  entrance  into  such  a  hell  as  the  gam- 
bler's saloon,  is  it  so  far  morally  to  pecuniary  ruin,  and  from  that 
to  despair  and  suicide,  that  you  cannot  trace  the  course  of  him 
who  thus  goes  step  by  step  to  destruction  ?  That  dead  body  sat 
last  night  at  the  gambling  table,  trusted  the  cards,  dared  fortune, 
drunk  the  draught  of  intoxication,  grew  wild  with  the  dizzying 
fumes  about  him — and  there  he  is. 

Another  picture.  It  is  Sunday  afternoon.  Service  is  over 
at  church  and  "meeting  house."  The  Christian  who  went  to 
worship,  and  the  belle  whose  desire  was  to  excite  admiration, 
have  returned  home,  the  one  to  reflect  or  to  read,  and  the  other 
to  calculate  possible  triumphs,  or  to  coquette.  The  streets  are 
full  of  pleasure-seekers,  and  lovers  of  nature  and  art,  some  all 
listlessness,  feeling  like  him  in  the  play,  "  there's  nothing  in  it," 
others  all  attention,  and  finding  interest  in  every  thing.  Sud- 
denly from  the  piazza  of  an  old  adobe  on  the  plaza  arises  the 
voice  of  one  crying  in  the  wilderness.  He  "  raises  "  a  hymn  in  a 
voice  which  would  be  dreadful  in  its  power,  were  it  not  melodi- 
ous. Hark  !  You  may  hear  the  words  half  a  mile  off.  The 
city  hall  sends  back  the  echo  like  a  sounding  board.    You  may 


SOME  PHASES  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO  "  LIFE."  671 


stand  at  the  foot  of  Merchant  street  and  distinguish  every  sen- 
tence : 

"The  chariot!  the  chariot!  its  wheels  roll  in  fire  !  " 

Had  the  vehicle  spoken  of  really  rolled  over  the  planked  streets 
of  the  city,  it  is  doubtful  if  the  tumult  of  its  lumbering  wheels 
could  have  drowned  the  voice  of  him  who  was  thus  describing  in 
thunder-like  music,  its  advent,  and  the  supposed  dust  it  would 
raise.  Nothing  short  of  the  whistle  of  a  railroad  could  expect  to 
make  head  against  that  tornado  of  musical 'praise. 

That  voice  at  once  arrests  attention.  The  loiterer  turns 
aside  from  his  careless  walk,  stops,  and  listens.  The  miner 
in  his  slouched  hat  and  high  boots,  hears  the  sounds  of  worship, 
recollects  the  day,  thinks  of  the  home  and  the  dear  ones  far  away, 
and  of  the  hours  when  he  too  worshipped  with  them  in  the  old 
church  pew,  in  the  country  town,  with  the  graves  of  the  rude 
forefathers  of  the  village  visible  from  the  spot  where  he  sat ;  the 
old  elms  bending  gracefully  beneath  the  weight  of  years  and  foli- 
age over  the  dust  of  those  who  planted  them  ;  and  where  he 
listened  to  the  trembling  words  of  the  gray-haired  old  clergyman 
as  he  read,  or  spake  from  that  old-fashioned  pulpit,  and  he  joins 
the  motley  crowd.  The  loafing  Mexican  arouses  from  his  reverie 
and  the  smoke  of  his  cigarette,  gives  an  extra  puff  from  his  nos- 
trils, throws  his  variegated  serape  over  his  left  shoulder,  leans 
against  the  fence,  and  listens  to  words  which  he  does  not  under- 
stand, smokes  the  weed  which  he  does  understand,  and  thinks  of 
some  padre  to  whom  he  confessed  a  long,  long  time  ago.  John 
Chinaman  passes  along,  and  seeing  books,  and  being  of  a  literary 
turn,  ceases  to  jabber  in  the  language  of  Confucius,  joins  the 
outskirts  of  the  company,  and  risks  the  integrity  of  his  yard-long 
queue  among  the  "  outside  barbarians."  The  Malay,  with  his 
red,  pointed  cap,  stops  a  moment  to  wonder,  and  perhaps  forgets 
awhile  the  well-known  trade  of  piracy  when  listening  to  a  gospel 
which  he  cannot  comprehend.  It  is  not  long  ere  there  is  a 
sufficient  audience.  The  singing  has  brought  together  the  con- 
gregation. There  is  room  enough  for  all.  There  are  no  cush- 
ioned pews,  standing  room  is  free,  and  the  plaza  fence  is  picketed 
by  a  continuous  row  of  listeners.  The  worship  progresses. 
Prayer,  singing,  reading  of  the  Scriptures,  text  and  sermon  follow. 


672 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


All  can  hear,  all  can  see — there  is  no  sexton  nor  usher,  nor  is 
one  needed.  It  is  a  primitive  service,  very  earnest,  and  by  no 
means  ridiculous. 

There  may  be  more  than  one  opinion  respecting  street  preach- 
ing in  cities,  and  even  in  San  Francisco  many  condemn  it.  But 
there  can  be  but  one  opinion  as  to  the  sincerity  of  the  Kev.  Mr. 
Taylor  ;  and  probably  there  are  few  who  will  not  admit  that  he 
has  exerted  a  very  great  influence  upon  the  wandering  masses, 
recalling  them  often  when  they  least  expect  it,  to  a  recollection 
of  the  days  when  they  worshipped  in  their  native  villages,  when 
life  was  younger,  and  hope  fresher,  the  thoughts  purer,  and  the 
heart  lighter,  and  thus  putting  before  their  downhill  wheels  a  trig 
to  save  them  from  ruin. 

Another  scene.  It  is  New  Year's  Day.  God  made  this  day 
— there  can  be  no  dispute  upon  that  head.  You  might  submit 
it  to  the  city  council,  and  they  would  not  smother  the  remnant 
of  their  religion  by  a  denial.  The  Legislature  at  Benicia  would 
be  truthful  for  once,  and  answer  "  aye."  You  might  ask  all  San 
Francisco,  and  no  chairman  would  be  needed  to  put  it  to  vote, 
no  clerk  to  record  the  ballot.  Nothing  short  of  Divinity  could 
have  done  it.  The  aroma  of  heaven  in  springtime  comes  floating 
upon  the  air.  It  is  as  bracing  as  the  cool  north-west  winds  which 
kiss  the  bright  waters  of  Casco  Bay,  as  mild  as  the  Indian  sum- 
mer which  lies  like  a  silken  mantle  over  the  landscapes  of  Louis- 
iana. Italy  might  breathe  it  with  a  deep  and  delightful  respira- 
tion, and  believe  it  that  which  visits  Naples  or  the  Tiber.  Switz- 
erland might  feel  stronger  with  its  inspiration,  and  think  it  a 
zephyr  coming  down  from  the  glaciers*,  warmed  into  tepidity  by 
the  genial  plains,  while  basking  in  the  smiles  and  warmth  of 
spring. 

There  is  nothing  blue  this  day,  save  the  skies,  and  every  thing 
puts  on  a  robe  of  golden  beauty,  colored  in  the  sunlight,  and 
bordered  on  the  edges  of  the  day  with  trimmings  of  stars. 
Nature's  great  face  wears  a  smile  as  irresistible  as  that  of  the 
girl  you  love  most  dearly.  One  cannot  but  feel  its  influence,  for 
it  seems  spread  out  every  where.  The  lowlands  are  alive  with 
glory.  Over  the  hill  tops  the  light  comes  and  goes  in  flashes  and 
streams  of  wondrous  brilliance.    The  lazy  breezes  stoop  down 


SOME  PHASES  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO  "  LIFE."  673 

to  the  laughing  waters  as  they  pass,  and  the  amorous  waves  pout 
up  their  moist  lips  to  the  kisses  of  the  wooer. 

On  goes  the  day  in  its  joyousness,  full  of  a  gusn  of  sentiment, 
as  if  the  elements  themselves  sympathize  with  human  hearts, 
and  are  determined  to  have  a  lark  on  New  Year's  Day.  The 
sun  smiles  unusually  cosy  from  every  pore  of  his  jolly  face.  The 
dull  earth  awakens  like  Eve  from  her  first  sleep,  and  is  bathed  in 
blushes  to  find  herself  so  beautiful.  The  bay  lies  around  the 
hem  of  our  city's  robe  of  beauty,  like  a  spaniel  at  the  foot  of  his 
master,  and  the  ships,  resting  like  swans  on  a  sea  of  silver,  swing 
leisurely  with  the  tide,  and  like  the  ladies,  await  calls. 

All  maledom  empties  into  the  streets — all  ladydom  remains 
at  home.  It  is  a  gala  day,  a  holiday,  a  day  for  polishing  anew  the 
chain  of  friendship  and  interlocking  the  links  of  love.  It  is  a 
practical  New  Year's  Day,  one  set  apart  to  repair  any  omission 
or  error  of  the  year  which  has  passed.  It  is  like  the  merry 
march  with  which  the  returning  funeral  band  spirits  off  the  sad 
thoughts  which  the  recent  burial  excited.  The  old  year  has  been 
laid  with  his  white  beard  in  the  tomb,  and  every  body  is  haj>py  to 
enjoy  the  smiles  of  the  new  comer. 

Oh  !  it  is  a  lovely  babe — one  upon  which  its  parent  may  look 
with  pride,  satisfaction  and  hope.  It  seems  a  spark  struck  off 
from  the  great  wheel  of  ages  by  the  revolutions  of  time — one  of 
the  sands  in  his  glass  changed  to  gold.  The  streets  are  full  of 
joy  in  the  persons  of  splendidly  dressed  men  on  their  tour  of 
friendship,  acquaintance,  or  love,  who  seem  almost  to  forget  the 
outdoor  glories,  in  anticipations  of  those  who  preside  over  the 
domestic  hospitalities.  Bright  and  cheering  as  is  the  sunlight 
without,  are  the  smiles  within  door,  and  soft  as  the  balmy  air 
are  the  words  breathed  by  the  festive  board. 

There  is  pleasure  in  the  streets  and  on  the  hills  ;  there  is  hap- 
piness within  the  dwelling.  Hearts  swell  more  joyously — blood 
flows  through  artery  and  vein  with  a  wilder  delight.  Friendship 
goes  on  foot,  aristocracy  on  wheels,  love  on  wings.  Friendship 
smiles,  love  sighs,  snob  swells.  'Tis  a  good  time,  a  grand  time, 
a  happy  time.  Old  friendships  grow  nearer,  love  grows  stronger, 
snob  becomes  a  little  less  stately — all  harmonizing  by  humaniz- 
ing. There's  nothing  like  association.  It  is  the  sand-paper 
43 


674 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


which  rubs  down  nature's  asperities,  the  burnisher  which  polishes 
the  rough  surface  of  society,  the  brush  which  applies  the  last 
varnish. 

Therefore,  long  live  the  poetic  and  delightful  custom  of  New 
Year's  calls.  There  is  not  a  spot  on  earth  where  it  could  be  of 
greater  service,  not  a  region  where  the  climate  would  so  accord 
with  the  custom.  Business  eats  up  intercourse  like  a  cancer, 
and  isolation  is  to  the  character  like  salt  water  to  the  old  iron  of 
the  wrecked  ship,  corroding  and  rusting  it.  A  custom  which 
causes  pleasant  associations  and  sympathies  is  like  oil  on  the 
surface  of  steel,  keeping  it  bright.  'Tis  the  stamp  on  the  guinea 
of  society,  giving  new  beauty  to  its  gold.  Let  New  Year's  Day, 
then,  be  our  mint  to  coin  anew  pleasant  feelings,  and  turn  into 
double-eagles  the  rough  bullion  of  life. 


The  old  School-house  on  Portsmouth  Square. 


PUBLIC  SCHOOLS. 

The  surest  guarantee  of  the  continuance  of  any  liberal  govern- 
ment is  the  early  and  proper  education  of  its  youth.  Mankind 
are  prone  to  lose  sight  of  the  mutability  of  the  human  race,  and 
to  forget  that  adult  life  is  but  one  of  the  seven  stages  in  their 
brief  career,  for  all  of  which  the  world  exists  alike  ;  and  that, 
after  a  short  cycle,  each,  like  the  pieces  on  the  chess-board,  will 
have  reached  his  highest  post,  whether  he  be  pawn,  bishop, 
knight  or  queen.  Popular  governments,  unless  sustained  by  an 
educated  community,  will  change  :  hereditary  monarchies  require 
no  firmer  basis  than  the  ignorant  dependence  on  traditionary 
right,  and  the  determination  to  endure  and  transmit  that  which 
had  been  endured  and  transmitted.  The  wisdom  of  our  own 
successful  system  has  recognized  the  necessity  of  a  general  dif- 
fusion of  education,  and  our  youth  enter  manhood  not  to  be  the 
blind  followers  of  parvenu  demagogues,  but  boldly  and  justly 


676 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


to  determine  questions  of  right  and  polity  within  their  senate- 
houses,  and  to  practise  those  principles  of  politics  and  ethics 
that  have  been  inculcated  at  their  public  schools.  It  is  an  essen- 
tial element  in  the  happiness  of  every  man,  of  whatever  station, 
to  secure  the  welfare  of  his  offspring,  and  to  furnish  them  with 
better  implements  for  the  task  they  have  before  them,  than  he 
himself  had  ;  and  this  duty  the  Anglo-Saxon  observes  beyond 
any  other.  Living  less  for  the  present,  than  the  indolent  dreamer 
pf  the  tropics,  or  the  ignorant  northern  barbarian  ;  with  passions 
subservient  to  mind,  and  inclinations  subordinate  to  will,  he  is 
energetic,  every  where  looking  to  the  social  elevation  of  his  race, 
and  its  continuance  throughout  the  future.  Even  amid  the  wild, 
brigandic  confusion  reigning  on  the  Pacific  coast,  where  dazzling 
scenes  and  gorgeous  changes  embodied  Aladdin's  imagined  splen- 
dors ;  where  excitement  fevered  every  pulse,  and  made  of  men 
the  genii  doing  the  biddings  of  the  mighty  master  ;  where  passion, 
avarice  and  cupidity  were  dominant,  one  of  the  earliest  measures 
proposed,  was  the  establishment  of  appropriate  educational  facili- 
ties. These  attempts  were  at  first  imperfect,  and  possessed  more 
of  a  private  than  a  public  character.  Legislative  action  is  always 
slow.  However  anxious  and  ardent  men  may  be  for  reform,  here 
as  elsewhere,  they  seize  the  golden  opportunity  of  power,  and 
sacrifice  mutual  interests  to  individual  aggrandizement.  There 
were  few  children  in  the  new  State,  but  few  wives  or  women,  yet 
the  community  was  composed  of  men,  with  more  of  greatness  of 
mind  and  goodness  of  heart  beneath  the  rugged  coats  of  the 
miner  or  the  shaggy-haired  trader  in  ounces,  than  those  whom 
the  monkey-god  of  fashion  had  beautified  in  other  lands.  Hence, 
the  progress  of  the  school  system  towards  perfection,  in  this  city, 
has  been  unexampled,  and  its  present  successful  practical  work- 
ings are  subjects  of  the  highest  pride  and  gratulation  to  its  in- 
habitants. San  Francisco  has  skipped  through  or  over  its  colo- 
nial stage,  and  grown  from  hamlet  to  village,  from  village  to 
town,  and  from  town  to  city — from  the  little  school-house  in  the 
forest  to  the  brick  village  building  with  a  bell,  to  the  orderly, 
well  arranged  grammar-school,  and  the  dignified  and  stately 
university.  It  has  burst  upon  the  world — a  new  star  in  the  fir- 
mament of  glories — the  Adam  of  a  new  creation.    Its  history 


PUBLIC  SCHOOLS. 


677 


has  no  centuries  of  toil :  its  stages  were  ephemeral.  There  was 
a  fierce  struggle  of  intellect  with  passion — three  days  of  battle 
and  pillage — and  a  glorious  victory  of  man's  high  estate.  Here, 
improvements,  begun  elsewhere,  are  perfected,  and  that  done 
rapidly,  which  has  been  gained  slowly.  The  schools  here  are  not 
inferior  to  the  world-renowned  and  years-old  systems  of  Pennsyl- 
vania and  the  Eastern  States.  The  minor  details  yet  want  much 
of  completion  ;  but  the  unanimous  wish  of  the  people  has  already 
been  so  decidedly  spoken,  and  men  of  such  acknowledged  talents 
have  devoted  their  energies  to  the  task,  that  we  need  not  fear 
that  existing  defects  will  continue  to  interfere  with  its  success. 

The  first  American  school  in  San  Francisco,  and  we  believe 
in  California,  was  a  merely  private  enterprise.  It  was  opened 
by  a  Mr.  Marston  from  one  of  the  Atlantic  States,  in  April,  1847, 
in  a  small  shanty  which  stood  on  the  block  between  Broadway 
and  Pacific  street,  west  of  Dupont  street.  There  he  collected 
some  twenty  or  thirty  pupils,  whom  he  continued  to  teach  for 
almost  a  whole  year,  his  patrons  paying  for  tuition.  He  was  not 
remarkable  for  his  education,  and,  indeed,  possessed  none  of  the 
qualifications  requisite  in  one  of  his  calling. 

The  people  of  the  town  at  length  saw  the  necessity  of  some 
public  movement  to  secure  to  their  children  a  fit  education,  and 
late  in  1847,  they  built  a  school-house,  a  representation  of  which 
heads  this  article,  on  the  south-west  corner  of  Portsmouth  Square, 
fronting  on  Clay  street  where  it  is  now  joined  by  Brenham  Place. 
Insignificant  as  the  building  appears,  it  was  destined  to  subserve 
more  useful  purposes  than  any  other  that  has  been  erected  in  the 
city,  and  should  have  been  preserved  as  one  of  its  most  valued 
relics.  Its  history  was  almost  an  epitome  of  that  of  the  curious 
people  who  built  it.  Every  new  enterprise  found  here  a  heating 
oven  to  warm  the  egg  into  successful  hatching.  Here  churches 
held  their  first  meetings  ;  and  here  the  first  public  amusements 
were  given.  It  was  the  assembly  room  of  the  early  gatherings 
of  Odd-Fellows  and  other  benevolent  associations  ;  and  a  univer- 
sal public  hall  for  political,  military,  and  almost  every  other  de- 
scription of  meeting.  It  was  dignified  as  a  court-house  under 
Judge  Almond,  designated  as  an  institute  at  another  period, 
and  at  length  degraded  to  a  police-office  and  a  station-house. 


678 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


Not  a  vestige,  however,  of  the  old  relic  now  i-emains,  and  its 
site  is  only  recognized  by  the  thousand  cherished  associations 
that  hover  like  spirits  around  its  unmarked  grave. 

On  the  21st  February,  1848,  a  town  meeting  was  called  for 
the  election  of  a  board  of  school  trustees,  and  Dr.  F.  Fourgeaud, 
Dr.  J.  Townsend,  C.  L.  Ross,  J.  Serrine  and  Wm,  H.  Davis, 
Esqs.  were  chosen.  On  the  3d  of  April  following,  these  trustees 
opened  a  school  in  the  building  just  erected,  under  the  charge  of 
Mr.  Thomas  Douglas,  A.M.,  a  graduate  of  Yale  College,  and  an 
experienced  teacher,  of  high  reputation.  The  board  pledged 
him  a  salary  of  one  thousand  dollars  per  annum,  and  fixed  a 
tariff  of  tuition  to  aid  towards  its  payment ;  and  the  town 
council,  afterwards,  to  make  up  any  deficiency,  "  appropriated 
to  the  payment  of  the  teacher  of  the  public  school  in  this  place, 
two  hundred  dollars  at  the  expiration  of  twelve  months  from  the 
commencement  of  the  school."  Soon  after  this,  Mr.  Marston 
discontinued  his  private  school,  and  Mr.  Douglas  collected  some 
forty  pupils.  Prior  to  opening  the  school,  the  trustees  had 
taken  a  census  of  the  town,  and  ascertained  that  the  population 
was  something  over  eight  hundred  (including  Indians),  of  which 
four  hundred  and  seventy-three  were  males,  one  hundred  and 
seventy-seven  females,  and  sixty  children  of  suitable  ages  for 
school  ;  the  remainder  being  youths  over  sixteen  and  infants 
under  five  years.  Eight  months  previously  the  population  num- 
bered three  hundred  and  seventy-five. 

The  public  school  prospered  and  increased  for  eight  or  ten 
weeks,  when  it  received  a  sudden  and  unforeseen  check.  The 
accounts  from  the  interior  had  lately  been  of  the  most  favorable 
character.  Rumors  of  immense  and  rapidly  acquired  fortunes, 
but  above  all,  the  exhibition  of  specimens  of  the  precious  oro, 
drove  the  whole  population  to  such  an  intensity  of  excitement, 
that  it  resulted  in  a  general  stampede  of  men,  women,  and  chil- 
dren for  the  "  mines,''  leaving  the  teacher  minus  pupils,  minus 
trustees  and  town  council,  and  minus  tuition  and  salary.  He, 
therefore,  locked  the  school-house,  and  shouldering  his  pick  and 
pan,  himself  started  for  the  "  diggins."  In  the  general  scramble 
for  gold,  the  school  enterprise  was  for  a  time  forgotten,  and  the 
education  of  the  children,  who  were  increasing  in  number  by 


PUBLIC  SCHOOLS. 


679 


immigration,  was  wholly  neglected  until  April  23d,  1849,  when 
Rev.  Albert  Williams,  pastor  of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church, 
obtained  the  use  of  the  public  school-house,  and  opened  a  pri- 
vate school,  charging  tuition.  He  gathered  some  twenty- five 
pupils,  and  continued  teaching  until  September  20th,  when,  on 
account  of  the  increased  demand  upon  his  ministerial  services, 
the  school  was  suspended. 

Late  in  the  autumn  of  1849,  Mr.  J.  C.  Pelton  arrived  from 
Massachusetts,  and  on  December  26th  opened  a  school  with  three 
pupils  in  the  Baptist  Church,  on  Washington  street,  which  was 
generously  furnished  to  him  by  that  society,  free  of  rent.  He 
fitted  up  the  church  with  the  necessary  writing  tables  at  his  own 
expense,  made  no  charge,  but,  for  several  months  depended  upon 
voluntary  subscriptions  and  donations,  and  the  profits  on  the 
sale  of  school  books  (a  lot  of  which  he  had  brought  with  him  and 
which  he  furnished  to  the  pupils),  for  his  compensation,  and  that 
of  Mrs.  Pelton,  who  assisted  him.  In  the  spring  of  1850,  he 
applied  to  the  city  council  for  relief,  and  from  that  time  until  he 
closed  his  school  late  in  the  summer  of  1851,  his  services  and 
those  of  his  wife  were  recompensed  from  the  city  treasury  by  a 
salary  of  $500  per  month.  This  was  at  one  time  the  only 
school  in  the  city,  and  numbered  one  hundred  and  fifty  pupils  in 
regular  attendance,  and  as  it  was  chiefly  supported  from  the 
public  funds,  was  called  a  public  school,  although  the  city  coun- 
cil had  nothing  to  do  with  its  organization  or  management.  In 
1850,  the  original  public  school-house  on  Portsmouth  Square  was 
Vandalised.  The  only  monument  of  the  early  educational  taste 
and  enterprise  of  the  toivn  was  demolished  by  order  of  the  city, 
on  the  ground  that  the  old  building  marred  the  beauty  of  the 
plaza,  which,  by  the  by,  has  to  this  day  been  used  as  a  public 
corral  foi  the  accommodation  and  sale  of  cattle  and  horses. 

In  the  mean  time  several  other  schools  were  started,  among 
them  Mr.  Osborn's  Select  School,  which  was  particularly  patron- 
ized by  the  Presbyterian  Church ;  Rev.  Mr.  Preveaux's  San 
Francisco  Academy,  under  the  management  of  persons  belong- 
ing to  the  Baptist  Church ;  Dr.  Ver  Mehr's  Episcopal  Parish 
School ;  and  several  small  primary  schools  in  different  portions  of 
the  city. 


680 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


In  June,  1850,  Col.  T.  J.  Nevins,  then  the  agent  of  the 
American  Tract  Society  for  this  coast,  applied  to  Messrs.  Melius 
&  Howard,  and  obtained  the  free  use  of  a  building  in  Happy 
Valley  near  where  Mission  and  Second  streets  now  intersect,  for 


Col.  T.  J.  Nevins,  first  Superintendent  of  Public-Schools. 


school  purposes,  employing  Mr.  Samuel  Newton,  from  Connec- 
ticut, as  teacher,  who  opened,  July  13th,  and  conducted  a  school 
a  few  months,  until  he  left  for  the  east,  when  his  place  was,  for 
a  short  time,  supplied  first  by  Mr.  Lewellyn  Rogers,  a  young  gen- 
tleman, and  subsequently  by  Mr.  Cooley  and  Mr.  Hyde,  who  took 
charge  of  it,  until  the  spring  or  summer  of  1851,  at  which  time 
it  was  suspended.  This  school  was  originally  supported  chiefly 
by  voluntary  contributions,  but  near  its  close  the  common  council 
voted  an  appropriation  for  the  relief  of  the  teachers.  It  was 
therefore  called  the  "Happy  Valley  Public  School."    From  a 


PUBLIC  SCHOOLS. 


681 


small  beginning  it  had  increased  to  nearly  two  hundred  pupils, 
and  was  the  foundation  of  the  school  afterwards  established  in 
the  same  building,  under  the  Free  School  Ordinance.  In  Jan- 
uary, 1851,  Col.  Nevins  procured  a  fifty-vara  lot,  at  Spring 
Valley,  on  the  Presidio  Road,  and  erected,  principally  at  private 
expense,  a  large  and  convenient  building,  employed  a  teacher, 
and  opened  a  free  school,  which  during  the  first  quarter  was  sus- 
tained wholly  by  voluntary  contribution.  A  small  tuition  fee 
was  afterwards  paid  by  the  patrons  of  the  school  until  the  pas- 
sage of  the  ordinance  above  referred  to,  when  the  house  and  lot 
was  leased  to  the  city  for  free  school  purposes,  for  ninety-nine 
years,  for  a  rent  of  less  than  seven  hundred  dollars  for  the  whole 
time,  being  about  fifty-seven  cents  per  month.  The  situation  is 
delightful,  being  shaded  by  a  grove  of  evergreens,  on  a  magnifi- 
cent road,  and  sufficiently  removed  from  the  noise  and  bustle  of 
the  living  mass,  to  prevent  their  interference  with  useful  study. 
Until  the  spring  of  1854,  it  was  the  only  school-house  owned  by 
the  city.  All  the  other  buildings  occupied  for  public  educational 
purposes  were  subject  to  a  ruinous  monthly  rent. 

So  soon  as  the  city  government  had  been  fully  organized  and 
put  in  harmonious  operation,  measures  were  adopted  for  the 
establishment  of  a  better  system  of  popular  instruction.  In  the 
summer  of  1851,  the  boards  of  aldermen  appointed  a  committee 
on  education,  at  whose  request  Col.  Nevins  prepared  a  bill  for 
"  the  establishment,  regulation,  and  support  of  free  common 
schools  in  the  city,"  which  without  alteration,  was  passed  by  the 
common  council,  and  became  a  law  on  the  25th  of  September 
following.  This  ordinance  divides  the  city  into  seven  school  dis- 
tricts, and  provides  for  the  erection  and  establishment  of  a  free 
school  in  each  district,  making  these  schools  public  and  free  to 
all  children  and  youths  between  the  ages  of  four  and  eighteen 
years,  within  the  respective  districts,  and  forbids  in  their  control 
all  sectarian  influence  or  interference.  It  makes  provision  for 
raising  a  "  Common  School  Fund,"  and  for  the  proper  employ- 
ment of  the  same  ;  for  the  annual  election  by  the  common  coun- 
cil, of  a  board  of  education,  to  consist  of  one  alderman,  one 
assistant  alderman,  two  citizens,  and  the  mayor,  who  is  ex  officio 
a  member  and  the  president  of  the  board  ;  and  for  the  regular 


682 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


tion  of  salaries  and  other  expenditures.  It  gives  to  the  board 
of  education  the  whole  charge  of  the  public  schools,  and  em- 
powers them  to  elect  a  superintendent  of  the  schools,  and  erect 
or  purchase  necessary  buildings  for  school  purposes  ;  details  the 
duties  of  the  superintendent,  who  is  the  general  executive  officer 
and  clerk  of  the  board  of  education ;  constitutes  the  superin- 
tendent and  any  two  members  of  the  board,  a  committee  for  the 
examination  of  teachers,  who  cannot  be  employed  until  examined 
by  such  a  committee  ;  exacts  a  quarterly  report  from  the  super- 
intendent to  the  board,  and  an  annual  report  from  the  board 
to  the  common  council,  of  the  condition  of  the  schools  ;  and 
requires  a  quarterly  meeting  of  the  superintendent  and  teachers, 
to  examine  and  discuss  the  best  methods  of  imparting  instruc- 
tion and  of  conducting  the  schools  to  the  greatest  advantage. 

In  accordance  with  the  school  ordinance,  of  which  the  fore- 
going are  a  few  of  its  many  excellent  provisions,  the  common 
council,  early  in  October  1851,  elected  by  joint  ballot,  a  board 
of  education,  consisting  of  Hon.  Charles  J.  Brenham,  Alderman 
Charles  L.  Ross,  Assistant  Alderman  Joseph  F.  Atwill,  General 
John  Wilson,  and  Henry  E.  Lincoln,  Esq.,  who,  on  the  21st  of 
October,  appointed  Colonel  T.  J.  Nevins  superintendent  of  the 
schools  and  clerk  of  the  board. 

At  this  time  the  city  had  no  school-house  accommodations 
on  rent  or  otherwise.  The  first  duty  of  the  superintendent, 
therefore,  was  to  procure  and  fit  up  buildings  in  suitable  loca- 
tions, an  undertaking  of  great  labor  and  difficulty.  Every  build- 
ing was  occupied,  and  no  funds  were  provided  for  any  expense 
beyond  the  rents,  temporary  accommodations  and  salaries.  After 
considerable  necessary  delay,  these  obstacles  were  overcome,  and 
schools  opened  to  the  public.  The  situations  and  number  of 
schools,  teachers,  etc.,  at  the  close  of  the  tenth  quarter,  May 
1st,  1854,  were  as  follows  : — 

District  No.  1,  Rincon  Point. — Established  January  8th,  1852.  Located 
corner  of  First  and  Folsom  streets.  Comprising  a  Primary  and  Grammar 
School.    Teachers: — Mr.  J.  Sweet  and  Miss  Rebecca  W.  Foster. 

District  No.  2.  Happy  Valley. — November  17th,  1851.  Corner  of  Bush 
and  Stockton  streets.  Primary  and  Grammar.  Teachers  : — Mr.  Jas.  Denman, 
Miss  Anna  E.  Sandford,  Mrs.  E.  Wright.  Mrs.  J.  A.  Hazleton,  and  Miss 
Kennedy. 


PUBLIC  SCHOOLS. 


683 


District  No.  3,  Central— December  22d,  1852.  Washington  street, 
between  Stockton  and  Dupont  streets.  Primary  and  Grammar.  Teachers: — 
Air.  E.  EL  Holmes,  Miss  A.  C.  Park.  Miss  Harriet  A.  Hancke.  and  Miss  Mary 
S.  Haynes. 

District  No.  4,  Clark's  Point. — June  7th.  1852.  Corner  of  Broadway 
and  Montgomery  street.  Primary  and  Grammar.  Teachers : — Mr.  Ahira 
Holmes.  Miss  Sophronia  Allyne.  and  Miss  E.  A.  Pomeroy. 

District  No.  5,  North  Beach. — November  19th,  1851.  Washington 
Square.  Primary  and  Grammar.  Teachers: — Mr.  H.  P.  Carlton  and  Mrs. 
Olive  P.  Cudworth. 

District  No.  6,  Spring  Valley. — February  9th,  1852.  Mixed  School. 
Teacher: — Mr.  Joseph  C.  Morrill. 

District  No.  7.  Mission  Dolores. — May  10th,  1852.  Mixed.  Teacher:— 
Miss  Clara  B.  Walbridge. 

The  following  teachers  have  been  from  time  to  time  employed  in  the  schools 
and  left  by  resignation : — Miss  Mary  S.  Libby,  Miss  I.  II.  Hudson.  Mrs.  S.  A. 
Hazlcton,  Mrs.  E.  Hyde.  Mr.  Joel  H.  Tracey,  Mr.  F.  E.  Jones.  Mrs.  E.  W. 
Baldwin.  Miss  Gertrude  Brown.  Mr.  Silas  Weston,  Mr.  W.  H.  O'Grady.  Mr. 
Asa  W.  Cole.  Mr.  Alfred  Rix,  Miss  Marietta  Chadsey.  Miss  Helen  M.  Allyne. 
Miss  E.  Durgin.  Dr.  Stillman  Holmes.  Miss  Marion  Bain,  Miss  Clara  M. 
Silsbee,  Miss  A.  W.  Mil  bury,  and  Sefior  Jose  Parra,  teacher  of  Spanish. 

These  schools  have  hitherto  been  supported  solely  by  city 
taxation,  and  the  whole  expense  incurred  to  the  date  (May  1854), 
independent  of  the  cost  of  building  new  school-houses,  has  been 
about  §75,000,  which  has  been  expended  in  rents,  the  fitting  up 
of  proper  houses,  salaries  and  incidental  expenses.  Male  teachers 
receive  §150  per  month  ;  females,  §100.  During  the  first  year, 
the  superintendent  was  paid  §1200  per  year,  but  since  then  .his 
salary  has  been  §2400. 

On  the  1st  of  February,  1852,  the  superintendent  made  his 
first  quarterly  report,  from  which  it  appeared  that  485  pupils  had 
attended  the  five  schools  then  organized.  Nine  months  after- 
wards, at  the  end  of  the  first  school  year  (Nov.  1st  1852),  there 
were  791  at  school,  while  the  census  stated  the  number  residing 
in  the  city,  between  the  ages  of  four  and  eighteen,  to  be  2050 
By  August  1st,  1853,  the  end  of  the  seventh  quarter,  the  pupils 
had  increased  to  1364,  and  at  the  end  of  the  second  year  (Nov. 
1st,  1853),  there  were  1399  at  school,  the  whole  number  of 
children  in  the  city  being  2730.  In  the  beginning  of  the  ensu- 
ing year,  the  whole  attendance  at  all  the  schools  amounted  only 
*i  1 178.    This  decrease  was  owino-  partly  to  its  b«ing  the  rainy 


684 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


season,  and  partly  to  the  want  of  rooms  sufficiently  large  to  accom- 
modate the  children.  This  latter  difficulty  is  now  being  rapidly 
removed.  Mr.  William  H.  O'Grady,  who  succeeded  Col.  Nevins 
as  superintendent  in  Oct.  1853,  in  his  report  of  the  ninth  quarter, 
ending  February  1st,  1854,  gave  the  number  of  scholars  to  be 
1453,  while  the  number  of  children  in  the  city  of  suitable  ages 
for  the  schools  had  increased  to  more  than  3000.  At  the  close 
of  the  tenth  quarter,  May  1st,  1854,  there  were  in  actual  attend- 
ance, 1574  scholars,  of  whom  901  were  boys,  and  673  girls,  an 
increase  of  120  over  the  last  quarter. 

In  September,  1852,  the  superintendent  selected  and  pro- 
cured to  be  reserved  by  the  commissioners  of  the  funded  debt, 
from  auction  sale  of  city  property,  the  following  school  sites, 
which,  November  4th  following,  were  set  apart  by  an  ordinance 
of  the  common  council  for  school  purposes  ;  viz.,  100-vara  lots, 
Nos.  128,  corner  of  Market  and  Fifth  streets  ;  174,  corner  of 
Harrison  and  Fourth  streets  ;  258,  corner  of  Harris  and  Folsom 
streets ;  and  50-vara  lots  Nos.  301,  corner  of  Bush  and  Stockton 
streets  ;  345,  corner  of  California  and  Mason  streets  ;  462,  corner 
of  Kearny  and  Filbert  streets  ;  663,  corner  of  Taylor  and  Vallejo 
streets  ;  695,  corner  of  Francisco  and  Stockton  streets  ;  and  732, 
corner  of  Harrison  and  Fremont  streets. 

On  school  lot  No.  301  a  fine  two-story  brick  building,  capable 
of  seating  three  hundred  and  thirty  pupils,  has  been  greeted  at 
a  cost  of  $21,000,  and  was  formally  dedicated,  June  12th,  1854. 
This  school  was  heretofore  held  in  the  house  on  Bush  street  be- 
tween Montgomery  and  Sansome  streets,  and  is,  in  fact,  the  continu- 
ance of  the  old  Happy  Valley  School,  which  was  made  a  part  of  the 
public  school  system  in  1851,  and  of  which  Mr.  Denman  was  the 
first  and  is  yet  the  teacher.  The  foundation  of  a  new  and  large 
school-house,  capable  of  accommodating  six  hundred  children, 
has  been  laid  on  Telegraph  Hill,  in  the  4th  district.  Another 
has  been  commenced  at  the  corner  of  Stockton  and  Francisco 
streets,  on  lot  No.  695,  in  the  5th  district ;  and  it  is  intended 
to  erect  one  on  Rincon  Point  in  the  1st  district,  one  in  the  3d 
district,  and  probably  a  second  one  in  the  2d  district  midway  be- 
tween the  Rincon  and  the  school  just  completed.  Ere  long  there 
will  be  no  lack  of  well  constructed  and  well  situated  buildings 


PUBLIC  SCHOOLS. 


685 


for  the  children  to  meet  in,  and  then  a  much  larger  attendance 
may  he  expected.  Squatters  on  lots  Nos.  663  and  301  have 
occasioned  much  trouble  and  perplexity,  and  it  is  probable  that 
school  sites  for  the  other  buildings  will  have  to  be  purchased, 
owing  to  these  incumbrances  on  the  property  originally  granted 
by  the  city. 

Besides  the  seven  public  schools,  there  are  in  San  Francisco, 
twenty-seven  private  schools,  with  an  attendance  of  947  pupils, 
of  whom  404  are  boys,  and  543  girls,  and  who  are  under  the 
direction  of  44  teachers.  The  aggregate  number  of  schools  in 
the  city  is  now  34  ;  the  whole  number  of  teachers  62,  20  being 
male,  and  42  female  ;  and  the  total  number  of  scholars,  1305 
boys  and  1216  girls,  or  in  all  2521,  about  seventy  per  cent,  of 
all  the  children  over  four  years  of  age  in  the  place.  In  five  of 
these  schools,  the  ancient  and  modern  languages,  higher  mathe- 
matics, philosophy,  etc.,  are  taught.  One  of  these  was  started 
three  years  ago  by  Mr.  Prevaux,  as  the  San  Francisco  Academy, 
with  but  two  pupils,  and  now  numbers  sixty,  and  is  called  the 
English  and  Classical  High  School.  In  May,  1854,  the  friends 
of  the  school  dedicated  a  new  building,  erected  on  the  site  of  the 
old  one,  in  Powell  street,  south  of  Jackson,  which  was  the  first 
substantial  structure  built  in  this  city  expressly  for  educational 
purposes.  Mr.  F.  E.  Prevaux,  A.  M.,  Prof.  A.  J.  Segueria,  Mrs. 
I.  H.  Purkitt,  Miss  H.  R.  Barlow,  Miss  S.  L.  Larkin,  and  Miss 
W.  E.  Stowe  are  its  teachers. 

In  February,  1853,  the  board  of  education,  at  the  superin- 
tendent's suggestion,  adopted  a  resolution  requesting  the  common 
council  to  provide  for  raising  the  sum  of  $100,000,  by  loan,  to 
purchase  additional  school  lots  and  erect  and  furnish  the  requi- 
site number  of  convenient  and  substantial  school-houses.  Both 
boards  passed  the  resolution  in  September  following,  and  issued 
proposals  for  effecting  the  loan.  The  superintendent  and  board 
of  education  have  at  various  times  within  the  last  two  years, 
suggested  to  the  common  council  the  necessity  of  establishing  a 
Central  High  School,  with  a  Female  Seminary  department,  for 
advanced  pupils  of  either  sex,  and  an  asylum  or  House  of  Refuge 
for  the  vagrant  boys  that  prowl  about  the  streets.  No  legisla- 
tive action  has  yet  been  taken  ;  but  it  is  probable  that  the  grow- 


686 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


ing  importance  of  the  measure  will  soon  secure  the  necessary- 
movements  of  the  council. 

The  floating  character  of  the  population  has  hitherto  much 
embarrassed  the  public-school  enterprise.  But  few  pupils  are 
now  in  attendance  who  belonged  to  the  schools  a  year  ago. 
Some  have  returned  to  their  eastern  homes  ;  others  have  removed 
to  the  interior  ;  and  not  a  few  have  been  sent  abroad  to  complete 
their  educations,  for  want  of  the  high  school  or  collegiate  depart- 
ment here.  Those  who  have  steadily  attended,  have  made  rapid 
and  commendable  improvement.  Their  teachers  are  proficient, 
liberal,  benevolent,  zealous  and  indefatigable  in  the  discharge  of 
their  duties.  The  climate  is  the  most  salubrious  in  the  world, 
and  well  adapted  for  the  highest  mental  exertion  and  proficiency. 
The  school-bell  now  echoes  through  the  streets  of  the  busy  city, 
and  the  astonished  stranger  meets  groups  of  bright  and  smiling 
faces  merrily  trudging  to  their  daily  tasks,  and  ere  long  may 
listen  to  learned  professors  expounding  to  classes  of  intelligent 
students,  art,  literature  and  science  as  completely  and  perfectly 
as  can  be  heard  in  the  most  time-honored  institutions  of  the 
world. 


First  Presbyterian  Church. 


CHURCHES  AND  RELIGION. 

We  have  gazed  so  long  on  the  moral  turpitude  of  the  San  Fran- 
ciscans, that  both  eye  and  mind  would  turn  away  pained  if 
they  could  dwell  on  no  more  pleasant  sights.  It  would  be  a 
sad  necessity  to  have  to  think  that  so  much  of  exalted  in- 
tellect, unexampled  energy,  and  toilsome  industry,  had  labored 
only  to  furnish  the  pabulum  for  voluptuous  and  unbridled  pas- 
sion ;  sadder  that  our  country's  fair  fame  should  be  marred  by 
nourishing  in  the  midst  of  her  sister  cities  one  so  favored  in 
beauty,  and  honored  in  rank,  yet  whose  white  bosom  was  crim- 
soned with  crime.  Happily,  the  long  record  of  vice  and  immorality 
(the  black  pages  of  our  diary)  lias  a  bright  and  noble  counter- 
part, like  the  gold-dust  among  the  muddy  atoms  of  our  own 
river-beds,  that  redeems  our  character  from  wholesale  condemna- 
tion.    Hitherto  we  have  said  but  little  concerning  religious 


688 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


enterprises  or  observances  in  this  portion  of  the  country  since  the 
missions  of  the  Jesuits,  which  had  gradually,  and  almost  entirely, 
been  neglected  and  discontinued,  so  that  when  the  place  subse- 
quently became  of  note,  there  was  little  of  good  left  to  restrain 
those  evil  inclinations  that  spring  up,  a  plentiful  crop,  whereso- 
ever the  god  of  wealth  scatters  his  golden  seed.  Later  still, 
when  the  adventurous  flocked  to  the  shrine  of  that  deity,  few 
could  be  expected  among  them  who  would  tarry  to  listen  to  the 
teachings  of  a  plainer  and  poorer  master.  Very  early  in  its  his- 
tory, however,  there  were  men  in  the  community  whose  sterling 
worth  and  tipright  examples  combatted  the  dangerous  allure- 
ments surrounding  them  ;  and  ever  since,  the  field  has  been  filled 
with  honest  laborers  in  the  good  cause,  who  now  are  gladly  reap- 
ing what  they  sowed  with  the  sweat  of  their  brows. 

In  October,  1848,  Rev.  T.  D wight  Hunt,  who  until  the 
summer  previous  had  been  in  the  service  of  the  American  Board 
of  Commissioners  for  Foreign  Missions,  arrived  in  San  Francisco 
from  the  Sandwich  Islands,  and  was  the  first  Protestant  clergy- 
man in  California.  The  town  had  then  an  almost  unenviable 
notoriety  for  wickedness,  and  its  reputation  at  the  Islands  was 
such  that  any  attempt  at  reforming  it  was  deemed  wild  and 
foolish.  Mr.  Hunt  was,  however,  welcomed  with  a  cordiality 
that  proved  that  all  who  dwelt  on  American  soil  had  not  forgot- 
ten, or  lost  sight  of  American  institutions.  Three  days  after  his 
arrival,  he  was  formally  invited  by  the  prominent  citizens  of  the 
place,  of  every  religious  persuasion,  to  reside  among  them,  and 
act  as  chaplain  of  the  town  for  one  year,  dating  from  November 
1st,  1848.  A  salary  of  $2500  was  voted  at  the  public  meeting 
as  compensation  for  such  services,  and  was  all  promptly  sub- 
scribed, and  paid  in  quarterly  instalments.  Thus,  at  the  very 
outset  of  religious  enterprise  on  this  coast  was  exhibited  that 
generous  liberality  that  has  ever  been  a  characteristic  of  its 
people.  Mr.  Hunt  entered  at  once  on  his  labors.  The  school- 
house  on  the  plaza  was  appropriated  by  the  town  as  the  place  of 
public  worship,  and  services  were  at  once  held  in  it  at  11  o'clock, 
A.  M.,  and  1\,  p.  St.,  of  every  Sabbath.  The  attendance  at  both 
hours  was  such  on  the  very  first  meeting  as  afforded  the  most 
ample  encouragement.     Soon  the  accommodations  were  alto- 


CHURCHES  AND  RELIGION. 


689 


gether  too  limited.  It  was  not  a  month  before  listeners  stood  at 
the  doors  and  windows.  The  people  eagerly  testified  their  joy 
and  gratitude  at  the  presence  of  an  ordained  minister  of  the 
gospel  among  them,  to  perform  those  rites,  which,  except  in 
the  efforts  of  a  few  individuals,  had  been  unheard  since  they  left 
their  far-off  homes.  Captain  Thomas,  of  the  English  brig 
"  Laura  Ann,"  then  in  port,  had  for  two  or  three  Sabbaths  been 
reading  the  service  of  the  Episcopal  church  and  a  sermon  to  a 
few  whom  his  example  had  induced  to  public  worship.  Pre- 
viously, a  Mr.  Anthony,  a  Methodist,  had  once  or  twice  addressed 
some  of  the  people,  who  had  been  called  together  by  public 
notice.  A  prayer-meeting  had  been  held  for  several  months 
before  the  discovery  of  the  gold  by  two  or  three  members  of  dif- 
ferent churches,  in  the  counting-house  of  a  pious  merchant, 
among  whom  was  Mr.  Thomas  Douglas,  of  New  London,  Con., 
who  subsequently  taught  the  public-school  on  the  plaza.  But 
beyond  these,  and  perhaps  a  missionary,  who  had  touched  here 
on  his  way  to  Oregon,  or  a  chaplain  of  the  army  or  navy,  who 
may  have  once  or  twice  held  public  service,  there  had  been 
nothing  of  the  kind  prior  to  Mr.  Hunt's  arrival.  One  of  the  ear- 
liest results  of  this  gentleman's  labors  was  the  more  general 
observance  of  the  Sabbath  as  a  day  of  rest.  Many  who  had 
opened  their  stores  as  on  other  days,  closed  them,  and  the  ex- 
ample shamed  some  whom  it  did  not  otherwise  influence.  On 
the  first  Sunday  in  January,  1849,  the  first  sacrament  of  the 
Lord's  Supper  was  administered  to  twelve  communicants  of  five 
or  six  different  denominations.  The  scene  was  a  rare  and  novel 
one.  Men  and  women  gathered  together  to  do  homage  to  their 
common  Maker,  and  thought  not  of  cavilling  about  creeds  and 
forms  ;  but  forgot  sectarian  jealousies  in  the  promptings  of  that 
innate  spirit  through  which  they  sought  to  do  what  was  right 
and  consistent  with  those  dictates  of  honor  and  justice  that 
made-  them  men  above  brutes.  Despite  all  its  vices,  this  city  has 
one  proud  boast  over  more  puritanic  communities,  that  its  people 
have  always  been  ready  to  render  unto  every  man  his  own,  and 
to  aid  their  suffering  fellows,  unasked,  and  unasking  whether 
they  be  Christian  or  Jew,  Catholic  or  Protestant,  Pagan  or  Be- 
liever. 

44 


690 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


For  about  four  months  Mr.  Hunt  was  alone  in  the  State, 
until  the  steamship  California, — which  reached  San  Francisco 
February  28th,  1849, — brought  four  missionaries  from  New  York, 
who  soon  seconded  his  endeavors  ;  viz.,  Rev.  0.  C.  Wheeler,  a 
Baptist,  who  located  in  San  Francisco,  but  is  now  at  Sacra- 
mento ;  Eev.  Sylvester  Woodbridge,  an  old-school  Presbyterian, 
who  proceeded  to  and  still  resides  at  Benicia,  where  he  orga- 
nized the  first  church  in  the  State  ;  Rev.  J.  W.  Douglass,  new- 
school  Presbyterian,  who  first  resided  at  San  Jose,  but  now  edits 
and  publishes  "  The  Pacific,"  a  religious  paper,  in  San  Fran- 
cisco ;  and  Rev.  S.  H.  Willey,  of  the  same  persuasion  as  the 
latter,  who  landed  at  Monterey,  and  remained  there  a  year  and 
a  half,  having  officiated  as  chaplain  to  the  convention  that 
framed  the  State  Constitution.  He  was  the  second  clergyman 
in  the  State,  having  left  the  steamer  on  the  23d  of  February. 

During  the  ensuing  spring  and  summer  other  ministers  ar- 
rived. Rev.  Albert  Williams,  who  had  reached  the  city  in  the 
steamship  Oregon,  on  the  1st  of  April,  1849,  after  preaching  a 
few  times  in  the  public  school-house  on  the  plaza,  organized  on 
the  20th  of  May  the  first  Protestant  ecclesiastical  society  in  the 
city,  and  second  in  the  State  only  to  that  at  Benicia.  This  was 
the  "  First  Presbyterian  Church,"  and  it  had  originally  but  six 
members  ;  viz.,  W.  W.  Caldwell,  from  the  Second  Presbyterian 
Church,  at  Newburyport,  Mass.  ;  Dr.  George  F.  Turner,  of  the 
Missionary  Church,  at  Mackinaw,  Mich.  ;  Frederick  Billings,  of 
the  First  Congregational  Church,  at  Woodstock,  Vt.  ;  Sarah  B. 
Gillespie,  of  the  Presbyterian  Missionary  Church,  at  Macao,  China ; 
Margaret  A.  Geary,  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  at  Johnstown, 
Pa.  ;  and  Ann  Hodghton,  of  the  Missionary  Church,  at  Valpa- 
raiso, Chili.  The  first  named  two  were  elders.  Messrs.  Bezer  Sim- 
mons, Elihu  Woodruff  and  Hiram  Grimes  were  the  first  trustees. 

This  little  congregation  selected  a  lot  as  the  site  of  then- 
place  of  worship,  on  the  west  side  of  Dupont  street,  between  Pa- 
cific street  and  Broadway,  upon  which  they  erected  a  large  tent, 
which  had  been  the  marquee  of  a  military  company  in  Boston  ; 
and  in  it  during  the  remainder  of  the  dry  season  of  1849,  they 
statedly  held  their  meetings.  It  was  plainly,  but  neatly  fur- 
nished with  matting,  pulpit,  seats  and  seraphine,  and  afforded 


CHURCHES  AND  RELIGION.  691 

accommodations  for  about  two  hundred  persons.  In  the  summer 
of  1849,  Mr.  Alfred  DeWitt,  a  member  pf  the  congregation, 
very  generously,  upon  his  personal  responsibility,  ordered  for  its 
use  a  church  edifice  from  New  York.    The  correspondents  and 


Presbyterian  Church,  destroyed  by  fire  June  22d,  1851. 


friends  of  Mr.  DeWitt  assumed  the  labor  of  procuring  the  plan 
and  execution  of  the  building  ;  and  by  their  own  donations, 
jointly  with  an  appropriation  from  the  funds  of  the  Church  Ex- 
tension Committee  of  the  General  Assembly,  they  forwarded  it 
entire  in  its  materials  and  work,  including  pulpit,  seats,  lamps, 
and  a  fine-toned  bell,  as  a  donation,  exclusive  of  the  freight,  to 
the  congregation.  It  was  designed  by  J.  Coleman  Hart,  archi- 
tect, of  New  York,  and  was  of  the  early  Gothic  style  of  archi- 
tecture.   It  was  thirty-five  feet  wide,  by  seventy-five  feet  in 


692 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


depth,  with  a  vestibule  of  eleven  feet  in  front,  and  could  seat 
eight  hundred  persons.  Pending  its  arrival,  a  period  of  about 
one  year,  the  congregation  worshipped  for  the  most  part  in  its 
tent  on  Dupont  street,  and  in  the  superior  court-room  (city-hall, 
corner  of  Pacific  and  Kearny  streets),  and  the  adjoining  council- 
chamber,  into  which  a  communication  had  been  opened  to  accom- 
modate the  increased  number  of  members.  On  the  arrival  of  the 
building,  in  the  fall  of  1850,  the  present  site  on  the  west  side 
of  Stockton  street,  near  the  corner  of  Broadway,  was  secured 
and  the  church  erected  ;  the  whole  expense,  including  lot  and 
freight,  being  about  sixteen  thousand  dollars. 

On  Sunday,  January  19th,  1851,  the  church  was  dedicated 
in  the  presence  of  a  crowded  auditory,  by  Rev.  Albert  Williams, 
its  pastor,  assisted  by  Rev.  Messrs.  Prevaux  and  Hinds.  A  re- 
markable prosperity  attended  the  society  during  the  time  of  its 
occupancy  of  that  church  edifice  ;  but  five  months  only  were 
permitted  to  the  congregation  to  remain  in  "  its  holy  and  beau- 
tiful house."  The  sixth  great  fire,  June  22d,  1851,  totally 
destroyed  the  building ;  and  in  that  sweeping  desolation,  which 
involved  very  many  of  the  citizens  in  extreme  losses,  its  members 
suffered  heavily,  and  were  much  scattered  by  the  overwhelming 
calamity.  In  this  emergency  they  availed  themselves  of  the  best 
accommodations  which  could  be  had  at  the  time,  in  the  room 
occupied  by  the  superior  court,  in  the  St.  Francis  Hotel,  where 
they  regularly  worshipped  until  the  present  church,  a  plain  and 
unpretending  building,  was  erected  and  ready  for  use  (Sunday, 
October  12th,  1851),  on  the  site  of  the  first  edifice,  and  designed 
only  as  a  temporary  structure.  The  society  has  rapidly  recovered 
its  strength,  and  has  enrolled  at  present  one  hundred  and  sixty- 
seven  communicants  ;  and  the  Sabbath-school,  which  from  the 
time  of  its  formation  has  been  connected  with  it,  numbers  one 
hundred  and  fifty  teachers  and  pupils  in  usual  attendance. 

Although  this  was  the  first  society  organized,  it  had  not  the 
first  building  erected  in  San  Francisco  for  religious  worship. 
Rev.  0.  C.  Wheeler,  one  of  the  passengers  in  the  "  California," 
in  February,  1849,  organized  on  the  24th  of  June  following,  the 
"First  Baptist  Church"  of  the  city;  and  shortly  afterwards 
they  erected  a  spacious  and  commodious  building  in  Washington 


CHURCHES  AND  RELIGION. 


693 


street,  between  Dupont  and  Stockton  streets.  The  society  has 
grown  as  large  and  influential  as  any  in  the  city,  and  has  a 
numerously  attended  Sabbath-school  and  Bible-class  attached  to 
it.    On  the  departure  of  its  originator  for  Sacramento,  Kev.  B. 


Present  Presbyterian  Church. 

Brierly  was  appointed  their  pastor,  and  still  conducts  divine 
worship.  A  second  church  of  this  persuasion,  and  almost  as 
numerously  attended,  has  been  established  in  Pine  street,  near 
Montgomery,  under  the  pastoral  charge  of  Rev.  Win.  Rollinson. 

Mr.  Hunt,  of  whose  early  labors  we  have  already  spoken, 
completed  the  organization  of  a  society,  the  "  First  Congrega- 
tional Church,"  in  July,  1849,  which  at  present  meets  for  divine 
service  at  the  corner  of  Dupont  and  California  streets.  This 
was  the  third  in  point  of  date,  and  the  fourth  sprang  into  exist- 
ence in  the  same  month.  The  latter  was  the  Trinity  Church, 
Episcopalian,  organized  by  the  Rev.  S.  F.  Mines,  who  subse- 


694 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


quently  died  in  1852,  the  only  clergyman  who  has  ever  deceased 
in  this  city.  This  society  has  lately  increased  in  size,  and  ranks 
among  the  most  prominent  in  the  city.  Its  building  is  adjacent 
to  the  Second  Baptist  Church,  in  Pine  street,  between  Mont- 
gomery and  Kearny  streets.  Rev.  Dr.  Wyatt  is  the  present 
pastor. 

The  next  of  the  early  religious  pioneers,  whose  zealous  labors 
have  raised  this  city  to  the  rank  of  a  Christian  community,  was 
the  Rev.  Dr.  Ver  Mehr,  the  first  missionary  sent  by  the  Protes- 
tant Episcopal  Church  to  California.  This  gentleman  arrived  in 
San  Francisco  in  September,  1849,  and  preached  his  first  sermon 
in  the  American  Hotel,  now  the  State  Marine  Hospital,  on 
Stockton  street.  During  three  months  he  officiated  in  Mr.  Frank 
Ward's,  afterwards  Mr.  George  Plume's  residence,  at  the  corner 
of  Greene  and  Stockton  streets.  Meanwhile,  a  subscription  list 
had  been  filled  to  the  amount  of  more  than  six  thousand  dollars 
for  the  erection  of  a  chapel.  A  fifty-vara  lot,  for  one  year  rent 
free,  was  given  by  Mr.  James  C.  Ward,  on  which  Grace  Chapel 
was  opened,  Sunday,  December  30th,  1849  (a  very  plain  build- 
ing, costing,  however,  eight  thousand  dollars),  at  the  corner  of 
Powell  and  John  streets,  which  has  since  been  converted  into 
the  private  residence  of  Mr.  H.  B.  Truett. 

In  April,  1850,  at  a  meeting  of  the  congregation  presided 
over  by  Mr.  W.  Burgoyne,  "Grace  Parish"  was  regularly  orga- 
nized, Col.  E.  Bryant  and  Col.  D.  E.  Turner  being  appointed 
first  wardens.  The  missionary,  Rev.  Dr.  Ver  Mehr,  was  called 
to  the  rectorship.  Towards  the  end  of  the  same  year,  the  con- 
gregation became  too  crowded,  and  it  was  contemplated  to  build 
a  larger  church.  The  whole  fifty-vara  lot  was  purchased,  and  a 
contract  made  with  Mr.  G.  L.  Murdock  to  erect  a  substantial 
building,  which  was  progressing,  when  the  fire  of  May,  1851, 
arrested  further  subscriptions.  The  church,  however,  was  nearly 
completed,  when  the  June  fire  swept  away  the  whole  neighbor- 
hood ;  and  it  was  only  saved  with  great  difficulty  and  unusual 
exertions.  Finally,  July  19th,  1851,  it  was  opened  to  a  crowded 
congregation.  To  pay  part  of  its  indebtedness,  a  sacred  concert 
was  given  in  February,  1852,  by  the  Sanyer-bund  ;  and  a  second 
one  in  the  same  year,  by  the  talented  Signora  Elisa  Biscaccianti, 


CHURCHES  AND  RELIGION. 


695 


who,  in  December,  sang  for  the  same  object,  the  Stabat  Mater 
of  Kossini,  which  was  the  first  oratorio  ever  performed  in  San 
Francisco.  The  debt  was  further  discharged  in  1853,  by  the 
sale  of  the  remainder  of  the  fifty-vara  lot,  not  occupied  by  the 
church  and  parsonage.  Dr.  Ver  Mehr,  having  established  a  fe- 
male seminary  at  Sonoma,  found  it  necessary,  in  February,  1854, 
to  resign  the  principal  charge  of  the  church  to  the  Right  Rev. 
Bishop  Kip,  remaining  himself  as  an  assistant.  A  third  Epis- 
copal Church  (Christ's  Church)  now  worships  in  a  room  over 
the  post-office,  under  guidance  of  Rev.  John  Morgan,  rector. 

The  summer  of  1849  had  brought  still  others,  who  were  no 
less  ardent  in  their  endeavors  to  reform  the  city.  Among  them 
were  the  Rev.  J.  A.  Benton,  Congregationalist,  who  located  at 
Sacramento  ;  and  the  Rev.  William  Taylor,  Methodist,  whose 
untiring  exertions  in  behalf  of  the  religious  cause  have  accom- 
plished much  of  the  good  that  has  been  done.  This  gentleman 
is  pastor  of  the  "  Seamen's  Bethel,"  a  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  ;  but  in  addition  to  his  labors  there,  he  preaches  regularly 
every  Sabbath  afternoon  to  large  congregations  that  assemble  in 
Portsmouth  Square.  These  latter  meetings  are  universally  con- 
ducted with  the  utmost  propriety,  and  their  results  have  been 
exceedingly  beneficial.  Probably  no  man  in  modern  times  has 
followed  up  the  practice  of  out-door  preaching  so  successfully 
and  to  so  great  advantage,  as  Mr.  Taylor,  whose  unremitting 
zeal  and  religious  deportment  have  gained  for  him  the  esteem 
and  admiration  of  the  entire  San  Francisco  community. 

Early  in  1850,  a  society  of  Unitarians  held  divine  services 
every  Sunday  in  Robinson  &  Evrard's  Dramatic  Museum,  in 
California  street  ;  and  on  July  17th,  1853,  the  same  denomina- 
tion opened  a  very  handsome  church  on  Stockton  street,  between 
Clay  and  Sacramento  streets,  of  which  Rev.  Dr.  F.  T.  Gray 
was  pastor,  for  about  one  year,  when  he  removed  to  the  Eastern 
States.  At  the  dedication  of  this  church,  five  ministers  of  three 
different  denominations  sat  in  the  pulpit.  How  much  better 
would  it  be  if  divines  elsewhere  should  imitate  the  truly  religious 
spirit  that  actuates  ministers  here  in  their  practice  and  preach- 
ing of  the  gospel !  Their  freedom  from  sectarian  rancor  has  con- 
tributed as  much  as  any  thing  to  their  wonderful  success.  People 


696 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


are  more  disposed  to  listen  where  they  can  hear  something  be- 
sides abuse  of  contrary  beliefs. 

The  southern  part  of  the  city,  in  the  beginning  of  1850,  at- 
tracted the  attention  of  many  Christian  peojde  as  a  field  de- 
manding religious  effort.  Along  the  beach,  from  the  intersection 
of  Market  and  First  streets  to  the  Rincon,  numerous  families 
were  residing  in  temporary  houses  and  tents.  Many  people  were 
employed  in  this  section  of  the  city  in  various  branches  of  busi- 
ness, and  throughout  the  neighborhood  there  was  a  large  number 
of  children.  Of  the  older  population  few  went  to  any  place  of 
divine  worship  on  the  Sabbath,  while  the  greater  number,  both 
old  and  young,  passed  the  day  in  frivolous  employments  at 


home,  or  in  riding,  walking,  or  hunting  game  among  the  hills. 
These  facts,  and  the  prospective  growth  of  this  portion  of  San 
Francisco,  seemed  to  establish  the  necessity  of  erecting  a  church 
in  the  vicinity  ;  and,  accordingly,  after  several  preliminary  meet- 
ings, the  "  Howard  Street  Presbyterian  Church "  was  organized 
on  the  15th  of  September,  with  six  members  ;  and  a  temporary 
place  for  worship  and  Sabbath-school  secured.  Subsequently  a 
lot  was  presented  to  the  congregation  by  Mr.  Win.  D.  M.  Howard, 
and  a  building  capable  of  seating  four  hundred  persons  com- 
menced in  February,  1851  ;  and  dedicated  on  Sunday,  June 


CHURCHES  AND  RELIGION. 


697 


15th,  following.  Its  board  of  trustees  consisted  of  Major  A.  B. 
Eaton,  Henry  Haight,  Wm.  H.  Dow,  Capt.  W.  A.  Cheever, 
D.  N.  Nawley  and  J.  S.  Bacon.  Its  pastor  was  Rev.  S.  H. 
Willey,  who  had  left  Monterey,  where  we  have  already  noticed 
his  arrival  as  being  that  of  the  second  Protestant  minister  in  the 
State. 

These  were  the  earliest  efforts  made  in  San  Francisco  for  the 
extension  of  a  purer  and  holier  philosophy  over  the  riot  rampant 
spirit  that  had  so  firmly  seized  upon  the  place.  Now  the  city  is 
full  of  societies,  though  as  yet  but  few  permanent  structures 
have  been  erected.  Still,  it  is  a  matter  of  gratulation  that  so 
much  has  been  accomplished,  and  the  self-sacrificing  efforts  of 
the  clergymen  who  immigrated  here  cannot  be  too  highly  esti- 
mated. On  the  9th  of  June,  1851  (the  festival  of  the  Pen- 
tecost), Rev.  John  Maginnis,  curate  of  the  diocese  of  Monte- 
re)'',  founded  a  Catholic  church,  and  held  divine  service  every 
Sunday  for  three  months,  in  a  house  rented  for  the  purpose, 
at  the  corner  of  Third  and  Jesse  streets  ;  and  on  the  first  Sun- 
day in  September,  the  building,  known  as  St.  Patrick's  Church, 
in  Happy  Valley,  fronting  on  Market  street,  between  Second 
and  Third  streets,  was  opened  for  worship.  The  congregation 
has  increased  so  rapidly  that  a  new  building  is  already  designed. 
Attached  to  it  is  a  flourishing  school  and  orphan  asylum,  under 
the  charge  of  five  Sisters  of  Charity  (superintended  by  Sister 
Frances  Assisium  McEnnis),  a  branch  of  the  house  of  St.  Joseph, 
near  Emmetsburg,  Md.  There  are  two  other  Catholic  churches 
in  the  city  ;  one  in  Vallejo  street,  between  Dupont  and  Stockton 
streets,  in  which  services  are  conducted  by  the  Rt.  Rev.  Arch- 
bishop Joseph  Allemany  and  Father  Liberea,  vicar-general ; 
and  one  at  the  Mission  de  Dolores,  of  which  Rev.  E.  O'Connell  is 
pastor.  All  of  these  are  largely  attended.  Services  are  held  in 
English,  French  and  Spanish.  Before  long  they  will  have  erected 
large  and  magnificent  churches,  which  are  already  projected,  of  one 
of  which,  "  St.  Mary's,"  corner  of  Dupont  and  California  streets, 
we  give  a  representation.  It  will  be  principally  constructed  of 
brick,  but  will  have  a  rough  stone  foundation,  and  mouldings  of 
cut  stone.  The  interior  will  be  columned  and  arched,  and  the 
different  parts  of  the  edifice  finished  in  the  Gothic  style  of  the 


698  ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 

sixteenth  century.  The  dimensions  of  the  building  are  seventy- 
five  by  one  hundred  and  thirty  feet.  It  will  have  a  spire  two 
hundred  feet  in  height.  Altogether  this  building  will  be  one  of 
the  architectural  beauties  of  San  Francisco. 


St.  Mary's  Catholic  Cburcb. 


Towards  the  close  of  1853,  the  Universalists,  comprising  a 
large  body  of  intelligent  and  respectable  citizens,  met  and  estab- 
lished a  society,  which,  regularly  every  Sabbath  evening,  held 
meetings  for  divine  worship  in  Meiggs'  Concert  Hall,  on  Bush 
street.    They  emjdoyed  the  Pacific  Music  Troupe  as  their  choir, 


CHURCHES  AND  RELIGION. 


699 


and  liberally  paid  two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  a  night  for  the 
hall  and  orchestra.  Subsequently  they  removed  to  the  Superior 
Court  room,  which,  we  have  already  seen,  had  been  frequently 
used  for  similar  purposes,  and  attracted  large  and  respectable  con- 
gregations.   Rev.  John  Upson  officiated  as  pastor  of  this  society. 

On  the  28th  of  August,  1853,  a  second  Congregational  soci- 
ety was  organized,  and  a  house  of  worship,  capable  of  seating 
three  hundred  persons,  erected  in  Greenwich  street,  between 
Dupont  and  Stockton  streets.  Its  pastor,  Rev.  W.  C.  Pond, 
was  supported  at  the  inception  of  the  enterprise  by  the  American 
Home  Missionary  Society. 

There  are  more  Methodist  Episcopal  churches  in  San  Fran- 
cisco than  of  any  other  denomination.  Beside  that  of  Mr.  Tay- 
lor, there  is  one  in  Powell  street,  near  Washington,  Rev.  M.  C. 
Briggs,  pastor  ;  the  Wesley  Chapel,  at  the  corner  of  Bush  and 
Dupont  streets,  Rev.  Dr.  Boring,  pastor ;  the  New  Jerusalem 
society,  which  meets  in  the  Superior  Court  room  every  Sabbath 
morning,  and  which  has  no  permanent  pastor  ;  and  a  church  for 
the  colored  population  on  Stockton  street,  of  which  Rev.  James 
Moore  is  pastor. 

In  Spring  Valley,  a  chapel  has  been  erected,  in  which  every 
Sunday  afternoon,  various  clergymen,  of  all  denominations, 
preach  to  the  people  of  the  vicinity.  The  Jewish  citizens,  very 
generally,  observe  their  peculiar  rites  at  their  synagogues.  The 
French  and  Spaniards  have  services  in  their  own  languages  at 
the  Catholic  churches.  In  July,  1853,  efforts  were  commenced 
to  erect  a  chapel  for  the  Chinese  residents  of  the  city,  and  so 
popular  was  the  enterprise,  that  at  a  single  lecture  on  the  21st 
of  that  month  upwards  of  $8000  were  subscribed  for  the  erec- 
tion of  the  building.  This  was  finally  completed  on  the  corner 
of  Sacramento  and  Stockton  streets  at  a  cost  of  $18,000,  and 
opened  by  dedication  on  the  4th  of  June,  1854.  Rev.  Wm. 
Speer  is  the  pastor  ;  Messrs.  Jas.  B.  Roberts,  David  S.  Turner 
and  H.  C.  Beals,  are  the  trustees.  The  building  is  neat  and 
resembles  churches  generally,  except  that  its  walls  are  hung  with 
tablets  inscribed  with  Chinese  hieroglyphics. 

Such  an  array  of  churches  and  societies  are  surely  evidences 
enough  of  the  sincerity,  zeal  and  success  of  the  early  soirit  of 


700 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


moral  reform.  It  has  also  established  numerous  benevolent 
institutions,  and  sought  to  excite  sympathy  and  gratitude,  by 
alleviating  sorrow,  softening  the  harsh  blows  of  misfortune,  and 
leading  the  erring  by  example  and  precept  back  to  the  road  from 
which  they  had  strayed,  many  of  whom  have  shunned  the  chapel 
door,  first  through  shame  and  then  indifference.  In  all  of  these 
societies,  the  members  of  the  various  churches,  as  will  be  seen 
elsewhere,  took  prominent  parts  ;  but  there  are  others  yet,  which 
are  more  particularly  of  a  religious  character.  We  have  already 
spoken  of  the  public-school  effort,  and  of  the  good  accomplished 
through  it,  and  we  may  remark  now,  that  it  has  been  ably 
seconded  by  the  establishment,  in  almost  all  the  churches,  of 
Sabbath-schools  and  Bible-classes,  which  are  extremely  well 
attended. 

On  October  30fh,  1849,  a  meeting  of  citizens  friendly  to  the 
formation  of  a  "  Bible  Society,"  was  held  at  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church  in  Powell  street,  at  which  Rev.  T.  D wight  Hunt 
presided,  and  Mr.  Frederick  Billings  acted  as  secretary.  Ad- 
dresses were  delivered  by  F.  Buel,  agent  of  the  "  American  Bible 
Society,"  Messrs.  F.  Billings  and  W.  W.  Caldwell  ;  and  on  motion 
of  Mr.  William  R.  Wadsworth,  the  "  San  Francisco  Bible  So- 
ciety," auxiliary  to  the  "  American  Bible  Society,"  was  organized, 
a  constitution  adopted,  and  the  following  officers  chosen,  whom 
we  recognize  as  the  early  laborers  on  this  field,  and  who,  with 
characteristic  real  morality,  frankly  joined  hands,  irrespective  of 
sect  or  denomination  : — President  : — John  M.  Findley  ;  Vice 
Presidents : — Rev.  Dr.  Ver  Mehr,  Rev.  Albert  Williams,  and 
Rev.  Wm.  Taylor  ;  Treasurer  : — W.  W.  Caldwell ;  Secretary  : — 
Frederick  Buel. 

Since  its  organization  the  society  has  been  steadily  engaged 
in  its  appropriate  work  of  supplying  the  Scriptures  to  the  citizens 
of  the  State,  and  has  issued  from  its  depository  about  ten  thou- 
sand volumes,  in  the  different  languages  spoken  in  the  State  and 
adjacent  territories,  the  majority  by  sale  and  the  remainder  by 
donation  to  those  unable  to  purchase.  This  institution  has  ably 
commended  itself  to  the  spirit  of  catholic  Christianity,  by  the 
universal  circulation  of  that  book  within  which  its  doctrines  are 
comprehended.    Other  societies  for  the  same  purpose,  established 


CHURCHES  AND  RELIGION. 


in  the  interior,  have  materially  aided  this  object.  The  depository 
of  the  society  was  destroyed  by  fire  on  the  morning  of  the  26th 
of  April,  1853,  in  place  of  which  a  new  fire-proof  brick  building 
has  been  erected  on  a  lot  belonging  to  the  society,  No.  376  Stock- 
ton street,  between  Union  and  Green  streets.  The  officers  for 
1854,  are,  President : — Hon.  D.  0.  Shattuck  ;  Vice  Presidents  : 
—Rev.  B.  Brierly,  Rev.  M.  C.  Briggs,  and  Rev.  S.  H.  Willey  ; 
Secretary  : — F.  Buel  ;  Treasurer  : — E.  P.  Flint  ;  Executive 
Committee  :• — Col.  D.  S.  Turner,  Major  A.  B.  Eaton,  Nathaniel 
Gray,  George  Wyckoff,  and  R.  P.  Spier. 

On  the  24th  of  February,  1850,  "  The  Pacific  Tract  Society" 
was  organized  for  alike  creditable  objects,  as  indicated  by  the 
name.  Maj.  A.  B.  Eaton  is  the  President  of  this  extensive 
organization  ;  Hon.  R.  H.  Waller,  Col.  D.  S.  Turner,  and  Hon. 
E.  J.  Willis  of  Sacramento,  are  the  Vice  Presidents  ;  D.  L.  Ross 
is  Treasurer  ;  Rev.  A.  F.  White  and  Willard  Leonard  are  Secre- 
taries :  while  the  Board  of  Directors  embraces  almost  every 
clergyman  in  the  State  and  many  distinguished  men  from  its 
various  cities.  From  its  depository  in  Clay  street  it  has  already 
distributed  a  great  many  useful  and  moral  productions. 

Another  society  of  later  birth,  dating  from  July,  12th  1853, 
but  of  fast  rising  importance,  is  the  "  Young  Men's  Christian 
Association,"  intended  particularly  to  improve  the  moral  and 
mental  condition  of  the  young  men  of  the  city.  A  well  stocked 
library  and  a  reading-room,  in  the  second  story  of  the  post-office 
building,  at  the  corner  of  Clay  and  Kearny  streets,  and  occa- 
sional lectures  by  clergymen  and  others,  to  the  society,  to  which 
both  strangers  and  residents  are  alike  welcome,  furnish  rational 
means  of  enjoyment  to  the  youth  of  the  place,  and  effectually 
remove  them  from  the  tempting  scenes  of  frivolity  and  dissipa- 
tion, here  so  numerous. 

We  have  said  enough,  we  hope,  to  prove  that  not  all,  nor  nigh 
all  the  citizens  of  San  Francisco  are  lost  to  every  thing  but  reck- 
less dissipation.  No  city  of  equal  size — few  of  ten  times  its  age 
— can  present  such  a  list  of  men  and  institutions,  who  have 
accomplished  so  much  real  good,  with  so  little  of  cant  and  hy- 
pocrisy. 


Armory  Hall. 


INDEPENDENT  MILITARY  ORGANIZATIONS. 

Immediately  after  the  excitement  into  which  the  town  of  San 
Francisco  was  thrown  by  the  capture,  trial,  and  expulsion  of  the 
notorious  "  Hounds,"  had  in  a  measure  subsided,  some  of  the 
most  prominent  citizens,  dreading  a  recurrence  of  like  scenes, 
conceived  the  idea  of  organizing  a  permanent  volunteer  military 
company,  to  aid  the  legal  officers  in  the  maintenance  of  order  and 
personal  security.  The  proposal  met  a  ready  acquiescence,  and 
in  the  early  part  of  July,  1849,  several  preliminary  meetings 
were  held  for  that  purpose  in  the  "  Institute,"  as  the  school- 
house  on  the  plaza  was  designated,  and  on  the  27th  of  the  month, 
forty-one  gentlemen  signed  the  following  Preamble,  organizing 
an  artillery  corps  to  be  known  as  the  "  First  California  Guard." 

"  We,  the  undersigned,  do  hereby  form  ourselves  into  an  association  under 
the  name  and  style  of  the  First  California  Guard,  and  for  the  good  govern- 


INDEPENDENT  MILITARY  ORGANIZATIONS 


703 


ment  thereof,  have  adopted  a  Constitution  and  By-Laws,  for  the  support  of 
which  we  mutually  pledge  ourselves  : — 

H.  M.  Naglee,        W.  E.  SpofTard,      Joseph  Hobson,     A.  Priest, 
J.  P.  Haven,  Hall  McAllister,     R.  H.  Sinton,         E.  H.  Harrison, 

W.  H.  Tillinghast,  Myron  Norton,      Saml.  Price,  W.  C.  Cleeman, 

D.  T.  Bagley.         Wm.  L.  Hobson,    Rich.  M.  Sherman,  R.  Julius  Stevens. 
W.  D.  M.  Howard,  Eugene  Musson,     James  C.  Ward,     Gustav  Beck, 
Wm.  Sim,  Frank  Turk,  Samuel  "Ward,        Wm.  H.  Davis, 

S.  Russell  Gerry,    E.  L.  Sullivan,        Wm.  Hooper,        E.  Mickle. 
C.  Melhado,  W.  L.  Robinett,     A.  G.  Randall,       John  Sime, 

J.  W.  Austin,        H.F.Teschemacker,  Chas.  H.  Johnson,  A.  G.  Abell. 
Hiram  Grimes,       A.  J.  Ellis,  Benj.  Reynolds.      Jas.  Creighton, 

Edward  A.  King." 

Of  these  the  following  officers  were  chosen  : — 
Captain. — Henry  M.  Naglee. 

First  Lieutenants. — W.  D.  M.  Howard,  Myron  Norton. 
Second  Lieutenants. — Hall  McAllister,  David  T.  Bagley. 
Orderly  Sergeant. — Richard  H.  Sinton. 
Surgeon. — Samuel  Russell  Gerry,  M.  D. 

At  this  time  there  was  not  a  suitahle  room  for  an  armory  In 
the  town,  and  the  gentlemen  who  had  organized  the  company, 
being  all  men  of  ample  means,  agreed  to  form  a  joint  stock  com- 
pany (out  of  members  of  the  guard  only),  whose  income  would 
be  sufficient  to  defray  all  their  military  expenses  and  enable  them 
to  purchase  a  lot  of  land  and  erect  a  building  with  a  hall  adapted 
for  drilling  purposes.  This  scheme  was  soon  carried  into  effect. 
The  stock  was  divided  into  three  hundred  shares  of  one  hundred 
dollars  each,  all  of  which  were  readily  taken.  A  lot  was  pur- 
chased, situated  on  the  north-east  corner  of  Dupont  and  Jackson 
streets,  and  a  two  and  a  half  story  building,  forty  feet  square, 
was  erected  in  the  course  of  the  fall — the  whole  expense  amount- 
ing to  about  $30,000.  The  company  commenced  occupying  it 
in  the  latter  part  of  1849,  and  soon  obtained  arms  and  accoutre- 
ments sufficient  for  the  drill,  which  was  that  of  the  infantry, 
though  the  company  was  organized  as  artillery.  The  Guard 
prospered,  and  received  many  new  members.  The  22d  of  Feb- 
ruary following  was  celebrated  at  their  hall  by  the  most  recherche 
entertainment  ever  given  in  San  Francisco,  and  on  all  similar 
subsequent  occasions,  public  parades,  etc.,  they  have  formed  an 
essential  ami  imposing  portion  of  the  body  politic. 


704 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


In  August,  1850,  their  services  were  called  into  requisition 
for  the  first  time,  and  the  importance  of  the  organization  and 
its  capacity  to  do  all  that  had  been  expected  in  its  formation, 
was  made  manifest.  The  squatters  of  Sacramento  having  armed 
themselves,  had  a  bloody  encounter  with  the  legal  authorities. 
Governor  Burnett  had  ordered  out  General  A.  M.  Winn,  of  the 
Second  Brigade,  First  Division,  California  Volunteers,  to  the  seat 
of  difficulties,  and  Lieutenant-Governor  McDougal,  then  at  Sa- 
cramento, immediately  requested  Capt.  Wm.  D.  M.  Howard 


Front  street,  Sacramento  City. 


(then  commanding  the  Guards)  to  loan  the  authorities  their  mus- 
kets, which  the  company  unanimously  resolved  to  bear  in  person, 
and  though  only  called  together  at  8  o'clock,  a.  m.,  were  ready  in 
two  hours,  "  armed  and  equipped  as  the  law  directs."  Simulta- 
neously, Mayor  Geary  called  on  the  people  of  San  Francisco  to  vol- 
unteer in  the  aid  of  their  sister  city.  The  proclamation  attracted 
a  large  crowd  of  citizens,  who  deserted  their  occupations,  and  pro- 
ceeded, as  elsewhere  narrated,  on  board  the  steamboat  "  Senator"  to 
the  scene  of  action,  along  with  the  Guards,  numbering  eighty  men, 
and  the  "  Protection  Fire  Company,  No.  2,"  who,  to  the  num- 
ber of  fifty,  had  hastily  equipped  themselves  with  red  shirts  and 


INDEPENDENT  MILITARY  ORGANIZATIONS.  705 

dark  pantaloons,  and  muskets,  under  Capt.  W.  McCormick. 
On  the  voyage,  the  volunteers  were  drilled  by  Capt.  F.  J.  Lip- 
pitt,  a  most  excellent  officer.  Notwithstanding  the  troops  were 
not  called  into  actual  service,  the  moral  effect  of  their  prompti- 
tude and  universal  action,  showed  the  efficiency  of  the  volunteer 
militia  in  defending  law  and  order,  and  did  as  much  as  any 
thing  else  to  prevent  the  repetition  of  similar  outrages  in  other 
parts  of  the  country. 

In  the  latter  part  of  1850,  a  second  military  organization 
was  completed  under  the  name  of  the  "  Washington  Guards," 
which  remained  in  existence  only  a  few  months.  During  that 
time,  however,  it  had  an  opportunity  of  usefully  serving  the  city, 
on  the  occasion  of  the  attempt  of  the  mob  to  Lynch  Burdue  and 
Windred  at  the  City  Hall,  in  February,  1851,  when  under  the 
command  of  Capt.  A.  Bartol,  it  resisted  the  effort  of  the  people 
to  wrest  the  prisoners  from  the  hands  of  the  municipal  officers. 

The  "  California  Guard  "  continued  to  prosper,  a  large  num- 
ber of  the  first  citizens  had  joined  it,  and  remained  in  regular 
attendance.  Every  thing  had  been  done  to  furnish  the  armory 
and  meeting-room  in  a  luxurious  style,  when  the  fire  of  17th 
September,  1850,  completely  destroyed  the  whole  property. 
This  was  a  severe  loss  to  the  company ;  but  an  agreement  was 
speedily  entered  into  with  Mr.  John  Sime,  the  builder  of  the  first 
armory,  to  erect  another  of  brick  on  the  same  site,  which  was 
completed  in  three  months  and  occupied  by  the  company,  who  had 
meanwhile  removed  to  temporary  quarters  elsewhere.  This  build- 
ing was  supposed  to  be  fire-proof,  but  in  June  22d,  1851,  it  suffered 
the  fate  of  every  other  for  many  blocks  around.  Not  deterred 
by  calamity,  but  with  the  phcenix-spirit  of  San  Francisco,  the 
Guard  determined,  at  whatever  expense,  to  perpetuate  the  or- 
ganization, and  they  have  succeeded  so  well,  that  at  the  present 
day  it  is  still  the  most  extensive  company  in  the  city.  Fifty 
thousand  dollars  is  a  low  estimate  of  what  has  been  paid  as 
contributions  by  the  members  for  its  support  since  its  organi- 
zation. 

The  Indian  disturbances  at  San  Diego  in  December,  1851, 
again  called  for  the  exhibition  of  the  military  spirit  from  the 
restless  people  of  San  Francisco,  who,  ever  true  to  the  American 
45 


706 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


propensity,  are  ready  to  fly  to  arms  at  the  call  of  danger.  The 
beleaguered  inhabitants  of  the  south  had  applied  for  aid  to  Gen- 
eral Hitchcock,  of  the  Pacific  Division  of  the  United  States 
Army  ;  but  most  of  his  command  were  operating  under  Colonel 
Casey  against  the  Indians  in  the  north,  and  he  could  dispatch 
them  but  fifty  regulars  under  Lieutenant  Frazer.  In  this  emer- 
gency, the  governor  authorized  the  raising  of  two  companies  of 
mounted  volunteers  from  the  city  of  San  Francisco,  and  Col. 
Geary,  Judge  J.  G.  Marvin,  and  Capt.  Aldrich  immediately  issued 
a  call  for  men.  It  needed  no  drum  to  summon  the  recruits  to- 
gether. Did  one  man,  commissioned  or  non-commissioned,  draw 
up  a  roll,  hundreds  were  ready  to  sign  it.  A  meeting  was  held 
in  the  California  Exchange.  Colonel  John  W.  Geary  was  made 
president,  and  J.  Martin  Eeese  and  Joseph  C.  Smith,  Esqs., 
were  chosen  secretaries.  Col.  Geary  enrolled  one  hundred  and 
thirty  men,  soon  increased  to  one  hundred  and  seventy-five, 
three  times  the  authorized  number,  who  met  at  the  armory  of 
the  California  Guards,  organized  "  The  San  Francisco  Eangers," 
and  elected  the  following  officers  : — John  W.  Geary,  captain  ; 
George  H.  Haig,  first  lieutenant ;  John  W.  Eider,  second  lieu- 
tenant ;  J oseph  C.  Smith,  third  lieutenant ;  Charles  J.  Beebe, 
first  sergeant ;  and  Augustus  Larrentree,  second  sergeant. 

The  second  company  met  at  the  Parker  House,  and  took  the 
name  of  the  "  Aldrich  Eangers,"  electing  Daniel  Aldrich,  captain  ; 
William  Mulligan,  first  lieutenant ;  Ira  Cole,  second  lieutenant ; 
David  Hoag,  third  lieutenant  ;  and  J.  E.  Dunbar,  first  sergeant. 

Both  companies  adopted  a  hasty  uniform  of  blue  shirts,  and 
black  pants  and  caps,  and  held  themselves  in  readiness  to  pro- 
ceed south  under  the  command  of  the  officers  appointed  by  Gov- 
ernor McDougal,  viz.  :  John  C.  Hayes,  colonel  commanding  ; 
Alexander  Wells,  adjutant  general ;  A.  H.  Sibley,  quarter-master 
general ;  H.  J.  Williams,  commissary  ;  and  Samuel  Purdy,  aid-de- 
camp. The  next  vessel,  however,  brought  the  news  of  the  settle- 
ment of  the  difficulties,  and  the  batallion  was  dismissed.  Fifty 
of  them,  whose  military  career  was  not  thus  to  be  so  untimely 
terminated,  organized  a  company  under  Captain  Hoag,  and  per- 
sisted in  sailing  for  San  Pedro. 

Until  May,  1852,  the  "  California  Guards"  existed  alone  in  the 


INDEPENDENT  MILITARY  ORGANIZATIONS.  707 

city,  with  the  solitary  exception  of  the  "  Washington  Guards,"  and 
we  might  add,  of  the  "  Empire  Guards,"  a  target  company,  or- 
ganized April  12th,  1851,  for  annual  target  excursions,  out  of 
the  members  of  the  Empire  Fire  Company,  No.  1.  The  old  Guard 
had  increased  largely  in  numbers,  the  members  being  principally 
picked  young  men  who  had  but  recently  seen  active  service  in 
the  war  with  Mexico,  each  of  whom  was  actuated  by  that  esprit 
du  corps  which  they  had  brought  with  them  from  their  victorious 
battle-fields. 

On  the  14th  of  May,  the  "  Marion  Rifle  Corps  "  was  organized, 
and  the  following  officers  elected  : — T.  B.  Schaeffer,  captain  ;  G. 
R.  Davidson,  first  lieutenant ;  J.  W.  Rider  and  W.  W.  Hawks, 
second  lieutenants  ;  W.  Neely  Johnson,  first  sergeant.  Shortly 
after  this,  June  25th,  the  "  Eureka  Light-Horse  Guards,"  a  fine 
cavalry  corps,  was  formed  ;  and  these  were  succeeded  by  the 
"  National  Lancers,"  also  cavalry,  on  July  4th,  and  on  August 
4th,  by  the  "  San  Francisco  Blues,"  infantry. 

These  five  companies,  joined  by  the  "  Sutter  Rifles,"  of  Sa- 
cramento City,  formed  in  batallion  on  the  4th  of  July,  1853, 
and  were  reviewed  by  Major-General  John  A.  Sutter,  after 
which  they  proceeded  to  Russ's  Garden,  where  they  received  a 
splendid  ensign  from  Mrs.  Catharine  N.  Sinclair,  and  celebrated 
the  day  appropriately  with  an  entertainment  and  other  jollities. 
The  city  companies  (1854)  are  now  proposing  to  form  a  batallion 
and  elect  a  colonel  and  subordinate  officers.  According  to  the 
laws  at  present  in  force,  every  white  male  citizen,  who  refuses  to 
perform  militia  duty,  is  liable  to  a  tax  of  three  dollars  ;  but  as 
the  militia  has  not  yet  been  properly  organized,  the  law  has  been 
suffered  to  remain  a  dead  letter  on  the  statute  book.  As  soon 
as  the  organization  has  been  completed,  the  law  will  probably  be 
enforced. 

Until  last  fall,  all  of  these  volunteer  companies  supported 
themselves  by  contributions  from  their  members,  when  the  first 
encouragement  ever  received  from  the  city  was  given  by  an  ordi- 
nance passed,  appropriating  five  hundred  dollars  per  month  for 
the  rent  of  an  armory  to  be  used  in  common  by  all  the  volunteer 
companies  of  San  Francisco.  They  now  occupy  a  splendid  hall 
as  an  armory  and  drill  room  in  the  fourth  story  of  a  new  fire- 


708 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


proof  building,  owned  by  Mr.  S.  Brannan,  and  appropriately- 
called  "  Armory  Hall,"  at  the  north-east  corner  of  Sacramento 
and  Montgomery  streets.  This  elegant  structure,  occupying  a 
front  of  sixty  feet  square,  was  commenced  on  1st  July,  1853,  and 
completed  November  15th  following,  at  a  cost  of  §225,000. 
Each  company  has  a  separate  room  in  the  third  story  for  meeting 
and  such  purposes,  and  the  use  of  the  drill-room  on  its  allotted 
evening  once  a  week.  All  are  flourishing.  Their  meetings  and 
parades  are  well  attended,  and  all  justly  regard  the  "  First  Califor- 
nia Guard  "  as  the  pioneer  corps  of  the  State. 


The  San  Francisco  Orphan  Asylum. 


SOCIAL  AND  BENEVOLENT  INSTITUTIONS 

The  miserable  condition  of  the  sick  and  dying  immigrants  of 
1849,  for  a  long  while  met  neither  sympathy  nor  assistance. 
Individual  aid  at  best  could  have  accomplished  little  ;  yet  that 
little,  men  found  neither  time  nor  inclination  to  offer.  Fortu- 
nately, however,  the  eminent  usefulness  of  those  great  institu- 
tions, which  like  the  arteries,  veins  and  sinews  of  the  living 
body,  concentaneously  ramify  themselves  throughout  the  mi- 
nutest parts  of  our  organization, — each  subservient  to  its  own 
great  and  distinct  purpose,  yet  with  the  common  object  of  the 
preservation  of  life,  health  and  happiness, — was  here  practically 
demonstrated ;  and  chiefly  through  them,  and  subsequently 
through  the  more  local  associations,  designed  for  a  similar  ulti- 
mate end,  the  great  good  was  accomplished  that  residents  of  the 
time  alone  can  appreciate.  The  success,  efficiency,  and  perma- 
nency of  these  institutions,  like  our  political  existence,  depencb 
ing  mainly  upon  their  great  national  scheme  of  organization,  a 


710 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


complete  history  of  each  can  only  be  sought  in  their  own  volumi- 
nous records,  and  must  be  studied  there  with  all  their  relative 
parts — not  here.  The  general  character  of  the  times  has  been 
fully  discussed  ;  the  vast  improvement  in  the  present  as  con- 
trasted with  the  past  has  been  noted ;  and  beyond  a  few  dates 
and  names,  which  would  seem  necessary  to  make  our  history 
complete  in  all  that  regards  San  Francisco,  and  identify  with  the 
finished  structure,  every  nail,  lath  and  brick  that  have  built  it, 
we  cannot  now  pretend  to  go. 

The  fraternity  of  Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  though  few 
in  number,  very  early  determined  upon  devising  means  to  allevi- 
ate the  distress  and  promote  the  comfort  of  the  destitute  of  their 
brotherhood.  In  October,  1849,  a  convention  assembled  in  San 
Francisco  and  organized  a  lodge  under  a  charter,  which  on  the 
preceding  9th  of  November,  had  been  granted  by  the  "  Grand 
Lodge  of  the  District  of  Columbia"  to  Messrs.  Levi  Stowell,  Wm. 
Van  Voorhies,  and  B.  F.  McDonald,  that  they  might  accomplish 
this  object  when  they  should  arrive  in  California.  This  was 
entitled  "  California  Lodge,  No.  1,"  and  consisted  of  about 
twenty  members,  whose  first  officers  were  : 

Levi  Stowell,  Esq.,  of  Washington  City  Worshipful  Master. 

A.  Bartol,  Esq.,  of  Columbus,  Ohio  Se?iior  Warden. 

Col.  Jno.  W.  Geary,  of  Westmoreland  Co.,  Pa  Junior  Warden. 

Dr.  John  H.  Gihon,  of  Philadelphia  Secretary. 

A.  A.  Selover,  Esq.,  of  New  York  Treasurer. 

They  rented  rooms  for  meeting  in  the  third  story  of  a  house 
in  Montgomery  street,  paying  for  their  use,  two  hundred  and 
fifty  dollars  per  month.  They  immediately  commenced  work, 
eagerly  sought  out  their  destitute  brethren,  whom  they  conveyed 
to  private  boarding-houses  or  hospitals,  and  furnished  with  medi- 
cal aid  or  whatever  else  their  necessities  demanded.  Some  of 
these  recovered  to  bless  the  Order,  and  subsequently  returned 
to  their  families  after  a  successful  business  or  mining  career. 
Others  died  and  received  decent  interment,  and  their  friends 
were  apprised  of  the  circumstances.  The  first  funerals  of  the 
city,  after  the  discovery  of  gold,  at  which  any  number  of  persons 
attended,  or  which  were  conducted  with  any  degree  of  propriety 
or  solemnity,  were  those  of  the  masonic  fraternity.    The  expenses 


SOCIAL  AND  BENEVOLENT  INSTITUTIONS. 


711 


attending  these  acts  of  benevolence  were  enormous.  The  board 
and  attendance  of  a  sick  brother  averaged  from  fifty  to  a  hundred 
dollars  per  week,  and  the  funeral  of  one  deceased  cost  from  one 
hundred  to  two  hundred  dollars. 

On  the  17th  of  April,  1850,  a  convention  was  called  at  Sa- 
cramento, of  delegates  from  the  California,  Western  Star,  and 
Connecticut  Lodges,  by  which  a  Grand  Lodge  was  organized  in 
due  form  under  the  following  officers  : 

Col.  Jonathan  D.  Stevenson,  M.  W.  Grand  Master. 

John  A.  Tutt,  R.  W.  Deputy  Grand  Master. 

Caleb  Fenner,   "      Senior  Grand  Warden. 

Saschel  Woods,   "      Junior  Grand  Warden. 

John  H.  Gihon,  M.  D.,   "       Grand  Secretary. 

Levi  Stowell,   "       Grand  Treasurer. 

B.  D.  Hyam,  W.  Grand  Se?iior  Deacon. 

E.  J.  Willis,   "  Grand  Junior  Deacon. 

Simon  Greenwalt,   "  Grand  Steward. 

Aaron  Greenwalt,   "  Grand  Steward. 

G.  P.  Gordon,   "  Grand  Marshal. 

Wm.  Davenport,    "  Grand  Standard  Bearer. 

B.  B.  Gore,   "  Grand  Sword  Bearer. 

W.  G.  Deale,   "  Grand  Chaplain. 

Frederick  A.  Clark,   "  Grand  Tyler. 

Several  lodges,  then  working  "under  dispensations"  from 
other  grand  lodges,  received  charters,  and  at  the  first  annual 
meeting  after  its  institution,  the  "  Grand  Lodge  of  California " 
numbered  more  than  a  dozen  flourishing  lodges  under  its  jurisdic- 
tion. The  "  Davy  Crockett  Lodge,  No.  7,"  subsequently  styled  the 
"  San  Francisco  Lodge,"  came  into  existence  shortly  after  No.  1, 
and  in  the  summer  of  the  same  year  (1850),  "  San  Francisco 
Royal  Arch  Chapter"  was  also  established,  under  a  charter  from 
the  "  General  Grand  Chapter  of  the  United  States,"  of  which  Col. 
John  W.  Geary  was  first  High  Priest,  and  Dr.  John  H.  Gihon, 
first  Secretary.  In  May,  1851,  the  French  residents  of  the  city 
organized  "  La  Parfaite  Union  Lodge,  No.  17  ; "  and  in  1852, 
the  "  Occidental  Lodge,  No.  22,"  and  the  "  Golden  Gate  Lodge, 
No.  30,"  were  established,  at  which  date  there  were  thirteen 
chartered  lodges  and  seven  "  under  dispensation  "  represented  in 
the  Grand  Lodge.  In  October,  1853,  "  Mount  Moriah  Lodge." 
and  in  January,  1854,  "  Lebanon  Lodge"  were  opened  for  work 


712 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


n  San  Francisco.  Various  lodges  have  been  established  over  the 
whole  State,  to  the  number  of  about  fifty,  not  only  in  the  midst 
of  the  crowded  cities,  but  amid  the  gulches  and  ravines  of  the 
sparsely-peopled  mountains,  and  have  enrolled  among  their  mem- 
bers, the  great  portion  of  the  most  prominent  public  officials  and 
business  men  of  the  country.  In  Sacramento,  two  lodges  were 
established  almost  simultaneously  with  the  organization  of  Cali- 
fornia Lodge  ;  and  a  hospital  was  there  founded  by  the  Order  in 
connection  with  the  Order  of  Odd-Fellows,  in  the  support  of 
which  about  thirty  thousand  dollars  were  expended  in  little  more 
than  one  year.  In  1851,  the  brethren  residing  in  Honolulu  in 
Oahu  of  the  Sandwich  Islands,  were,  on  due  application,  author- 
ized to  open  a  lodge  in  that  city  ;  and  the  success  attending  its 
operations  has  equalled  the  most  sanguine  expectations  of  its 
founders.  At  this  date  the  king,  the  heir-apparent  and  brother, 
with  several  Hawaiian  notables,  have  had  an  opportunity  of  join- 
ing it.  In  this  year  (1854),  a  number  of  masons  residing  at 
Valparaiso,  solicited  and  received  authority  to  establisb  a  lodge 
in  that  place.  This,  however,  has  already  withdrawn  from  the 
California  jurisdiction.  The  "Knights  Templars"  opened  an 
encampment,  on  the  20th  of  December,  1853,  and  a  second 
"Royal  Arch  Chapter"  is  now  working  at  Sacramento.  The 
Grand  Masters  of  the  State  have  been  successively,  J.  D.  Steven- 
son, in  1850  ;  J.  A.  Tutt,  in  1851  ;  B.  D.  Hyam,  in  1852  ; 
Chas.  M.  Radcliff,  in  1853  ;  and  Wm.  H.  Howard,  now  in  office. 
The  Order  is  in  the  most  prosperous  condition,  embracing  about 
four  thousand  members — all  engaged  actively  in  doing  good.  At 
the  last  session  of  the  Grand  Lodge,  the  education  of  orphans 
was  one  of  the  main  features  of  their  deliberations.  Lands  have 
been  donated  for  a  Masonic  College,  which  will  probably  be  com- 
menced in  the  ensuing  year,  and  trustees  appointed  to  take 
charge  of  the  property  and  receive  donations. 

The  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  dates  its  origin 
in  this  city  from  the  same  causes,  for  the  same  objects,  and  about 
the  same  time  as  the  Masonic  Order.  In  1849,  "  California 
Lodge,  No.  1,"  was  established,  and  occupied  the  same  third- 
story  rooms  in  Montgomery  street,  paying  the  same  sum  for  their 
use.  Like  the  masons  they  extended  their  aid  to  the  suffering 
members  of  their  own  Order,  and  like  them  accomplished  an  in- 


SOCIAL  AND  BENEVOLENT  INSTITUTIONS. 


713 


credible  amount  of  good.  The  Order  now  comprises  twenty-one 
lodges, — five  of  which  are  located  in  San  Francisco,  one  of  these 
being  composed  principally  of  German  residents, — embracing  in 
all  about  one  thousand  members  with  over  five  thousand  visiting 
brothers.  On  the  17th  of  May,  1853,  the  "  R.  W.  Grand  Lodge 
of  California  "  was  organized,  with  the  following  officers  : 


Samuel  H.  Parker,  M.  W.  Grand  Master. 

J.  F.  Morse,  R.  W.  D.  Grand  Master. 

E.  W.  Colt,  R.  W.  Grand  Warden. 

T.  R.  Johnson,  R.  W.  Grand  Secretary. 

John  M.  Coughlin,  R.  W.  Grand  Treasurer. 

Matthew  Purden,  R.  W.  Grand  Representative. 

J.  Zacariah,  W.  Grand  Marshal. 

A.  J.  Lucas,  W.  Grand  Guardian. 

L.  F.  Zantzinger,  W.  Grand  Conductor. 


The  Patriarchal  branch  of  the  Order  is  under  the  control  of 
D.  D.  Grand  Sire  S.  H.  Parker,  and  comprises  three  subordinate 
encampments  in  San  Francisco,  Sacramento  and  Stockton,  num- 
bering about  one  hundred  and  seventy-five  members.  A  Degree 
Lodge  has  been  likewise  established  in  each  of  these  cities.  The 
Grand  Lodge,  of  which  J.  F.  Morse  is  the  second  and  present 
Grand  Master,  has  alone  donated  for  charitable  purposes  since  its 
organization,  over  $20,000,  and  the  whole  amount  of  money  ex- 
pended in  the  State,  and  the  number  of  families,  brethren, 
widows  and  orphans  relieved,  is  enormous.  Mr.  S.  Brannan,  a 
member  of  "  Templar  Lodge,  No.  17,"  has  presented  the  Order  a 
valuable  lot  of  ground  on  the  Mission  Road,  for  a  cemetery. 

Early  in  1849,  the  Rev.  T.  D.  Hunt  organized  a  Temper- 
ance Society  in  San  Francisco,  which  lived  several  months  and 
accomplished  some  good  by  the  dissemination  of  its  peculiar  doc- 
trines, successfully  relieving  much  of  the  distress  of  the  times,  by 
laying  the  axe  to  the  root  of  the  great  producer  of  vice,  poverty 
and  wretchedness.  During  its  existence,  Mr.  Hunt  and  others 
delivered  a  number  of  lectures,  on  which  occasions  some  who 
needed  the  benefits  of  such  an  organization,  were  persuaded  to 
sign  the  pledge  of  total  abstinence.  The  work  thus  begun  has 
since  been  more  vigorously  prosecuted  by  the  Order  of  the  Sons 
of  Temperance,  of  which  there  are  almost  forty  subordinate 
divisions  in  successful  operation  in  the  State,  scattered  princi- 


714 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


pally  throughout  its  northern  portion,  the  farthest  south  being  at 
Santa  Clara  and  Mariposa.  On  the  9th  of  September,  1851,  the 
representatives  of  the  divisions  then  existing  met  in  San  Francisco 
and  organized  the  "  Grand  Division  of  California."  There  are  four 
subordinate  divisions  in  this  city,  embracing  some  five  hundred 
members.  In  the  entire  State  the  roll  of  membership  is  not 
short  of  2,500.  Numerous  branch  organizations  have  likewise 
grown  into  successful  operation  in  San  Francisco  and  the  other 
cities  of  California.  There  are  two  flourishing  unions  of  the 
Daughters  of  Temperance,  one  at  Sacramento  and  one  here  ;  of 
the  Templars  of  Honor  there  are  also  two  organizations  at  the 
same  places  ;  and  there  are  eight  sections  of  the  Cadets  of  Tem- 
perance, consisting  of  lads  of  between  twelve  and  seventeen  years 
of  age,  who  do  good  service.  The  section  in  this  city  numbers 
over  forty  members,  though  of  very  recent  date.  The  temper- 
ance influence  has  been  markedly  and  beneficially  felt.  Various 
hotels  are  conducted  on  strictly  anti-intoxicating  principles,  and 
some  of  the  great  refreshment  saloons  have  abolished  the  sale  of 
stimulating  draughts. 

Distinct  from  these  great  Orders,  branches  of  which  exist  in" 
every  hamlet  of  our  mighty  empire,  there  have  arisen  in  San 
Francisco  various  local  associations,  whose  objects  have  been 
more  or  less  limited  to  peculiar  sects  or  races,  whom  they  have 
either  sought  to  unite  in  closer  social  intimacy  or  to  mutually  aid 
and  succor  when  they  might  become  necessitous.  The  descend- 
ants of  the  Pilgrim  Fathers,  as  early  as  September,  1850,  organ- 
ized the  New  England  Society  of  San  Francisco,  for  the  first 
object.  A  meeting  was  held  by  a  number  of  immigrants  from  the 
Eastern  States,  at  the  American  House  on  Clay  street,  opposite  the 
plaza  5  and  the  subsequent  organization  of  the  society  was  com- 
pleted at  the  District  Court-room  in  the  old  City  Hall  at  the  corner 
of  Pacific  and  Kearny  streets,  and  the  following  officers  chosen  : — 

President. — Charles  Gilman,  of  N.  H. 

Vice-Presidents. — J.  C.  Derby,  of  Mass.,  W.  H.  Clark,  of  Me.,  John  A. 
Collins,  of  Vt,  G.  V.  S.  Gibbs,  of  R.  I.,  and  Theodore  Dimond,  of  Ct. 

Treasurer. — Geo.  W.  Gibbs.  Auditor. — H.  K.  W.  Clark.  Librarian. — 
Wm.  A.  Dana.  Corresponding  Secretary. — Louis  R.  Lull.  Recording  Secre- 
tary.— Henry  L.  Dodge.  Executive  Committee. — J.  P.  Treadwell,  Lucien 
Skinnett,  J.  Satterlee,  C.  D.  Cushman,  Robert  Hopkins,  and  0.  N.  Bush. 


SOCIAL  AND  BENEVOLENT  INSTITUTIONS.  715 

la  1851,  the  society  had  made  arrangements  to  furnish  a 
library  and  reading-room  for  the  use  of  the  members.  Rooms 
had  been  secured  in  a  wooden  building  on  the  north  side  of 
Washington  street,  between  Kearny  and  Montgomery  streets, 
and  a  large  collection  of  books,  pamphlets  and  newspapers  had 
been  ordered  from  the  Atlantic  States,  and  a  part  of  them  were 
then  on  their  way.  The  building  in  which  were  the  society 
rooms,  and  all  the  books,  records  and  papers  in  the  hands  of  the 
officers  were  destroyed  in  the  fire  of  May  3d  and  4th  of  that 
year.  General  Wilson  and  Messrs.  Satterlee,  Clarke  and  Austin, 
prominent  members  of  the  association,  were  badly  burned,  and 
narrowly  escaped  with  their  lives.  The  society  soon  replaced  its 
losses  and  resumed  its  prosperity.  It  has  succeeded  eminently 
in  its  objects  ;  and  its  members,  by  constant  intercourse,  are  in  a 
measure  reconciled  to  the  want  of  homes  and  families,  and  made 
to  feel  less  like  isolated  and  uncared-for  strangers.  It  celebrates 
its  anniversary  on  the  22d  of  December  annually  by  speeches, 
feasting,  etc.,  and  in  1853  a  new  feature  was  introduced  by  the 
presence  of  ladies,  wives  and  relatives  of  the  members. 

The  Society  of  California  Pioneers  was  instituted  in 
August,  1850,  as  we  have  already  fully  described,  for  a  some- 
what similar  object.  It  sought  to  bind  together  in  social  union 
the  original  founders  of  the  great  city  of  St.  Francis,  and  to  per- 
petuate the  reminiscences  of  their  days  of  toil,  by  collecting  and 
preserving  the  early  records  of  California  history. 

Numerous  other  exclusively  charitable  and  benevolent  associ- 
ations have  since  been  instituted.  In  1851,  the  French  citizens 
organized  a  society  called  the  French  Benevolent  Society,  designed 
to  relieve  the  necessities  of  their  sick  and  indigent  countrymen. 
More  recently  the  Germans  have  formed  a  German  Benevolent 
Society,  for  similar  purposes,  and  have  enrolled  almost  three 
hundred  members.  The  Jewish  residents  of  the  city  have  been 
equally  mindful  of  the  wants  of  those  of  their  own  persuasion  by 
founding  the  First  Hebrew  Benevolent  Society.  The  soldiers, 
who  served  in  the  Mexican  War,  and  who  are  numerous 
among  our  citizens,  have  in  May,  1854,  organized  a  society 
among  themselves,  of  which  Gen.  Wool  is  president,  to  perpetu- 
ate their  old  associations,  and  render  mutual  aid  and  succor  to 


716 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


those  who  may  be  destitute.  On  the  4th  of  August,  1853,  the 
San  Francisco  Ladies'  Protection  and  Relief  Society  was  estab- 
lished, by  the  wives  of  numerous  influential  citizens,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  affording  protection  and  assistance  to  women  in  need  and 
distress,  residents  or  strangers.  Very  many  unfortunate  females 
have  been  furnished,  through  the  exertions  of  its  members,  with 
comfortable  homes,  and  provided  with  situations  in  respectable 
families,  where  they  are  enabled  to  earn  honest  livelihoods. 
Medical,  Law,  Library  and  Literary  Associations,  with  the  va- 
rious Religious  Societies  already  noticed,  are  numerous,  and  most 
of  them,  besides  their  more  special  objects,  have  beneficial  pro- 
visions for  their  needy  and  deserving  members. 

This  much  has  been  done  for  the  adult  sufferers  of  the  dismal 
days  of  the  gold  hunt  and  the  present  beneficiaries  of  the  land 
of  wealth, — but  there  were  also  little  children  in  San  Francisco, 
though  few  in  number,  who  had  been  left  fatherless  and  mother- 
less to  be  tossed  about  in  the  great  mozlstrom  of  passion — who 
knew  not  wherewith  to  feed  their  hunger,  nor  where  to  rest  their 
wearied  bodies,  nor  from  whom  to  expect  sympathy  or  assistance. 
Honor  to  the  great  young  city,  these  were  not  forgotten  !  In 
February  of  1851,  a  few  ladies  of  the  different  congregations  of 
the  city,  cordially  met  in  the  First  Presbyterian  Church,  and, 
having  buried  the  hatchet  of  sectarian  jealousies,  established 
the  u San  Francisco  Orphan  Asylum"  under  the  following 
officers  : — 

President. — Mrs.  Williams. 

Vice-President. — Mrs.  Wiley.  Treasurer. — Mrs.  Boring.  Secretary. — 
Mrs.  Warren.  Managers. — Mesdames  Waller,  Taylor,  Wheeler,  E.  V.  Gil- 
lespie, Joyce  and  Dubbs.  Trustees. — Messrs.  Chas.  Gilman,  Stephen  Frank- 
Jin  and  Daniel  L.  Ross.    Matron. — Mrs.  Wilson. 

This  society  commenced  with  eight  orphans,  and  now  has 
about  thirty  under  its  charge.  Since  it  left  the  church  it  has 
occupied  rent  free  the  cottage  of  Mr.  Halleck  on  Folsom  street, 
but  has  now  removed  to  the  beautiful  structure  which  has  been 
built  for  its  accommodation.  The  common  council,  April  4th, 
1853,  passed  an  ordinance  conveying  to  the  trustees  all  the  in- 
terest had  by  the  city  in  a  lot  of  ground  near  Yerba  Buena 
Cemetery,  for  the  purpose  of  erecting  on  it  a  suitable  building. 


SOCIAL  AND  BENEVOLENT  INSTITUTIONS.  717 

The  right  to  the  land  was  in  dispute,  but  the  parties  adverse  to 
the  city's  title  had  readily  renounced  their  claim,  and  now  the 
city  did  the  same.  The  situation  is  a  pleasant  one,  though  re- 
tired, and  the  building  erected  is  a  handsome  and  commodious 
edifice.  About  $24,000  have  been  expended  upon  the  building 
and  grounds. 

The  Roman  Catholic  citizens  of  San  Francisco  have  had  a 
similar  institution  in  connection  with  the  St.  Patrick's  Catholic 
Church  and  school  since  1852,  in  which  there  are  now  about  fifty 
orphans,  over  whom  five  Sisters  of  Charity  exercise  their  kind  and 
matronly  care.  This  asylum  is  situated  in  Happy  Valley,  and 
like  the  other  is  doing  much  good,  and  is  very  generously  sus- 
tained. 

In  all  these  works  of  benevolence  have  been  shown  the  finer 
parts  of  human  nature, — even  though  their  field  has  been  only 
San  Francisco, — and  their  gratifying  results  are  as  certain  indices 
of  the  real  merits  of  the  place,  as  the  hosts  of  crime  are  of  the 
evils  of  unchecked  passion  and  excitement.  The  good  already 
gained  is  surely  an  earnest  of  what  may  yet  be  done. 


Alcalde's  Office,  west  side  of  Portsmouth  Square. 


JOHN  W.  GEARY, 

LAST  ALCALDE  AND  FIRST  MAYOR  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO 

Certain  men  in  the  histories  of  various  countries,  have,  from 
different  causes,  acquired  a  universal  hold  upon  the  affections  of 
the  people.  Such  was  the  enthusiasm,  which  actuated  every 
member  of  the  Grande  Armee, — noblesse  and  bourgeoisie, — in  his 
life  and  death  attachment  to  the  Little  Corporal  ;  such,  the  grati- 
tude and  reverence  unanimously  rendered  to  our  First  President ; 
and  such  the  admiration  and  respect  for  the  subject  of  our 
sketch,  evinced  by  the  heterogeneous  population  of  the  new 
city  in  the  Occident.  We  can,  without  being  accused  of  fulsome 
flattery,  or  without  the  fear  of  contradiction,  employ  terms  of 


JOHN  W.  GEARY. 


719 


high  eulogy  in  speaking  of  one  of  the  earliest  and  most  vigorous  of 
the  pioneers,  who  have  hewn  for  San  Francisco  a  path  to  glory 
and  greatness  through  dangers  and  difficulties  unaj)preciated  by 
any  who  did  not  share  them.  We  have  already,  in  our  work, 
noticed  the  prominent  part  he  has  taken  in  numberless  enter- 
prises for  the  public  good,  and  the  various  and  multiform  relations 
which  he  has  filled  in  this  country  ;  and  through  all,  the  appro- 
bation of  his  acts  and  the  confidence  in  his  integrity,  were  such 
as  to  make  him  a  favorite  of  the  people.  The  mass  of  man- 
kind is  ever  ready  to  respect,  honor  and  reward  those  virtues 
which  itself  has  not  ;  but  it  is  rare  to  discover  a  society  without 
any,  who  refuse  their  sanction  to  what  they  know  to  be  good,  if 
only  for  envy's  sake.  Who  then,  would  have  expected  to  have 
found  a  community,  so  lawless  and  reckless,  so  passion-actuated 
and  fancy-governed,  so  wild,  desperate  and  daring,  so  pregnant 
with  vices  and  so  barren  of  virtues,  as  it  was  described  in  the 
history  of  nations,  the  first  to  exhibit  to  centuries  of  civilized 
life,  a  lesson  of  thankfulness  for  good  done,  of  forbearance  and 
sacrifice  of  personal  desires,  of  zeal  and  earnestness  in  rewarding 
real  merit  ?  Colonel  Geary  was  not  even  a  native  of  the  place, 
nor  a  long  resident  of  the  country,  nor  an  old  associate  of  its 
inhabitants,  but  was  left  friendless  on  a  strange  shore,  where  a 
strange  city  saw  and  appreciated  his  pre-eminent  qualities. 

John  W.  Geary  is  a  Pennsylvanian,  born  in  Westmoreland 
County,  and  although  but  thirty-five  years  of  age,  he  has  won  a 
lasting  fame  by  his  firm  adherence  to  the  cause  of  right  and  duty 
in  the  various  parts  of  our  country  in  which  he  has  been  placed 
in  civil,  military,  judicial  and  executive  positions.  He  has  been 
rewarded  by  the  prosperity  and  esteem  that  attends  upright  con- 
duct and  honorable  actions,  even  though  without  the  advantages 
of  wealth  and  influential  or  numerous  frrends  to  gild  life's  troubles 
at  the  outset  of  his  career  and  help  him  to  position  and  renown. 

His  parents  never  had  much  pecuniary  means,  and  very  early 
in  his  life,  his  father  was  afflicted  with  a  tardy  attack  of  illness, 
during  which  he  became  much  involved  in  debt,  and  died  without 
leaving  any  thing  to  satisfy  his  creditors.  Young  Geary  then  be- 
came the  sole  stay  of  his  mother,  whom  he  supported  by  teaching 
school,  and  eventually  through  his  praiseworthy  and  industrious 


720 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


exertions,  succeeded  in  defraying  every  dollar  of  his  deceased 
parent's  indebtedness.  This  at  once  gave  him  a  high  reputation 
in  his  native  place.  So  honorable  a  return  for  a  mother's  tender 
rearing  is  unusual  ;  it  is  more  uncommon, — indeed,  it  is  never 
expected, — that  a  son  should  so  nobly  vindicate  the  memory  of 
his  father,  by  the  generous  gift  of  his  hard  earnings.  The  posi- 
tion of  a  school-teacher  not  being  wholly  consonant  with  his 
inclinations,  he  removed  to  Pittsburg,  and  accepted  and  filled  for 
a  short  time  only  the  situation  of  clerk  to  a  wholesale  establish- 
ment, quitting  the  business  in  disgust,  in  consequence  of  certain 
dishonorable  requirements,  exacted  by  his  employer.  Meanwhile 
his  own  efforts  had  given  him  a  classical  education,  which  he 
completed  at  Jefferson  College,  Canonsburg,  Pa.,  creating  life- 
long friends  among  professors  and  classmates,  by  the  early  exhi- 
bition of  those  same  qualities  that  have  since  endeared  him  to 
so  many  others  in  public  and  in  social  life. 

While  at  college  his  preference  and  pre-eminence  were  in  the 
various  departments  of  the  mathematical  chair,  and  accordingly 
he  subsequently  gratified  his  predilection  and  assumed  the  profes- 
sion of  a  civil  engineer,  in  the  practice  of  which  he  went  to  Ken- 
tucky, partly  in  the  employ  of  the  Commonwealth  and  partly  in 
that  of  the  Green  River  Railroad  Company,  and  was  engaged  in 
the  survey  of  several  very  important  branches  of  the  public  im- 
provements of  that  State.  After  an  experience  with  the  Engineer 
Corps,  in  many  of  the  States,  he  successively  filled  all  the  various 
offices  from  a  clerkship  to  the  superintendency  of  the  Alleghany 
Portage  Railroad,  and  during  several  years,  discharged  the  duties 
of  his  responsible  positions  with  complete  satisfaction. 

Actuated  by  his  mathematical  abilities,  it  is  not  strange  he 
should,  at  a  very  early  date,  have  exhibited  a  fondness  for  mili- 
tary tactics.  He  admired,  and  labored  strenuously  by  the  out- 
lay of  time  and  means  to  perfect  our  volunteer  system.  From 
a  private  in  the  ranks,  he  rose  rapidly  through  all  the  grades  to 
that  of  Brigadier-General,  to  which  he  was  unanimously  elected 
by  the  brigade,  comprising  Cambria  and  Somerset  Counties. 

The  war  with  the  Mexican  States  soon  after  this  furnished 
an  opportunity  for  the  citizen  soldier  to  do  in  earnest,  what  he 
had  been  doing  in  play — to  temper  and  to  test  the  steel  he  had 


JOHN  W.  GEARY. 


721 


been  making — to  ascertain  the  practicability  and  the  use,  beyond 
a  mere  amusement,  of  all  his  music  and  marching,  his  gaudy 
colors  and  fatiguing  drills.  Mr.  Geary  responded  among  the 
first,  to  the  call  for  volunteers,  and  was  accepted  to  participate 
in  the  coming  conflict,  along  with  the  "  American  Highlanders," 
whom  he  commanded.  They  were  incorporated  in  the  Second 
Pennsylvania  Eegiment,  of  which,  on  organization,  Captain  Geary 
was  almost  unanimously  elected  Lieutenant-Colonel.  His  regi- 
ment joined  the  army  of  General  Scott  at  Vera  Cruz,  and  served 
in  the  advance  under  the  command  and  on  the  line  of  operations 
of  that  great  chieftain  through  his  brilliant  campaign  in  Mexico. 
He  was  attached  to  General  Quitman's  division,  and  distinguished 
himself  by  his  bravery  and  military  skill  in  the  battles  of  La 
Hoya,  Chapultepec,  Garita  de  Belen  and  the  City  of  Mexico, 
and  was  so  well  appreciated  and  esteemed  by  his  command,  that 
on  arriving  at  the  capital  of  the  Montezumas,  their  leader,  Colonel 
Roberts,  having  died,  he  was  elected  Colonel  by  a  vote  of  more 
than  two-thirds  of  the  regiment,  and  was  the  first  American 
ever  to  receive  a  commission  dated  at  that  place.  Such  a  com- 
pliment, at  such  a  time,  could  not  be  regarded  as  the  reward  of 
friendship  or  political  preference.  It  was  the  spontaneous  and 
grateful  gift  of  associates  in  arms — the  men  who  had  fought  by 
his  side,  shared  his  privations,  suffering  and  dangers,  and  served 
cheerfully  under  his  command  through  the  hazardous  march 
across  the  country  of  a  powerful  enemy.  It  was  the  reward  for 
his  own  gallantry  from  the  hands  of  the  gallant  soldiers  who  had 
witnessed  and  best  knew  how  to  appreciate  his  merits.  The 
Second  Pennsylvania  Regiment  had  clone  pre-eminent  service  in 
the  Mexican  war.  They  were  foremost  in  many  terrific  strifes, 
enthusiastic,  uncomplaining  under  fatigue,  and  anxious  to  lead 
any  enterprise  of  danger  and  difficulty.  They  had  stormed  and 
taken  the  almost  inaccessible  heights  of  Chapultepec  in  the  face 
of  the  enemy's  batteries — and  Geary,  though  wounded  in  the 
attack  by  a  spent  grape-shot,  was  with  them  in  the  victory  ;  they 
had  entered  the  fearful  causeway  of  the  Garita  de  Belen,  under 
a  terrific  fire  from  every  side,  drenching  with  their  blood  every 
foot  of  the  distance  gained,  and  accomplishing  a  victory,  despite 
even  the  intention  of  the  commander-in-chief,  who  had  believed 
46 


722 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


a  mere  feint  and  not  an  assault  possible  or  feasible  ;  and  lastly, 
in  connection  with  the  gallant  Quitman's  command,  they  had 
the  honor  assigned  them  of  raising  the  ensign  of  their  country 
over  that  of  the  fallen  enemy,  within  the  walls  of  the  conquered 
city.  In  the  appointments  that  followed  the  victory,  Colonel 
Geary  was  made  first  commander  of  the  great  citadel  of  the  City 
of  Mexico  in  consideration  of  his  valuable  aid  in  the  capture  of 
the  capital. 

Colonel  Geary  has  always  been  remarkable  for  his  close  atten- 
tion to  his  duties  and  business  industry.  During  the  campaign, 
he  exhibited,  in  a  striking  manner,  this  peculiarity  of  character. 
He  had  never  in  a  single  instance  been  known  to  have  been 
negligent  of  duty.  He  daily  visited  in  person  every  portion  of 
the  regiment,  and  inspected  the  police  and  condition  of  his  men, 
examining  the  state  of  the  hospitals,  and  relieving  the  sick  either 
by  personal  care  or  explicit  directions  through  others.  His  men 
always  welcomed  his  appearance  on  such  occasions,  and  hailed  it 
with  as  much  hope  as  that  of  the  physician.  He  was  neverthe- 
less a  strict  disciplinarian,  and  was  never  slow  properly  to  bring 
to  punishment  when  detected,  the  idle  or  vicious. 

The  treaty  of  peace  having  closed  the  war,  he  returned  to 
his  native  State,  marching  his  whole  regiment  from  the  City  of 
Mexico  to  the  City  of  Pittsburg,  three  thousand  miles,  the  season 
being  the  most  sickly  of  the  year,  without  losing  a  single  indi- 
vidual from  his  command,  numbering  at  that  time  nearly  four 
hundred  men.  The  regiment  originally  consisted  of  eleven  hun- 
dred Pennsylvanians,  embracing  sterling  men  of  all  professions 
and  branches  of  industry  ;  but  of  this  number  not  two  hundred 
and  fifty  are  now  living,  the  casualties  of  war  and  disease  having 
swept  away  the  most  of  them.  Upon  his  arrival  at  Pittsburg, 
his  troops  being  the  first  from  the  seat  of  war,  the  enthusiasm 
of  their  reception  knew  no  bounds.  The  whole  population, 
amounting  to  thousands  upon  thousands  of  people,  turned  out 
on  the  occasion.  Cannon  were  fired,  bells  rung  forth  peals  of 
joy,  the  roads  were  strewn  with  flowers,  and  triumphal  arches 
erected  at  every  hundred  yards — and  the  shouts  and  huzzas  of 
the  populace  rent  the  air.  The  Hon.  William  Wilkins,  in  a 
public  speech,  complimented  the  services  of  the  gallant,  weather- 


JOHX  W.  GEARY. 


723 


beaten  and  war-worn  troops,  and  their  much  honored  leader. 
The  excitement  of  the  universal  jubilee  ran  to  the  highest  pitch. 
The  whole  country  around  likewise  seemed  crazy  with  joy  ;  and 
when  he  reached  his  western  home,  he  was  publicly  and  enthu- 
siastically welcomed  by  every  citizen  of  his  native  place. 

On  the  22d  of  January,  1849,  President  Polk,  in  return  for 
his  valuable  services  during  the  campaign  in  Mexico,  appointed 
Colonel  Geary  postmaster  of  San  Francisco,  with  powers  to  create 
post-offices,  appoint  postmasters,  establish  mail  routes,  and  make 
contracts  for  carrying  the  mails  throughout  California.  He  thus 
unconsciously  placed  him  in  the  way  of  all  his  subsequent  success 
and  popularity  among  the  people  of  the  Eureka  State.  It  was 
all  chance,  cries  one  ;  it  was  tak-deer  (destiny),  exclaims  the 
Persian.  Whatever  it  was,  judging  from  the  man  as  he  had 
previously  shown  himself,  we  must  suppose  that  even  under  other 
circumstances  or  in  another  place,  his  career  would  have  been 
equally  praiseworthy  though  doubtless  less  liberally  rewarded. 

Colonel  Geary,  with  his  customary  energy,  promptly  returned 
from  Washington,  with  his  commission,  to  his  home  in  West- 
moreland County,  where  he  expeditiously  closed  his  business  and 
sailed  with  his  wife  and  child,  on  the  1st  of  February,  from  New 
York  for  Chagrcs  in  the  steamer  Falcon,  on  her  second  trip. 
Arrived  at  the  Isthmus,  he  left  Chagres  in  a  small  boat,  accom- 
panied, besides  Mrs.  Geary  and  child,  by  Captain  Bezer  Simmons 
and  wife.  At  that  time  there  was  no  accommodation  for  travel- 
lers attempting  the  transit.  No  provisions  were  to  be  had  along 
the  route.  Wild  beasts  and  alligators  were  numerous.  The 
party  in  the  boat  became  almost  starved  on  the  third  day  out ; 
hut  the  inhabitants  of  the  country,  being  at  that  time  exceed- 
ingly hostile,  refused  to  supply  their  wants.  Col.  Geary,  at  a 
bend  in  the  river,  went  ashore  and  offered  without  success  to 
purchase  food.  Not  being  able  to  buy.  and  observing  chickens 
running  about,  he  drew  his  revolver  and  shot  two,  throwing  the 
owners  a  dollar  in  recompense.  Three  men  instantly  attacked 
him  with  clubs,  supposing  he  had  discharged  all  his  loads,  but 
desisted  as  soon  as  he  informed  them  that  he  had  four  left  for 
their  service.  He  crossed  to  the  opposite  side  of  the  peninsula, 
keeping  his  assailants  at  bay.    Here  he  discovered  a  tent,  and 


724 


ANNALS  OF   SAN  FRANCISCO. 


obtaining  rude  utensils,  prepared  and  cooked  his  chickens  by  the 
time  the  boat  with  his  family  and  friends  arrived.    They  took  a 
hearty  meal,  and  were  no  little  revived  in  strength  and  spirits. 
They  returned  to  their  canoe,  and  at  sunset  were  deserted  by 
their  guides  and  boatmen,  and  left  to  pass  the  night  as  they  best 
could  on  the  banks  of  the  Chagres  Eiver,  surrounded  by  wild 
beasts.    The  ladies  slept  in  the  boat,  wrapped  in  blankets,  and 
the  colonel  and  captain  alternately  kept  guard  on  shore.  The 
night  was  terrible  under  their  unprotected  condition.    The  rain 
was  pouring  in  torrents — the  air  was  full  of  the  strange  cries  of 
tropical  beasts — while  numerous  amphibious  animals,  splashing 
and  dashing  through  the  water,  added  to  the  dismal  sounds. 
We  may  here  incidentally  observe  that,  though  on  this  occasion 
every  danger  was  happily  passed,  Col.  Geary  and  child  are  at 
present,  the  only  surviving  members  of  the  party.    In  the  morn- 
ing, the  route  was  resumed  and  Gorgona  reached  on  the  fourth 
day,  at  which  place  mules  were  obtained,  and  the  party  started 
for  the  City  of  Panama.    Mrs.  Geary  was  the  first  lady  who  ever 
made  use  of  the  side-saddle  and  rode  in  the  American  fashion  on 
this  journey,  which  was  accomplished  in  six  hours  and  a  half, 
two  entire  days  being  frequently  required.    Here  the  necessity 
of  waiting  for  the  steamer  Oregon,  the  second  that  had  sailed 
for  San  Francisco,  and  which  was  making  the  voyage  around 
Cape  Horn,  and  intended  stopping  at  Panama  to  take  on  board 
the  Falcon's  passengers,  detained  Col.  Geary  at  this  city  about 
twenty-six  days,  during  which  he  did  not  remain  idle  or  inactive. 
At  this  time  many  of  the  passengers,  by  the  Isthmus,  suffered 
from  privation  and  disease.    They  were  crowded  together,  in  a 
sickly  neighborhood,  without  the  hope  of  a  speedy  departure, 
comfortless,  friendless  and  destitute.     Col.  Geary  accordingly 
organized  and  presided  first  over  a  Masonic  society,  and  subse- 
quently over  an  association  of  Odd-Fellows,  for  the  purpose  of 
alleviating  the  sufferings  and  relieving  the  miserable  condition  of 
the  unfortunate  gold  seekers.    Both  these  societies  are  still  in 
existence,  and  have  accomplished  much  good  ;  but  the  present 
travelling  facilities  have  materially  removed  the  necessity  for  any 
such  interference.    In  connection  with  several  other  gentlemen, 
he  contributed  and  assisted  in  the  publication  of  the  first  Ameri- 


JOHN  W.  GEARY. 


725 


can  paper  in  the  English  language  ever  issued  in  the  place,  which 
also  continues  to  exist. 

Ahout  this  time  a  singular  and  unprecedented  adventure 
occurred  to  the  colonel,  and  which  was  so  remarkable  that  we 
take  this  opportunity  of  relating  it.  He  had  established  his 
quarters  in  two  or  three  rooms  of  the  second  story  of  a  house  on 
the  north  side  of  the  plaza,  near  the  jail,  and  in  these  apartments 
he  had  daily  been  in  the  habit  of  displaying  his  goods,  to  dry  and 
air  them.  Three  or  four  days  after  his  arrival  in  the  city,  he 
discovered  that  he  had  been  robbed,  during  the  night,  of  a  num- 
ber of  valuable  articles,  and  about  daylight  went  to  the  guard, 
consisting  of  a  sergeant  and  twelve  men,  whose  guard-house  was 
in  the  jail  building,  to  obtain  information  concerning  the  robbery. 
Here,  though  he  addressed  them  in  good  Spanish,  they  pretended 
not  to  understand  him,  and  directed  indignant  and  insulting 
queries  to  him.  The  whole  party  gathered  closely  around,  drew 
their  side-arms  and  circled  them  about  his  head.  One  of  them, 
finally,  struck  him  on  the  ear,  and  being  incensed  at  so  gross  an 
outrage,  he  knocked  the  fellow  down.  Hastily  perceiving  his 
error  and  observing  his  desperate  position,  he  rushed  between 
two  men,  tripping  them,  and  knocking  down  a  fourth,  sprang 
into  the  guard-room.  This  was  about  thirty  feet  deep,  and  along 
the  back  wall  the  arms  were  arranged  in  a  row.  He  seized  a 
loaded  musket  from  the  rack,  and  placing  his  back  to  the  re- 
mainder, threatened  to  shoot  the  first  who  should  enter  the  door. 
Glancing  his  eyes  around  he  recognized  his  perilous  situation. 
The  sides  of  the  room  were  of  rough  logs,  between  the  inter- 
stices of  which  peered  at  every  corner  the  dark  and  desperate 
faces  of  the  prisoners  in  the  contiguous  jail  cells.  Before  him 
were  thirteen  armed  and  hostile  men,  anxious  and  determined  to 
destroy  him.  On  repeating  his  questions  concerning  the  robbery, 
one  of  them  threw  himself  on  a  pile  of  blankets  and  said  that 
they  had  slept  in  that  position  all  the  night  and  had  kept  no 
watch.  This  man  attempted,  by  rolling  himself  on  the  blankets, 
to  seize  the  colonel  by  the  leg  and  trip  him,  upon  which  the  lat- 
ter snatched  the  rascal's  bayonet  from  its  scabbard  and  placed  it 
on  the  end  of  the  musket  in  his  hands.  The  fellow  repeating 
his  effort,  the  colonel  stabbed  him  in  the  leg,  and  seizing  him 


726 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


with  part  of  the  blaukets  hurled  him  out  of  the  door,  and  thus 
unexpectedly  uncovered  his  stolen  property.  Having  thus  firmly 
fastened  the  evidence  upon  the  men,  the  stolen  goods  being  in 
sight,  they  immediately  yielded,  obeyed  all  his  orders,  and  throw- 
ing their  bayonets  in  a  pile,  and  forming  themselves  into  a  line, 
carried  the  articles  back  to  his  quarters  and  placed  them  in  the 
spot  whence  they  had  been  taken.  Before  leaving  the  guard- 
room he  took  the  precaution  to  knock  out  all  the  flints  and  re- 
move the  primings  from  the  pans  of  the  remaining  arms.  When 
he  reached  his  quarters,  he  sent  twelve  of  the  men  back,  and 
knocking  out  the  flint  and  priming  and  reversing  the  bayonet  of 
the  gun  he  had  retained,  gave  it  to  the  last  man,  whom  he  sum- 
marily kicked  down  stairs.  During  the  day  he  called  on  the 
American  consul  and  preferred  charges  against  the  men  to  the 
military  commandante,  who  immediately  ordered  a  trial,  found 
them  guilty  of  the  theft,  and  sentenced  them  to  be  whipped  with 
fifty  lashes  on  the  bare  back  in  the  public  plaza,  which  was  duly 
carried  into  effect  on  the  same  day.  Ever  afterwards  the  colonel 
was  treated  with  the  most  abject  humility  by  the  military  of  the 
place — though  a  reputation  for  such  daring  bravery  was  too  ter- 
ribly earned  to  be  desired. 

The  Oregon  at  last  arrived,  and  Col.  Geary  and  family  reached 
San  Francisco  on  the  1st  of  April.  Having  landed  his  trunks, 
of  which  he  had  a  number,  he  endeavored  to  employ  persons  to 
carry  them  to  a  residence  which  he  had  previously  secured  ;  but 
being  charged  five  dollars  for  each  trunk,  and  complaining  of  the 
exorbitant  price,  he  was  told  by  the  man  whom  he  had  addressed 
that  he  would  give  him  five  dollars  each  to  carry  them  himself. 
Taking  the  hint,  he  shouldered  a  trunk  and  soon  succeeded  in 
conveying  them  one  after  another  to  his  quarters.  Thus,  he  at 
least  saved  his  originally  intended  outlay,  though  he  never  re- 
ceived the  additional  fee  promised  by  the  labor-despising  Cali- 
fornian. 

The  colonel  secured  a  room  at  the  corner  of  Montgomery  and 
Washington  streets,  about  eight  feet  by  ten,  for  post-office  pur- 
poses, and  commenced  making  preparations  for  distributing  the 
mail,  consisting  of  about  five  thousand  letters.  Having  no  boxes, 
he  drew  lines  upon  the  floor,  forming  squares,  which  were  duly 


JOHN  W.  GEARY. 


727 


alphabeted,  in  which  the  letters  were  arranged.  These  he  de- 
livered through  a  hole  in  the  window,  made  by  the  removal  of  a 
pane  of  glass.  Col.  Geary's  labors  were  most  arduous — he  was 
constantly  at  the  delivery  window — assistants  could  only  be  cm- 
ployed  at  the  high  price  of  sixteen  dollars  a  day,  and  their  labors 
he  was  compelled  to  overlook  and  direct.  It  was  not  long,  how- 
ever, before  he  had  made  such  vast  improvements  as  to  render 
the  postal  arrangements  very  complete.  He  removed  the  office 
to  the  north-east  corner  of  Washington  and  Stockton  streets, 
and  thence  to  the  south-west  corner  of  Clay  and  Pike  streets, 
where  it  remained  for  a  considerable  time.  Scarcely  was  the 
office  properly  arranged,  and  in  good  working  order,  when  Col. 
Geary  learned  that  General  Taylor  had,  on  his  induction  into  the 
presidency,  appointed  a  successor.  Too  independent  to  retain 
it  a  day  longer  than  necessary,  he  applied  to  Col.  Allen,  then 
mail  agent  for  California,  to  release  him  from  his  contract  with  the 
general  government.  Col.  Bryan  temporarily  discharged  the 
duties  of  the  office,  until  the  arrival  of  Jacob  B.  Moore,  Esq., 
on  whom  the  administration  had  bestowed  the  position.  A  uni- 
versal sentiment  of  regret  prevailed  on  the  reception  of  this  in- 
telligence. Col.  Geary,  by  his  promptness  and  incredible  dispatch 
in  reaching  the  city  and  opening  his  office,  and  the  admirablo 
manner  in  which  he  conducted  it,  had  won  the  esteem  and  con- 
fidence of  the  people.  Owing  to  his  removal  from  office,  and  the 
impossibility  of  deciding  upon  his  future  course,  but  chiefly  because 
of  the  disordered  state  of  the  city,  occasioned  by  the  outrages  of  the 
"  Hounds,"  rendering  it  actually  unsafe  for  any  lady  to  reside 
there,  Col.  Geary  determined  to  let  his  family  remain  no  longer, 
but  sent  back  to  Pennsylvania,  in  company  with  long  tried  friends, 
his  wife  and  her  two  babes,  the  youngest  of  whom  had  been  born 
in  April,  and  was  the  first  male  child  of  purely  American  parents 
that  was  bom  in  San  Francisco  after  the  cession  of  California  to 
the  United  States.  He  now  formed  a  co-partnership  with 
Messrs.  Win.  Van  Vorhees  and  0.  P.  Sutton,  and  entered  into 
a  general  auction  and  commission  business,  under  the  name  of 
Geary,  Van  Vorhees  and  Sutton. 

The  proclamation  of  General  Eiley,  governor  of  California, 
having  been  issued  a  short  time  previous,  the  people  began  to 


728 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


look  around  for  candidates,  and  Col.  Geary  was  selected  for  the 
office  of  First  Alcalde.  Notwithstanding  he  repeatedly  and  ab- 
solutely refused  to  be  a  candidate,  his  name  was  placed  on  every 
one  of  the  ten  different  tickets,  and  in  the  ensuing  election,  he 
received  every  vote  cast  for  the  office,  as  is  officially  certified  in 
the  following  document : 

"  To  Hon.  John  W.  Geary  :— 

"  At  a  special  election  held  in  San  Francisco,  August  1st,  1849,  to  fill  the 
vacancy  existing  in  the  office  of  First  Alcalde  of  said  town  and  district,  you 
were  elected  by  fifteen  hundred  and  sixteen  votes,  being  the  whole  number 
cast. 

"Frederick  Billings, 
"  Cliairman  Bd.  Inspectors  and  Judges. 
"  San  Francisco,  August  2d,  1849." 

Col.  Geary  had  vacated  his  postmastership  in  favor  of  Col. 
Bryan,  who,  on  July  23d,  assumed  his  duties,  as  soon  as  possible 
after  hearing  of  Mr.  Moore's  appointment  of  April  15th.  Eight 
days  after,  the  entire  population,  by  their  flattering  vote,  had 
demonstrated  their  confidence  in  his  abilities.  In  obedience  to 
such  a  testimonial,  the  newly-elected  alcalde  entered  on  the  du- 
ties of  his  position,  after  taking  the  oath  of  office  and  being  duly 
commissioned  by  Governor  Riley.  The  latter  remarked  in  his 
address  on  the  occasion,  in  the  presence  of  Commodore  Jones  and 
others,  that  he  was  highly  pleased  at  the  result  of  the  election, 
that  he  entertained  the  highest  regard  and  esteem  for  the  colonel, 
and  was  prepared  to  support  him  on  all  occasions,  and  if  necessa- 
ry call  in  the  aid  of  the  army ;  "  and,"  remarked  Commodore 
Jones,  "add  the  navy,  also."  About  this  same  time,  Governor 
Riley  personally  placed  in  his  hands  the  following  appointment 
to  the  office  of  Judge  of  First  Instance  {Juez  de  primer  a  In- 
stancia). 

"  Know  all  men  by  these  presents,  that  I,  Bennet  Riley,  Brevet  Brig. 
Genl.  U.  S.  A.,  and  Governor  of  California,  by  virtue  of  authority  in  me  vested, 
do  hereby  appoint  and  confirm  J.  W,  Geary  as  Judge  of  First  Instance  in  and 
for  the  District  of  San  Francisco,  to  date  from  the  first  of  August,  1849. 

"  Given  under  my  hand  and  seal  at  San  Francisco,  Cala.,  this  Gth  day  of 
August,  A.  D.,  1849. 

"B.  Riley. 

(Official.)  •'  Bt.  Brig.  Genl.  U.  S.  A.  and  Gov.  of  California. 

"  H.  W,  Halleck,  Bt.  Capt.  and  Secretary  of  Stale." 


JOHN  "W.  GEARY. 


729 


Colonel  Geary  immediately  set  about  the  organization  of  the 
city,  and  the  establishment  of  an  efficient  police  force.  The  task 
was  herculean.  Pandemonium  had  to  be  quieted — chaos  re- 
duced to  order.  Here  was  a  large  maritime  city,  with  a  popula- 
tion of  about  twenty  thousand  persons,  and  embracing  a  strange 
medley  of  dangerous  and  desperate  characters — without  a  solita- 
ry officer,  or  a  single  law  to  govern  or  control  them.  All  these 
rebellious  elements  had  to  be  subdued,  and  good  citizens  made 
of  daring  bravados.  This  task  fell  upon  the  alcalde,  who  had  to 
perform  the  duties  of  every  one  of  the  customary  officers  of  a  city 
and  county  jurisdiction.  He  was  sheriff,  probate,  recorder, — even 
notary  public  and  coroner.  He  daily  held  an  ordinary  police  or 
mayor's  court  ;  an  alcalde's  court  for  the  minor  cases  and  general 
executive  matters  of  the  city  ;  a  court  of  first  instance  with  uni- 
versal civil  jurisdiction  ;  a  court  of  first  instance  with  like  crimi- 
nal extent ;  and  a  court  of  admiralty  for  maritime  cases.  In 
fine,  he  was  the  curator  of  the  public,  doing  every  thing  that  was 
to  be  done,  even  to  the  holding  of  inquests  and  taking  acknow- 
ledgment of  deeds.  For  a  long  time  there  was  no  other  magis- 
trate in  the  place,  until  Judge  Geary  himself  requested  the 
appointment  of  other  judicial  officers,  and  Hon.  Wm.  B.  Almond 
was  made  Judge  of  First  Instance  with  civil  jurisdiction  only. 
Judge  Geary  performed  all  these  varied  and  intricate  duties  with 
the  utmost  satisfaction,  until  the  month  of  January  following, 
when  a  new  election  took  place,  and  he  was  re-elected  alcalde, 
having  all  but  twelve  of  nearly  four  thousand  votes  polled.  He 
continued  in  this  office  until  the  ensuing  spring,  when  the  old 
Mexican  institutions  were  supplanted  by  our  own  system  of  mu- 
nicipal government. 

Under  the  old  Mexican  laws,  alcaldes  had  power  to  grant 
away  the  public  lands  at  the  fixed  rates  of  twelve  dollars  for 
fifty-vara  lots  and  twenty-five  dollars  for  one  hundred-vara  lots. 
All  American  alcaldes,  previous  to  Geary's  time,  had  availed 
themselves  of  this  privilege,  and  disposed  of  an  immense  amount 
of  valuable  property  at  the  above  mere  nominal  rates.  Soon 
after  the  organization  of  the  ayuntamiento,  a  resolution  was 
offered  authorizing  and  directing  the  alcalde  to  make  such  grants 
at  the  legal  rates.    While  the  matter  was  yet  in  debate,  Col. 


730 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


Geary  argued  against  it  and  refused  to  obey  it  if  passed,  declaring 
that  rather  than  make  such  grants  he  would  relinquish  his  office, 
since  it  would  disgrace  any  man  in  after  years  to  give  away  so 
much  property  at  prices  so  far  below  its  real  value.  In  accord- 
ance with  his  suggestions,  a  committee  of  the  ayuntamiento 
was  directed  to  ascertain  the  value  of  the  city  property  at  the 
rates  named.  Their  report  stated  it  to  be  $35,000.  On  learn- 
ing which,  a  small  portion  was  ordered  to  be  sold  at  public  auction. 
This  realized  the  handsome  sum  of  half  a  million  of  dollars, 
which  was  duly  accounted  for  and  placed  in  the  city  treasury. 
The  large  tracts  remaining  unsold  were  now  proportionally  worth 
probably  several  millions  of  dollars.  Such  conduct  cannot  be  too 
highly  commended,  at  a  time  when  precedent,  law  and  the  direc- 
tion of  the  ayuntamiento  would  have  sanctioned  the  disposal  of 
the  entire  public  domain  for  merely  nominal  prices.  Hence  the 
titles  that  bear  Judge  Geary's  signature  are  regarded  the  best 
that  can  be  possessed — since  the  citizens  of  the  place  are  familiar 
with  his  open  and  aboveboard  conduct  in  regard  to  this  affair. 
Certain  innuendos  were  afterwards  circulated  to  the  effect  that  he 
had  availed  himself  of  his  position  and  opportunities  as  a  Com- 
missioner of  the  Funded  Debt  to  purchase  lots  at  low  rates  for 
his  own  aggrandizement, — a  malicious  slander  that  best  refutes 
itself, — for  no  one  will  believe  that  any  man,  then  possessed  of  as 
much  as  he  need  want,  would  contaminate  his  hands  and  risk 
an  untarnished  reputation,  for  a  few  thousand  stolen  dollars,  when 
but  a  few  months  before,  being  then  poor,  he  might  have  enriched 
both  himself  and  friends  with  millions,  perfectly  in  accordance 
with  the  law,  and  without  detection  or  censure. 

Col.  Geary  went  into  office  as  alcalde  soon  after  the  affair  of 
the  "  Hounds."  From  that  time  until  the  office  was  abolished, 
the  city  was  remarkable  for  the  order  which  prevailed,  and  its 
comparative  freedom  from  the  commission  of  heinous  crimes. 
The  city  comprised  people  of  every  nation,  class  and  sort,  many 
of  whom  had  for  months  been  exercising  an  unrestrained  course 
of  villainy  and  rascality,  yet  no  civilized  community  has  ever 
been  more  harmoniously  governed  ;  and  even  after  his  adminis- 
tration had  ceased,  its  condition  could  not  compare  with  what  it 
had  been  before,  as  was  proved  from  the  necessity  of  the  action 


JOHN  W.  GEARY. 


731 


of  the  Vigilance  Committee.  Thefts  and  robberies  were  of  so 
rare  occurrence  that  valuable  goods  were  frequently  left  in  the 
streets  unwatched  and  undisturbed,  and  people  had  no  hesitancy 
in  quitting  their  unprotected  and  generally  open  abodes  for  hours 
and  even  days,  without  the  slightest  apprehension  of  suffering 
loss  during  their  absence.  The  rogues  had  either  left  the  place 
or  were  terror-stricken  by  a  few  examples  of  severe  reprehension 
that  were  given.  They  soon  learned  that  they  had  little  to  ex- 
pect from  the  tenderness  or  partiality  of  the  magistrate.  A  con- 
viction was  sure  to  be  followed  by  a  merited  and  speedy  punish- 
ment, rendered  as  severe  as  opportunities  permitted  and  circum- 
stances seemed  to  demand.  Finding  that  rascals  cared  little  for 
confinement  in  the  prison-brig,  where  they  ate  the  bread  of  idle- 
ness at  the  public  expense,  the  alcalde  adopted  a  better  method 
to  hold  them  in  awe  and  teach  them  the  observance  of  good 
manners.  He  established  a  chain-gang,  and  attaching  a  chain 
and  large  ball  to  the  ankles  of  the  criminals  that  they  might  not 
escape,  set  them  to  work  at  improving  the  public  streets,  thus 
compelling  them  to  earn  their  keeping,  and  at  the  same  time  be 
serviceable  to  the  community.  This  company  became  a  feature 
of  the  place.  The  people  of  San  Francisco  appreciated  these 
efforts,  and  even  those  who  suffered  admitted  the  justice  of  his 
decrees.  Of  twenty-five  hundred  civil  and  criminal  cases  tried 
by  the  alcalde,  not  more  than  a  dozen  appeals  had  been  taken 
from  his  decisions,  and  not  one  was  ever  reversed.  Throughout 
the  whole  period  of  his  arduous  labors,  he  had  exercised  the  most 
unwavering  firmness  in  the  execution  of  his  duty,  regardless  of 
preference  or  friendship.  He  sought,  too,  to  infuse  the  seeds  of 
prosperous  and  healthy  life  in  the  community,  by  his  efforts  in 
the  cause  of  education,  and  was  instrumental  in  the  establishment 
of  the  first  permanent  public  school  in  the  town,  whereby  its 
youths  might  be  properly  instructed  and  effectually  shielded  from 
the  vicious  examples  and  temptations  surrounding  them. 

Not  less  commendable  were  his  exertions  for  the  sanitary  good 
of  the  town  during  the  fearful  season  of  the  cholera,  which  then 
appeared  in  San  Francisco.  He  was  elected  president  of  both 
the  State  and  City  Boards  of  Health,  and  was  as  efficient  in 


732 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


combating  the  attacks  of  disease,  as  he  had  been  those  of  a  more 
tangible  foe  on  the  field  of  battle. 

The  first  city  charter  was  adopted  May  1st,  1850,  and  Col- 
onel Geary  elected  mayor  under  its  provisions  by  a  large  and 
flattering  vote.  The  important  measures  that  he  accomplished 
in  perfecting  the  re-organization  of  the  city,  have  been  minutely 
detailed  in  other  parts  of  this  work.  He  sustained  the  city 
credit,  and  used  the  veto  power  repeatedly  and  judiciously  in 
restraining  the  extravagant  outlays  of  public  funds  that  the 
councils,  here  as  in  eastern  cities,  continually  voted.  These  were 
calculated  to  impoverish  the  city,  by  vesting  a  series  of  wealthy 
monopolies  in  the  hands  of  private  individuals.  During  this 
administration,  occurred  the  great  conflagrations  that  we  have 
described  elsewhere.  For  his  almost  superhuman  efforts  to  save 
the  city  from  total  destruction  during  these  calamities,  Mayor 
Geary  received  the  grateful  thanks  of  the  entire  press.  Pene- 
trating boldly  into  the  midst  of  the  burning  districts,  he  person- 
ally ascertained  the  nature  and  extent  of  the  disasters,  and  suc- 
ceeded in  staying  their  progress  by  ordering  the  destruction  of 
various  buildings, — including  valuable  property  of  his  own.  Sev- 
eral times  the  owners  threatened  his  life,  and  one  discharged  a 
pistol  at  him  ;  but  nothing  intimidated  he  hurled  this  man  to  the 
ground,  and  axe  in  hand  was  the  first  to  execute  the  order  he 
had  issued.  By  these  prompt  actions  he  prevented  the  loss  of 
millions  of  dollars  worth  of  property.  Some  of  the  owners  of 
the  buildings  he  had  officially  ordered  destroyed,  supposing  him 
able  to  pay,  subsequently  endeavored  by  vexatious  legal  pros- 
ecutions to  compel  him  to  indemnify  them  for  their  losses 
out  of  his  private  purse,  notwithstanding  he  had  suffered  as 
severely  as  themselves,  and  his  acts  acknowledged  not  only  to  be 
judicious  but  absolutely  demanded  under  the  circumstances.  The 
squatter  riots  at  Sacramento  furnished  Mr.  Geary  another  oppor- 
tunity of  eliciting  the  applause  of  his  fellow  citizens  by  his 
efficient  promptness  on  occasions  of  emergency  and  danger. 
Hastily  enrolling  a  large  force  of  citizen  soldiery,  comprising  the 
first  men  of  the  town,  he  led  them  to  the  scene  of  disorder,  and 
by  his  timely  appearance  aided  materially  in  restoring  quiet. 
Both  the  civil  and  military  authorities  of  Sacramento,  and  the 


JOHN   W.  GEARY. 


733 


press  of  both  cities,  were  loud  in  their  commendation  of  his  heroic 
and  voluntary  assistance. 

Toward  the  expiration  of  his  term  of  office,  Colonel  Gear)' 
received  a  communication  numerously  signed  by  respectable  indi- 
viduals and  business  firms  of  every  political  complexion,  request- 
ing him  to  be  a  candidate  for  re-election  to  the  mayoralty,  which 
he  positively  declined  ;  but  was  soon  after  created  by  the  State 
Legislature  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Commissioners  of  the 
Funded  Debt,  and  on  the  organization  of  that  body  was  elected 
their  president.  The  city  was  then  $1,500,000  in  debt,  at  a 
current  interest  of  three  per  cent,  per  month,  or  an  aggregate 
of  $540,000  per  annum — a  sum  so  immense  that  by  its  own 
accumulation  it  would  soon  have  swallowed  up  the  vast  resources 
and  real  estate  of  the  city.  At  first  it  was  difficult  to  get  indi- 
viduals holding  city  scrip  to  fund  it,  exchanging  it  for  bonds 
bearing  only  ten  per  cent,  per  annum  interest  ;  but  the  commis- 
sioners, by  untiring  efforts,  finally  created  a  public  opinion  in  favor 
of  funding,  by  showing  that  it  was  the  only  manner  in  which  the 
city  could  ever  hope  to  pay  her  indebtedness  and  keep  her  faith 
with  her  creditors.  These  representations,  and  especially  a  pro- 
vision of  the  same  Act  of  Legislature  creating  the  commissioners, 
that  conveyed  to  them  all  the  city  lands  in  trust  for  the  benefit 
of  its  creditors,  finally  induced  a  majority  of  the  holders  to  sur- 
render their  scrip.  Some  positively  refused  to  fund  their  accounts, 
and  preferred  suing  and  obtaining  judgment  against  the  city, 
and  levying  upon  these  lots,  which  the  sheriff  accordingly  sold, 
though  he  and  the  public  had  been  repeatedly  warned  of  their 
conveyance  by  deed  of  trust  to  the  commissioners.  The  courts 
would  not  grant  injunctions  to  stop  these  sales,  and  the  parties 
interested  refused  to  accept  a  settlement  and  satisfaction  of  their 
judgments,  although  in  one  instance  Colonel  Geary  offered  to 
secure  the  amount  from  his  own  private  estate.  Notwithstanding 
the  board  had  done  every  thing  in  their  power  to  attain  their 
object,  acting  under  the  advice  of  their  attorney,  one  of  the  most 
astute  lawyers  in  the  State,  Hon.  Solomon  Heydenfeldt,  now 
seated  on  the  bench  of  the  Supreme  Court,  and  had  even  pub- 
lished catalogues  of  sales,  they  were  prevented  from  ever  making 
them  by  the  injunctions  of  the  courts,  who  seemed  to  conspire 


734 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


against  them.  The  Supreme  Court  has  since  legalized  the 
sheriff's  sales,  yet  the  plan  of  funding  the  debt  has  been  suc- 
cessful, and  alike  honorable  to  the  commissioners  and  City  of 
San  Francisco,  their  bonds  having  risen  from  twenty-five  per 
cent,  to  their  face  value  with  interest  added,  and  are  now  con- 
sidered as  safe  and  good  investment  as  can  be  made  in  the  State. 
Having  carefully  examined  and  investigated  all  the  facts  con- 
nected with  the  course  of  the  commissioners,  we  know  of  none 
other  that  could  be  prosecuted  by  them  that  would  have  resulted 
with  so  much  credit  and  benefit  to  the  city. 

San  Francisco  was,  in  the  latter  part  of  the  year  1851,  startled 
by  intelligence  from  southern  California,  that  the  Indians  were 
murdering  the  citizens  of  San  Diego  and  its  vicinity.  Col. 
Geary  immediately  issued  a  call  for  volunteers,  and  succeeded 
in  enrolling  a  fine  cavalry  corps  of  one  hundred  and  thirty  men — 
which,  with  a  company  under  Captain  Aldrich,  held  themselves 
in  readiness  to  proceed  to  the  south.  It  was,  however,  learned 
by  subsequent  news  from  the  sufferers  that  their  interference 
would  not  be  required  ;  yet,  in  this  instance,  as  on  every  other, 
Col.  Geary  exhibited  his  willingness  ever  to  draw  his  sword  and 
risk  his  life  in  the  cause  of  right,  honor  and  humanity. 

Col.  Geary  left  San  Francisco,  February  1st,  1852,  on  a 
six  months'  leave  of  absence  from  the  board  ;  but  the  death  of 
his  wife,  whom  he  found  sick  on  reaching  home,  and  of  several 
other  near  and  dear  relatives,  has  since  prevented  him  from 
returning  to  the  scene  of  his  usefulness.  He  at  present  resides 
on  his  farm  in  Westmoreland  County,  and  is  ever  actively  alive 
to  the  interests  and  prosperity  of  San  Francisco,  and  her  rising 
rank  among  the  great  cities  of  the  world. 


CHARLES  J.  BRENHAM, 

SECOND  AND  FOURTH   MAYOR  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 

Many  of  the  citizens  of  New  Orleans  and  the  Mississippi  Valley, 
as  well  as  travellers  upon  the  great  "  Father  of  Waters,"  will 
rememher  the  cordial,  gallant  and  popular  commander  of  some 
of  the  finest  steamers  on  the  Mississippi  River,  running  between 
Vicksburg  and.  the  Crescent  City,  a  few  years  ago — -the  subject 
of  this  sketch.  Charles  J.  Brenham  was  born  in  Frankfort,  Ken- 
tucky, November  6th,  1817.  Leaving  home  early  in  life,  before 
the  age  of  twenty  years,  he  found  himself  at  Natchez,  master  of 
one  of  the  best  steamboats  on  the  river.  When  he  arrived  in 
New  Orleans,  the  underwriters,  at  first,  refused  insurance,  be- 
cause of  his  extreme  youth.  He  might  have  imitated  in  his 
reply  the  apt  retort  of  John  Randolph — "Ask  my  constituents.'' 
But  the  opinions  and  endorsements  of  older  heads  finally  over- 


736 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


came  the  objections  to  his  younger  one,  and  he  was  allowed  to 
occupy  the  position  which  his  capacity  had  won.  He  proved 
himself  a  very  competent  commander.  Having  followed  the 
business  with  varying  success  for  several  years,  now  in  the  full 
tide  of  fortune,  now  seeing  the  flames  consume  or  the  waters  en- 
gulf his  entire  possessions,  he  finally  determined  to  seek  a  new 
field  of  adventure. 

Mr.  Brenham  left  New  Orleans,  June  17th,  1849,  for  Cali- 
fornia, and  arrived  at  San  Francisco  on  the  18th  of  August  fol- 
lowing. A  short  time  afterwards  he  took  command  of  the 
steamer  McKim,  running  between  San  Francisco  and  Sacra- 
mento. While  thus  employed,  he  was,  in  1850,  much  to  his 
surprise,  nominated  by  the  whig  party  as  a  candidate  for  the 
mayoralty.  Mr.  Brenham  had  always  been  a  thorough  and  ar- 
dent whig,  but  had  taken  no  part  in  politics.  The  nomination 
was  unsolicited  and  unexpected,  and  our  subject  being  very  pros- 
perous at  the  time,  rather  deprecated  the  election  than  other- 
wise ;  indeed  the  position  was  strange  to  one  who  had  never 
contemplated  such  a  thing.  The  canvas  was  warmly  conducted  ; 
but  Mr.  Brenham  never  left  his  business  for  a  moment,  nor  did 
he  once  go  on  shore  for  the  purpose  of  electioneering,  he  having 
stipulated  with  the  party  that  he  would  only  accept  the  nomina- 
tion on  the  condition  that  he  should  not  be  required  to  neglect 
his  private  business.  He  was,  however,  defeated  by  the  election 
of  Col.  Geary. 

A  short  time  afterwards,  Mr.  Brenham,  in  conjunction  with 
others,  purchased  the  steamer  Gold  Hunter.  He  took  command 
of  that  vessel,  and  remained  in  her  until  she  was  placed  in  the 
Mazatlan  trade.  In  1851,  he  was  again  nominated  by  the  whig 
party  for  the  mayoralty.  He  was  opposed  by  Mr.  Frank  Tilford, 
a  very  popular  democrat,  and  for  the  previous  year  recorder  of 
the  city.  The  canvas  at  this  time  was  the  severest,  and  the  ex- 
citement the  greatest  by  far  that  had  taken  place  at  any  previous 
election,  and  greater  than  any  other  which  has  taken  place  since  ; 
and  it  can  be  said  with  truth  that  the  success  of  the  ticket  was 
mainly  attributable  to  the  activity  and  exertions  of  Mr.  Bren- 
ham. For  weeks  previous  he  made  speeches  every  night,  and 
considering  that  he  was  quite  unaccustomed  to  fill  such  a  posi- 


CHARLES  J.  BRENHAM. 


737 


tion,  he  acquitted  himself  as  a  public  orator  with  great  credit. 
On  the  5th  of  May,  1851, — the  day  after  the  great  fire, — Mr. 
Brenham  entered  upon  the  duties  of  office.  The  city  was  burned 
down,  and  broken  in  credit  ;  she  had  not  funds  sufficient  to  buy 
even  stationery  for  the  officers  of  the  municipal  government. 

The  year  1851,  will  ever  be  regarded  as  the  most  event- 
ful that  had  yet  occurred  in  San  Francisco,  and  the  admin- 
istration of  the  municipal  affairs  may  be  considered  an  era  in 
the  history  of  the  city,  as  having  been  the  most  economical,  faith' 
ful  and  watchful  of  her  true  interests.  The  common  council  was 
composed  of  men  who  had  the  interest  of  the  city  alone  at  heart, 
and  who  nobly  responded  to  the  exigencies  of  the  times.  Be- 
sides the  embarrassment  occasioned  this  year  by  the  prostrate 
condition  of  the  municipal  affairs,  this  administration  encoun- 
tered all  the  excitement  and  troubles  of  the  Vigilance  Committee 
times.  The  position  of  the  mayor  was  one  of  great  delicacy  and 
difficulty  ;  but  he  faltered  not,  although  in  the  strict  discharge 
of  his  duty  he  was  often  compelled  to  appear  in  open  collision 
with  the  people.  In  the  noted  riot,  when  attempts  were  made 
to  wrest  from  the  court  and  officers  the  prisoner  Lewis,  charged 
with  arson,  nothing  but  Mr.  Brenham's  resolution  and  firmness 
prevented  the  mob  from  taking  Lewis  and  executing  him  at  once. 
Among  the  many  acts  of  the  mayor  during  this  year  worthy  of 
great  praise,  time  has  shown  that  none  will  compare  with  his 
advocacy  of  the  measure  to  have  the  "Peter  Smith"  judgments 
paid,  at  that  time  amounting  only  to  the  sum  of  $40,000.  Had 
his  advice  and  counsel  been  heeded,  a  vast  amount  of  money  and 
property  would  have  been  saved  to  the  city. 

As  an  evidence  of  Mr.  Brenham's  presence  of  mind  and  firm- 
ness in  trying  circumstances,  we  may  instance  the  great  riot  in 
the  case  of  Captain  Waterman.  The  person  named  was  in  the 
house  of  Alsop  &  Co.,  in  which  was  crowded  a  most  turbulent 
set  of  men.  About  a  thousand  persons  were  assembled  outside, 
who  were  violent  and  vindictive,  and  determined  instantly  to 
hang  Waterman.  The  mayor  appeared,  cleared  the  house  im- 
mediately, and  addressed  the  crowd,  appealing  to  them  to  dis- 
perse. Finding  his  appeal  to  the  mob  disregarded,  he  next 
appealed  to  the  law  abiding  citizens  in  the  vicinity.  Feeling 
47 


738 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


confident  that  he  could  obtain  their  assistance  if  necessary,  he 
now  spoke  to  the  rioters  in  a  determined  and  authoritative  man- 
ner ;  and  pulling  out  his  watch,  gave  them  just  ten  minutes  to 
disperse,  or  he  would  take  every  man  of  them  to  prison.  Before 
the  expiration  of  the  time  granted,  the  crowd  had  left,  and  there 
remained  no  traces  of  the  late  scene  of  violence  and  excitement. 

At  the  general  election  following,  the  whig  party,  owing  to 
its  construction  of  the  law,  made  no  nomination  for  the  city  offi- 
cers. By  a  subsequent  decision  of  the  Supreme  Court,  Mr.  Bren- 
ham's  administration  was  ejected  ;  and,  after  some  litigation  and 
delay,  the  democratic  candidates,  who  had  run  without  opposition 
— they  receiving  only  about  eleven  hundred  votes  in  a  city  which 
had  cast  six  thousand  (the  people  not  generally  voting), — were 
installed  into  office.  As  soon  as  the  decision  of  the  Supreme 
Court  was  made  known,  Mr.  Brenham  promptly  and  very  grace- 
fully resigned  his  office  to  Dr.  S.  B.  Harris,  who  had  been  by  the 
court  declared  elected. 

At  this  period,  Mr.  Brenham  commenced  the  banking  and 
exchange  business,  in  company  with  Beverley  C.  Sanders,  under 
the  style  of  Sanders  &  Brenham.  This  firm  has  been  eminently 
successful  in  business. 

In  1852,  during  the  presidential  campaign,  Mr.  Brenham 
was  appointed  one  of  the  Whig  State  Central  Committee,  and 
by  the  committee  was  elected  president.  His  exertions  and 
efficiency  in  this  capacity  are  known  and  appreciated  by  the 
whig  party  throughout  the  State.  Mr.  Brenham  was  again 
nominated,  and  elected,  this  year,  for  the  mayoralty,  and  at 
the  same  time  received  from  President  Fillmore  the  appoint- 
ment of  "  Treasurer  of  the  Mint,"  and  "  Assistant  Treasurer  of 
the  United  States,"  which  appointment  was  confirmed  by  the 
Senate.  The  commission  is  dated  August  31st,  1852.  Al- 
though the  office  of  treasurer  of  the  mint  was  lucrative,  and  one 
of  great  honor  and  trust,  still  Mr.  Brenham,  preferring  the  mayor- 
alty, declined  the  acceptance  of  the  appointment.  In  this  he 
was  partly  influenced  by  the  fact  that  his  partner,  Mr.  B.  C. 
Sanders,  at  the  very  same  time  received  and  accepted  the  ap- 
pointment of  Collector  of  the  Port. 

Many  important  matters  arose  during  the  second  term  of 


CHARLES  J.  BRENHAM. 


739 


office  of  Mr.  Brenham,  as  mayor,  which  required  great  judgment 
and  discretion.  In  the  management  of  those  matters,  he  dis- 
played striking  ability  and  integrity.  His  messages  will  compare 
favorably  with  State  documents  of  greater  reputation.  He  was 
often  obliged  to  veto  the  action  of  the  council,  and  generally  his 
action  was  to  the  entire  satisfaction  of  the  people  and  the  welfare 
of  the  city.  During  Mr.  Brenham's  whole  official  career,  not  the 
slightest  imputation  was  ever  made  impugning  the  purity  of  his 
motives  or  his  strict  integrity.  He  was  never  interested  in  any 
way  pecuniarily  with  any  speculation  connected  with  the  city. 
He  never  availed  himself  of  his  position  for  the  purpose  of  per- 
sonal aggrandizement.  No  one  ever  has  performed,  or  ever  will 
perform  the  duties  of  an  office  with  more  purity  of  purpose,  and 
with  a  greater  regard  for  the  true  interests  of  the  city,  than  did 
Mr.  Brenham.  He  retired  from  his  office  without  the  slightest 
taint  or  suspicion. 

Satisfied  with  the  honors  he  had  enjoyed,  and  with  a  deter- 
mination to  eschew  both  office  and  politics  for  the  future,  Mr. 
Brenham  declined  a  reappointment  as  a  member  of  the  Whig 
State  Central  Committee,  and  has  since  then  devoted  all  his  time 
and  energies  to  the  business  of  his  house.  Few  men  have  so 
many  personal  friends  among  all  classes  as  has  the  subject  of  our 
sketch.  His  manner  is  eminently  cordial,  conciliatory  and  com- 
panionable. In  every  situation,  however  trying  and  untried,  in 
which  circumstances  and  the  choice  of  his  fellow-citizens  have 
placed  him,  he  has  been  found  competent  and  faithful,  and 
has  invariably  discharged  his  duty  impartially,  efficiently  and  fear- 
lessly. To  be  strictly  bonest  and  honorable  may  not  ordinarily 
entitle  a  man  to  any  extra  amount  of  praise,  for  that  is  his  duty. 
Yet  when  we  see  one  inflexibly  pursuing  the  course  of  right  be- 
cause it  is  right,  uncontaminated  by  the  surrounding  contagion  of 
unlawful  speculation  which  greatly  prevailed  during  much  of  the 
time  that  Mr.  Brenham  held  office,  and  possessed  of  the  power 
of  turning  his  position  into  a  medium  of  great,  though  dishonora- 
ble gains,  it  is  but  justice  to  give  the  due  meed  of  praise,  and  to 
say  to  him  who  has  justly  done  his  duty  to  his  fellow-citizens 
and  himself —  Well  done,  thou  good  and  faithful  servant ! 


■ 


STEPHEN  R.  HARRIS.  M.  D., 

i 

THIRD  MAYOR  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 

Dr.  Stephen  R.  Harris  was  born  at  Poughkeepsie,  N.  Y.,  in  the 
year  1802.  His  father,  Isaac  Harris,  formerly  a  merchant  in 
New  York  City,  took  an  active  part  in  the  war  of  1812,  and 
perished  on  the  "  Governor  Tompkins,"  of  which  vessel  he  was 
purser.  After  his  father's  death,  he  resided  with  his  grandfather, 
Captain  Randall  of  Randall's  Island.  He  studied  medicine  in 
the  office  of  Dr.  Alexander  H.  Stevens,  and  graduated  at  the  "  Col- 
lege of  Physicians  and  Surgeons "  in  the  City  of  New  York. 
In  1826,  he  commenced  the  practice  of  his  profession  in  the  first 
ward  of  that  city,  where  he  continued  until  1849,  when  he  em- 
barked for  California. 

During  his  residence  in  New  York,  he  was  appointed  to 
various  offices  of  trust  and  responsibility,  all  of  which  lie  filled 


STEPHEN  B.  HARRIS. 


741 


with  uncommon  ability  and  great  credit  to  himself.  For  six 
consecutive  years  he  was  Health  Commissioner  of  the  State, 
having  been  successively  nominated  to  the  Senate  by  Governors 
Wright  and  Bouck  ;  Governor  DeWitt  Clinton  appointed  him 
surgeon  of  the  ninth  regiment  of  artillery ;  he  was  selected  by 
the  common  council  of  the  city,  with  other  medical  gentlemen, 
to  organize  and  attend  in  consultation  with  its  officers,  the  alms- 
house medical  department ;  and  during  the  terrible  prevalence 
of  the  cholera  in  1832-34,  held  the  position  of  medical  attend- 
ant of  the  first  ward. 

Few  men  ever  enjoyed  a  larger  share  of  the  respect  and  con- 
fidence of  their  fellow-citizens.  When  an  applicant  for  the  posi- 
tion of  health  officer  of  the  port  of  New  York,  his  application 
was  commended  to  the  governor  by  numerous  certificates  and 
letters  signed  by  hundreds  of  the  most  respectable  and  influen- 
tial men  of  the  place,  all  urging  his  appointment  by  the  most 
flattering  testimonials  of  his  professional  qualifications  and  moral 
worth.  The  following  brief  extracts,  will  afford  some  evidence 
of  the  high  estimation  in  which  he  was  held  : — 

"  We  believe  him  to  be  a  physician  of  most  respectable  standing;  and  ac- 
knowledged abilities — a  man  of  energetic  and  industrious  habits — of  unblem- 
ished honor  and  integrity,  and  one  in  whom  confidence  can  be  reposed  ;  and  we 
doubt  not.  if  he  should  receive  the  appointment,  would  perform  the  duties  of 
the  office  with  skill,  fidelity  and  devotion  to  the  best  interests  of  the  public,  and 
afford  entire  satisfaction  to  all  persons  having  business  with  the  quarantine." 

"  He  is  a  man  of  pure  moral  character — an  old  resident  of  this  cityr,  well 
known  as  a  firm  and  consistent  democrat,  ardent  and  laborious  as  such — as  a 
physician  his  abilities  are  acknowledged  by  all  who  have  the  pleasure  of  his 
acquaintance,  and  they  are  numerous.  His  untiring  devotcdness  to  the  poor 
during  the  pestilence  which  raged  here  in  the  years  1832-'34,  entitled  him  to 
the  high  character  of  a  disinterested  philanthropist  and  the  benefactor  of  the 
poor." 

These  testimonials  speak  for  themselves,  and  are  the  more 
important  from  the  high  and  creditable  sources  from  which  they 
emanated.  They  present  the  early  character  of  Dr.  Harris  in 
its  proper  light.  Since  his  residence  in  California,  he  has  fully 
sustained  the  honorable  reputation  he  had  previously  won  ;  hav- 
ing gained  the  confidence,  respect,  esteem,  and  approbation  of 
the  entire  community. 


742 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


Dr.  Harris  left  New  York  on  the  9th  of  February,  1849,  and 
reached  Panama,  on  the  7th  of  March.  Here  he  was  detained 
two  and  a  half  months  waiting  the  arrival  of  a  steamer  bound  to 
San  Francisco.  During  this  time  he  was  actively  engaged  in 
attending,  gratuitously,  his  sick  countrymen  and  others,  six  thou- 
sand of  whom,  on  their  way  to  California,  were,  like  himself, 
compelled  to  remain  on  the  Isthmus.  For  the  sick  and  destitute 
no  provision  had  been  made.  The  expenses  of  rooms,  cots,  nurses, 
medicines, — and  in  cases  of  death, — of  burials,  were  paid  by  vol- 
untary weekly  contributions  made  by  the  members  of  Masonic 
and  Odd-Fellows'  lodges,  to  both  of  which  orders  the  doctor  was 
attached.  His  generous  conduct  on  this  and  subsequent  similar 
occasions  was  reported  to  his  lodges  in  New  York,  who  signified 
their  high  regard  for  him  by  the  passage,  unanimously,  of  a  series 
of  highly  laudatory  resolutions. 

Few  sailing  vessels  entered  Panama  at  the  period  above 
named.  The  ship  Niantic,  a  whaler,  and  one  or  two  others  that 
had  been  discharging  coal  for  the  Pacific  Mail  Steamship  Com- 
pany, left,  crowded  with  passengers  at  very  extravagant  prices, 
so  anxious  were  persons  to  leave  ;  and  the  chartering  of  vessels 
by  a  few  merchants  had  become  so  much  a  monopoly,  that  it 
enabled  them  to  extort  enormous  rates  for  passage.  A  number 
of  Americans  joined  together  and  sent  to  Cruces  for  an  iron  boat, 
of  sufficient  size  to  sail  down  the  bay,  to  intercept  and  charter 
such  ships  as  they  might  meet.  For  this  purpose  twenty  thou- 
sand dollars  were  collected,  and  placed  in  the  hands  of  Dr.  Harris 
as  treasurer,  the  persons  paying  their  money  to  have  preference  of 
passage.  The  iron  boat  was  purchased,  and  by  Herculean  labor 
carried  by  the  natives  to  Panama.  Circumstances  rendered  her 
services  unnecessary  ;  she  was  therefore  re-sold  and  the  money 
returned  to  its  respective  owners. 

At  last  the  anxiously  looked-for  day  arrived.  A  steamer  was 
announced.  The  news  spread  with  electric  rapidity.  Hundreds 
rushed  to  the  Battery,  and  in  a  few  minutes  it  was  densely  crowded, 
each  hoping  it  might  prove  a  conveyance,  and  a  release  from  a 
city  alone  to  be  tolerated  by  necessity.  The  vessel  proved  to  be 
the  steamship  Panama,  in  which  Dr.  Harris  sailed  (her  first  trip 
up),  and  arrived  in  San  Francisco,  June  6th,  1849.    His  early 


STEPHEN  R.  HARRIS. 


743 


arrival  made  him  eligible,  and  he  is  now  a  member  of  the  "  So- 
ciety of  California  Pioneers." 

Shortly  after  reaching  San  Francisco,  Dr.  Harris  proceeded 
to  Sacramento  in  a  small  schooner,  the  passage  occupying  six 
days.  He  thence  proceeded  to  Smith's  Bar  on  the  North  Fork 
of  the  American  River,  where  he  worked  forty  days  digging  gold, 
at  the  expiration  of  which  time  he  returned  to  San  Francisco  to 
receive  goods  that  he  had  shipped  previous  to  leaving  New  York. 
With  these,  valued  at  $20,000,  he  commenced  the  drug  business 
at  the  corner  of  Clay  and  Montgomery  streets,  in  company  with 
Mr.  Panton.  Their  establishment  was  the  most  extensive  in  the 
country.  Here  the  doctor  met  with  a  series  of  the  most  dire 
calamities.  In  the  terrible  conflagrations  of  May  4th,  and  June 
22d,  1850,  and  May  4th,  1851,  his  store,  with  its  stock  of  goods 
(the  former  being  rebuilt  and  the  latter  replenished  after  each 
successive  fire),  were  entirely  destroyed,  amounting  in  the  aggre- 
gate to  a  very  considerable  fortune.  Still  persevering,  he  re- 
moved to  Dr.  Stout's  boarding-house,  on  Washington  street,  and 
again  commenced  business  ;  but  on  the  17th  of  September,  he 
once  more  lost  all  he  possessed  by  the  destructive  fire  that  then 
occurred.  No  man  in  San  Francisco  suffered  more  by  these 
calamities  than  Dr.  Harris.  After  the  last  fire,  somewhat  de- 
pressed in  spirits,  he  again  left  for  the  mines,  and  was  absent  five 
months,  visiting  most  of  the  mining  districts,  north  and  south, 
examining  quartz  leads,  and  prospecting  placer  diggings. 

In  September,  1851,  Dr.  Harris  was  elected  mayor  of  San 
Francisco,  and  served  his  term  of  office  to  the  entire  satisfaction 
of  the  people.  This  was  during  the  period  when,  what  has  been 
generally  termed  the  "  accidental  "  council  were  in  power,  whose 
acts  had  rendered  them  almost  universally  unpopular.  With 
this  council  Mayor  Harris  frequently  came  in  collision  ;  and  by 
his  judicious  use  of  the  veto  power,  frustrated  some  of  their 
most  obnoxious  measures.  At  the  election  in  September,  1853, 
he  was  chosen  for  the  responsible  station  of  city  comptroller  by 
a  large  majority  of  his  fellow-citizens,  which  office  he  now  holds, 
and  while  he  performs  the  business  thereof  to  the  entire  satisfac- 
tion of  the  people,  he  also  continues  to  practise  to  some  consider- 
able extent  the  duties  of  his  profession. 


C.  K.  GARRISON, 

FIFTH  AND  PRESENT  MAYOR  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 

If  the  history  of  all  men  in  America  who  have  risen  to  emi- 
nence in  the  various  callings  of  life,  as  well  as  those  who  have 
missed  such  position,  could  be  written,  read  and  compared,  it 
would  probably  be  found  that  the  inheritance  of  wealth  is,  in  a 
majority  of  cases,  a  real  misfortune,  while  the  lack  of  it  is  the 
means  of  making  men  of  those  who  might  have  been  merely  the 
spoiled  pets  of  fortune.  No  man  knows  the  real  value  of  wealth 
unless  he  has  himself  earned  it.  There  is  no  true  greatness  without 
self-reliance,  and  in  most  cases  this  is  obtained  chiefly  through 
the  struggles  and  toils  incident  to  the  lives  of  self-made  men.  In 
every  course  of  life,  he  who  works  and  wins  is  vastly  superior  to 
him  who  merely  retains.  In  this  light,  Louis  Napoleon  is  a  hero 
and  statesman  compared  with  the  hereditary  czar,  Nicholas  ;  and 
so  the  subject  of  this  biography  is  entitled  to  infinitely  more 


C.  K.  GARRISON. 


745 


praise  for  having  achieved  a  splendid  fortune  than  all  the  inheritors 
of  wealth  in  the  land  for  being  the  heirs  of  rich  sires. 

C.  K.  Garrison  was  born  1st  March,  1809,  upon  the  bank  of 
the  Hudson,  near  West  Point,  on  a  farm  settled  by  his  grand- 
sires  more  than  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  years  before.  The 
same  property  has  remained  in  possession  of  the  family  for  up- 
wards of  one  hundred  and  fifty  years.  The  ancestors  of  Mr. 
Garrison  were  Hollanders  ;  on  the  father's  side,1  the  Garrisons 
and  Coverts  ;  on  the  mother's,  the  Kingslands  and  the  Schuylers. 
Both  branches  of  the  family  having  been  among  the  first  settlers 
of  New  Amsterdam,  they  have  just  claim  to  the  title  of  "Knick- 
erbocker." The  subject  of  our  sketch  was  the  second  of  a  family 
of  seven  (five  sons  and  two  daughters),  all  of  whom  are  living, 
with  the  exception  of  one  of  the  daughters.  These  were  the 
offspring  of  Oliver  Garrison  and  Catherine  Kingsland  his  wife. 
The  Garrison  family  had  acquired  a  respectability  from  their  long 
residence  in  the  same  neighborhood,  and  for  nearly  a  century  had 
exercised  an  influence  that  could  only  be  gained  by  time  over  the 
prevailing  class — the  Dutch.  The  paterfamilias  was  at  onetime 
considered  quite  wealthy,  but  from  heavy  indorsements  for  his 
friends,  he  became  involved  in  pecuniary  matters,  at  an  early  day 
in  the  history  of  the  subject  of  this  memoir.  Then  it  was  that 
the  latter,  as  well  as  his  brothers,  learned  that  they  must  look  to 
their  own  resources  alone  for  maintenance  and  support.  Accord- 
ingly, at  the  age  of  thirteen,  our  little  hero  left  home — the  first 
of  the  name  that  had  ever  quit  his  father's  roof  before  arriving  at 
the  age  of  manhood.  His  first  outset  was  in  the  capacity  of 
cabin-boy  in  a  sloop,  such  being  the  only  craft  employed  at  that 
day  in  the  carrying  trade  on  the  Hudson.  It  was  not,  however, 
without  great  difficulty,  that  young  Garrison  obtained  from  his 
parents  their  reluctant  consent  that  he  might  leave  their  home, 
and  accept  the  situation  he  sought.  This  was  more  particularly 
the  case  with  Mrs.  Garrison,  who  prided  herself  greatly  upon  her 
family  origin.  "  What,"  the  old  lady  said,  "  would  the  Van 
Buskerks,  the  Kingslands,  the  Schuylers,  the  host  of  other  respect- 
able relatives,  the  thousand  and  one  cousins,  &c,  &c,  say,  if  it 
reached  their  ears,  that  my  son  was  a  cabin-boy." 

Neither  tears,  remonstrances,  nor  consideration  for  the  feel- 


746 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FKANC1SCO. 


ings,  or  failings,  of  his  friends  and  relatives,  his  thousand  and 
one  cousins,  &o,  prevailed  aught  towards  a  change  of  mind.  The 
hoy  had  determined  on  his  course.  He  would  be  independent, 
and  earn  his  own  bread ;  for  he  plainly  saw  that  his  father,  in 
consequence  of  his  misfortunes,  was  unable  to  provide  for  him. 
From  that  day  forward,  he  supported  himself  without  any  paren- 
tal aid,  excepting,  perhaps,  the  prayers  of  his  beloved  mother  for 
his  success.  He  followed  his  employment  on  the  river  during  the 
business  season,  and  through  the  winter  months,  when  navigation 
was  suspended,  went  to  a  country  school.  After  leading  this 
sort  of  life  for  about  three  years,  he  consented,  at  the  earnest 
solicitation  of  his  mother,  to  go  to  New  York,  to  learn  architecture 
and  the  building  trade.  After  remaining  there  about  three  years, 
he  resolved  to  migrate  westward.  For  some  five  or  six  years 
afterwards,  Mr.  Garrison  was  engaged,  principally  in  Upper  Can- 
ada, in  the  erection  of  buildings,  and  the  constructing  of  steam- 
boats on  the  great  lakes.  During  that  time  he  built,  in  connec- 
tion with  a  gentleman  from  New  York,  four  steamers  on  Lakes 
Ontario,  Huron,  and  Simcoe.  In  the  interval,  he  married  in 
Buffalo,  N.  Y. 

While  in  Canada,  and  then  a  young  man  and  a  foreigner,  the 
important  trust  of  the  general  supervision  of  the  Upper  Canada 
Company's  affairs, — that  company  being  one  of  the  wealthiest  in 
England,  and  owning  a  large  portion  of  the  province, — was  con- 
fided to  the  subject  of  our  sketch.  This  trust  was  afterwards 
voluntarily  surrendered  by  him  on  account  of  the  probability  of  a 
war  ensuing  between  England  and  America,  arising  from  the 
border  difficulties  existing  at  the  time  between  the  two  nations. 
Mr.  Garrison's  patriotism  forbade  his  holding  office  in  a  company 
so  closely  allied  with  the  British  government,  should  a  war  ensue. 

From  Canada,  Mr.  Garrison  went  to  the  south-west  ;  where, 
for  many  years,  he  was  engaged  in  building  and  commanding 
steamboats,  and  in  other  enterprises.  In  February,  1849,  he 
met  with  the  serious  misfortune  of  losing  his  steamer,  together 
with  some  1200  tons  of  cotton  and  produce,  by  fire,  on  the 
Mississippi  river,  near  Natchez.  A  short  time  previous  to  this 
the  precious  metal  having  been  discovered  in  California,  Mr. 
Garrison  determined  to  remove  to  Panama,  and  establish  a 


C.  K.  GARRISON. 


747 


commercial  and  banking-house  there,  as  the  important  interme- 
diate point  between  California  and  the  Atlantic  States.  This 
enterprise  was  successful  beyond  all  that  he  had  dared  to  hope. 

Mr.  Garrison  left  Panama  for  New  York,  in  the  latter  part 
of  1852,  with  the  view  of  establishing  a  branch  of  his  house  in 
the  latter  city.  On  arriving  there,  however,  his  intentions  were 
changed  by  an  offer  of  the  Nicaragua  Steamship  Company  to 
take  the  Pacific  agency  of  their  line  of  vessels,  at  a  salary  of 
sixty  thousand  dollars  a  year  for  two  years  certain.  In  addition 
to  this  appointment,  he  received,  at  the  same  time,  the  agency 
of  two  insurance  companies  in  San  Francisco,  at  a  salary  of 
twenty-five  thousand  dollars  per  annum.  These  sums  made  his 
future  income  at  least  $85,000  a  year.  He  arrived  in  San  Fran- 
cisco in  the  latter  part  of  March,  1853,  and  early  in  September 
following,  was  elected  to  the  mayoralty  of  the  city. 

From  the  first  hour  of  his  leaving  the  paternal  roof,  to  the 
present  day,  Mr.  Garrison  has  been  actively  engaged  in  various 
pursuits,  during  which  time  he  has  met  with  many  losses.  Among 
these  were  two  of  the  largest  class  of  steamers,  of  which  he  was 
the  sole  owner,  and  upon  one  of  which  there  was  not  a  dollar  of 
insurance.  These  misfortunes  left  him  for  a  time  penniless,  with 
a  wife  and  family  depending  on  him  for  support.  But  he  never 
faltered.  Energy  and  perseverance,  hope  and  will  were  his,  and 
by  them  he  fought  and  conquered.  His  career  is  a  very  fair 
illustration  of  the  American  character.  With  a  mind  com- 
mercially comprehensive,  quick  to  perceive  and  to  act,  adven- 
turous and  speculative,  he  has  taken  advantage  of  circumstances, 
and  bent  them  to  his  will.  As  a  business  man,  he  is  said,  by 
some,  to  lack  system.  But  this,  if  true,  is  more  than  compen- 
sated by  the  boldness  of  his  ventures,  and  the  pertinacity  with 
which  they  are  pursued.  At  the  age  of  forty-five,  he  finds  him- 
self the  possessor  of  a  princely  fortune,  which  he  knows  how  to 
use  ;  with  a  salary  three  or  four  times  greater  than  that  of  the 
President  of  the  United  States  ;  with  a  revenue  besides,  from 
other  sources,  of  as  much  more  ;  and  occupying  one  of  the  most 
honorable  positions  politically,  as  Mayor  of  the  City  of  San 
Francisco,  the  duties  of  which  he  has  thus  far  performed  with 
credit  to  himself  and  to  the  city. 


SAMUEL  BRANNAN. 


This  gentleman  was  born  at  Saco,  State  of  Maine,  on  the  2d 
of  March,  1819,  at  which  town  he  was  educated,  and  passed  his 
earlier  years.  In  1833,  he  removed,  accompanied  by  his  sister, 
to  Lake  County,  Ohio,  where  he  entered  upon  an  apprenticeship 
to  letter-press  printing.  Before  the  term  of  his  indenture  was 
completed,  in  1836,  he  bought  up  the  remainder  of  his  time. 
He  next  went  into  the  great  land  speculations  of  the  memorable 
years  1836  and  1837,  when  the  whole  Union  was  seized  with  the 
mania  of  making  fortunes  without  the  worrying  need  of  time, 
trouble  or  capital.  It  was  rather  an  early  age  at  which  to  be- 
come a  land-jobber,  but  Mr.  Brannan  had  a  deal  to  do  in  the 
world,  and  pretty  soon  began  his  eventful  career.  He  came  out 
of  his  speculations  nearly  as  he  went  into  them — without  a  cent. 
In  1S37,  he  turned  again  to  the  press,  and  travelled  the  country 
as  a  journeyman  printer.    In  the  course  of  the  five  following 


SAMUEL  BRANNAN. 


749 


years  he  visited  most  of  the  States  in  the  Union,  staying  a 
month  in  one  town,  two  months  in  another,  and  perhaps  half  a 
year  in  some  more  important  place,  all  which  time  he  was  regu- 
larly pursuing  his  profession.  In  1842,  he  connected  himself 
with  the  religious  hody  of  Mormons,  and  for  several  years  advo- 
cated their  principles,  and  published  for  them  in  New  York  a 
weekly  newspaper,  styled  the  "  New  York  Messenger." 

In  1846,  he  conceived  the  idea  of  leading  a  band  of  Ameri- 
can pioneers  to  the  shores  of  the  Pacific,  to  settle  and  grow  into 
greatness  among  the  Mexicans  of  California.  At  his  own  risk  and 
expense,  he  chartered  the  ship  "  Brooklyn,"  of  three  hundred  and 
seventy  tons,  fitted  it  up  with  state-rooms  and  cabins,  supplied 
it  amply  with  provisions  and  all  necessaries  for  the  voyage,  and 
invited  intending  emigrants  to  take  passages  for  California.  Two 
hundred  and  thirty-six  passengers  embarked  (mostly  Mormons), 
of  which  number,  upwards  of  sixty  were  adult  females,  and 
about  forty  children  of  both  sexes.  With  the  foresight  that 
distinguishes  him,  Mr.  Brannan  provided  a  printing-press,  types, 
and  a  stock  of  paper,  flour-mill  machinery,  ploughs  and  other 
agricultural  implements,  and  a  great  variety  of  such  scientific 
apparatus  as  would  likely  be  of  service  in  the  new  country. 

On  the  4th  of  February,  1846,  the  "  Brooklyn  "  sailed  from 
New  York  ;  and  about  five  months  afterwards,  touched  at  the 
Sandwich  Islands  for  refreshments.  Here  Mr.  Brannan  landed  all 
the  passengers,  provided  them  with  lodgings  on  shore,  and  was  at 
the  whole  expense  of  maintaining  them  while  there.  Previously 
and  during  the  voyage,  many  of  the  passengers,  considering 
the  uncertain  character  of  the  country  they  were  proceeding  to, 
and  the  probable  chances  of  a  war  between  the  United  States 
and  Mexico  at  the  time  when  they  would  likely  reach  California, 
had  formed  themselves  into  an  association  for  mutual  support 
and  protection,  whereby  they  were  to  work  in  common  and  share 
together  the  proceeds  of  their  labor.  Mr.  Brannan  was  chosen 
president  of  this  association.  The  other  members  had  nothing 
which  they  could  put  into  the  common  stock  but  their  labor ; 
while  the  president,  patron,  projector  and  leader  of  the  party 
contributed  every  thing  he  possessed — agricultural  implements, 
machinery,  tools,  provisions  and  all.    There  were  then  only 


750 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


twenty-four  muskets  on  board  ;  but  Mr.  Brannan  purchased  at 
the  Sandwich  Islands,  in  addition,  one  hundred  and  fifty  stand 
of  arms. 

Here,  a  person  by  the  name  of  Henry  Harris,  residing  in 
Honolulu,  became  enamored  with  a  pretty  girl  among  the  passen- 
gers, and  wished  to  join  the  association,  so  that  he  might  follow 
and  marry  her,  which  he  afterwards  did.  The  proposal  of  Har- 
ris, however,  to  become  one  of  the  party,  was  at  first  opposed  by 
Mr.  Brannan,  who  foresaw  difficulties  and  future  contention  in 
the  scheme  ;  but  when  much  intercession  was  used  by  influential 
people,  whom  he  regarded,  that  Harris  should  join  the  expe- 
dition, he  consented.  Harris  paid  accordingly  his  fifty  dollars 
for  a  passage,  and  no  more.  It  is  from  these  circumstances,  that 
afterwards  arose  a  great  scandal  and  much  foolish  clamor  against 
Mr.  Brannan  ;  and  as  the  subject  has  been  little  understood,  and 
never  before  properly  explained,  we  think  it  right  to  enter  a  little 
upon  it. 

On  the  31st  of  July  the  Brooklyn  reached  San  Francisco, 
then  called  Yerba  Buena,  and  the  passengers  immediately  landed 
and  squatted  among  the  sand-hills  of  the  beach.  At  first,  there 
was  but  trifling  work  for  them  to  do,  save  to  erect  adobe  or  frame 
buildings  for  the  former  inhabitants  or  themselves.  There  was 
little  or  no  money  to  be  had,  in  those  days,  in  the  country  ;  but 
their  services  were  paid  mostly  in  provisions  or  goods,  which  were 
consumed  almost  as  soon  as  received. 

Harris,  after  three  months'  connection  with  the  association, 
grew  tired  of  it,  and  wished  to  separate.  He  therefore  asked 
the  directors  to  let  him  go,  and  pay  him  the  share  of  the  common 
stock  to  which  he  thought  he  was  entitled.  His  application  was 
refused  on  many  plausible  grounds  ;  and,  particularly,  in  regard 
to  the  payment  of  any  thing,  for  this  very  good  reason,  that  the 
association,  after  paying  its  debts,  had  nothing  to  divide — neither 
money  nor  goods,  that  could  be  shared.  They  further  urged, 
that  Harris  himself  had  been  all  along  supported  out  of  the  com- 
mon stock  of  provisions,  and  had  received  in  that  way  a  great 
deal  more  than  his  services  were  worth.  Still  dissatisfied,  Harris 
raised  an  action,  not  against  the  whole  association  nor  the  direct- 
ors conjointly,  but  against  Mr.  Brannan  himself,  as  an  individual. 


SAMUEL  BRANNAN. 


751 


The  suit  terminated  in  a  formal  jury  trial,  the  first  that  ever 
took  place  in  California.  The  alcalde  of  the  day,  Washington 
A.  Bartlett,  presided  as  judge  ;  and  Colonel  W.  H.  Russell  acted 
as  counsel  for  the  defendant.  The  jury  found  for  Mr.  Brannan. 
Upon  these  simple  circumstances,  and  the  subsequent  dissolution 
of  the  association,  people  have  raised  calumnies  against  the  sub- 
ject of  our  sketch,  and  have  pretended  to  consider  him  indebted 
for  his  present  position  and  wealth  to  the  money  he  wrongfully 
withheld  from  his  fellow-partners  in  the  firm  of  "  S.  Brannan 
&  Co.,"  under  which  name  the  association  had  conducted  its 
business  transactions.  The  fact  was,  that  Mr.  Brannan  had  sup- 
plied every  thing  to  that  association,  and  received  nothing  from 
them  but  the  original  moderate  passage-money,  that  being  only 
from  fifty  to  seventy-five  dollars  for  each  passenger.  At  the  dis- 
solution of  the  concern,  in  1847,  its  property  was  sold,  its  debts 
were  paid,  and  the  balance  of  the  funds  properly  divided  among 
the  remaining  partners. 

Mr.  Brannan,  meanwhile,  both  as  a  partner  and  president  of 
the  associated  immigrants,  and  as  an  individual  on  his  own  ac- 
count, was  interested  in  a  number  of  speculations.  In  1846,  he 
erected  the  machinery  of  two  flour-mills  in  the  existing  Clay 
street,  which  were  the  first  introduced  into  the  country.  He 
also,  in  January,  1847,  projected  and  published  a  weekly  news- 
paper called  the  "  California  Star,"  which  was  the  first  journal 
that  appeared  in  San  Francisco,  and  is  the  parent  of  the  present 
"Alta  California."  In  t*he  fall  of  1 846,  he  had  likewise  commenced 
a  farm  at  the  junction  of  the  San  Joaquin  and  Stanislaus  rivers  : 
but,  whether  this  was  too  slow  a  business  for  him,  or  that  Provi- 
dence had  simply  willed  it  otherwise,  his  farming  operations  were 
failures,  and  he  abruptly  abandoned  them. 

In  the  fall  of  1847,  Mr.  Brannan  started  a  store  at  Sutter's 
Fort,  under  the  name  of  C.  C.  Smith  &  Co.  This  was  the  first 
establishment  of  the  kind  formed  in  Sacramento  Valley.  In  the 
spring  of  1848,  he  bought  out  Mr.  Smith,  who  shortly  afterwards 
returned  to  the  Atlantic  States,  possessed  of  a  handsome  fortune. 
The  business  was  subsequently  conducted  under  the  firm  of  S. 
Brannan  &  Co.  The  discovery  of  gold  had  in  the  mean  while 
attracted  a  great  crowd  to  the  neighborhood,  and  the  demands 


752 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FEANCISCO. 


and  riches  of  the  miners  speedily  enhanced  prices  to  a  wonderful 
degree.  During  1848  and  1849,  sales  were  made  at  this  store  to 
the  extent  of  $150,000,  on  an  average,  per  month.  But,  hy  and 
by,  competition  began  to  appear,  and  the  first  enormous  profits 
to  become  less.  Many  other  stores  were  established  in  the  min- 
ing districts,  and  great  importations  of  goods  arrived.  Mr. 
Brannan  then  withdrew  from  the  new  City  of  Sacramento,  which 
had  suddenly  grown  up  around  him.  While  there  he  had  specu- 
lated in  the  town  allotments  like  every  other  person,  and  like 
every  body  else,  in  the  beginning,  made  much  money  by  his  ven- 
tures. Indeed  it  seemed  at  this  period,  that,  like  Midas,  he 
could  touch  nothing  that  did  not  turn  to  gold  in  his  hands. 

In  1849,  Mr.  Brannan  returned  to  San  Francisco,  where  he  had 
still  preserved  a  residence  and  citizenship,  and  under  the  firm  of 
Osborn  &  Brannan  carried  on  an  extensive  business  for  nearly  a 
year  in  China  merchandise.  In  the  noted  affair  of  the  "hounds" 
about  midsummer  of  1849,  he  took  an  active  part,  and  mainly 
helped  to  extirpate  that  society  of  rascals  from  the  town.  In 
August  following,  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  first  regular 
town-council  ;  and  in  1851  was  chosen  president  of  the  famous 
"  Vigilance  Committee." 

Since  the  beginning  of  1850,  Mr.  Brannan  has  chiefly  confin- 
ed his  business  operations  to  dealings  in  real  estate,  both  in  San 
Francisco  and  Sacramento,  in  which  he  has  been  so  successful 
that  he  is,  at  this  moment,  reported  to  be  the  wealthiest  man  in 
either  city,  and  perhaps  in  all  California'.  The  many  buildings 
which  he  has  bought  or  erected  are  distinguished  by  their  strength 
and  magnificence  ;  and  form  some  of  the  most  striking  and  beau- 
tiful features  of  the  city.  Montgomery  street  is  particularly 
remarkable  for  several  of  these  substantial  and  elegant  structures. 

About  the  end  of  1851,  Mr.  Brannan  visited  the  Sandwich 
Islands,  where  he  bought  extensive  properties,  farming  land,  and 
building  lots  and  houses  at  Honolulu.  In  1853  he  was  elected 
a  senator  of  California.  Business  and  private  engagements,  how- 
ever, calling  him  to  the  Atlantic  States,  he  was  compelled  to  re- 
linquish the  high  honor  and  resign  the  office. 

It  is  impossible,  in  our  narrow  limits,  even  to  allude  to  the 
numberless  public  affairs  in  which  this  gentleman  has  been  en- 


SAMUEL  BRANNAN. 


753 


gagetl  in  California.  From  the  earliest  to  the  latest  records  of 
San  Francisco,  we  discover  him  appearing  at  every  public  meet- 
ing, and  taking  a  prominent  part  in  municipal  business.  At  one 
time  he  is  encouraging  the  establishment  of  the  first  school,  and 
offering  handsome  contributions  to  the  building  ;  at  another  he 
is  haranguing  the  people  on  the  subject  of  the  "hounds  now, 
he  takes  on  himself  the  responsibility  of  hanging  a  rogue  by 
Lynch  law  for  the  benefit  of  the  citizens  ;  now,  he  charitably  be- 
stows sufficient  land  for  a  cemetery  to  the  Odd-Fellows,  of  which 
Order  he  is  an  active  member ;  now,  he  bullies,  reasons,  and 
conquers  in  some  purely  municipal  matters,  urging  a  local  im- 
provement, or  where  jobbing  officials  seek  to  line  their  pockets 
at  the  expense  of  the  community.  His  energy,  abilities,  force 
of  character  and  courage,  are  very  great,  and  have  been  only  the 
more  conspicuously  shown  in  face  of  those  obstacles  and  dangers 
that  would  have  hampered  and  filled  with  dread  less  bold  and  tal- 
ented men.  He  is  but  young  still,  yet  years  have  passed  since 
he  was  first  noted  for  consummate  skill  and  daring.  No  man  has 
been  better  abused  than  himself,  and  yet  to  no  man,  perhaps, 
would  the  community  sooner  turn  to  find  a  leader  who  would  not 
scruple  to  act  determinedly  upon  principles  which  he  thought 
right  in  themselves,  however  strange  and  obnoxious  they  might 
appear  at  first  sight,  or  to  commonplace,  feeble  minds.  Such  a 
man  was  needed  in  the  early  days  of  San  Francisco,  when  vice 
and  crime  overshadowed  law  and  justice.  All  honor  and  praise 
should  therefore  be  freely  given  to  him  who  did  his  duty  at  that 
perilous  period.  On  other  accounts,  Mr.  Brannan  is  entitled  to 
notice  and  commendation  ; — as  a  citizen  whose  great  private  for- 
tune has  been  invested  in  bestowing  beauty  and  grandeur  on  the 
town,  as  well  as  for  his  well  known  public  services  on  very 
many  occasions. 

Mr.  Brannan  married  in  1844,  and  has  now  a  family  of  four 
children.  He  is  slightly  above  the  middle  stature,  and  well-pro- 
portioned. His  features  are  agreeable  and  intelligent,  while  beauti- 
ful dark  eyes  give  increased  animation  to  his  face.  He  dresses 
somewhat  richly,  as  is  the  fashion  in  Sin  Francisco  ;  and,  in 
fine,  wears  a  modest  "  imperial." 


48 


JOSEPH  L.  FOLSOM. 


Captain  Folsom,  who  has  been  as  intimately  mingled  up  as  any 
other  man  with  the  peculiar  affairs  of  San  Francisco,  boasts  a 
high  revolutionary  ancestry.  He  was  born  in  the  town  of  Mere- 
dith, Belknap,  then  a  part  of  Strafford  County,  New  Hampshire, 
on  the  19th  of  May,  1817.  Meredith  is  situated  at  the  outlet 
of  Lake  Winnepiseogee,  and  here  the  paternal  grandfather  had 
immigrated  from  Exeter,  N.  H,  soon  after  the  return  of  peace  in 
1783.  He  was  a  near  relative  of  Brig.  Gen.  Nathan  Folsom, 
one  of  the  first  delegates  from  New  Hampshire  to  the  Conti- 
nental Congress  ;  an  old  Indian  fighter  on  the  Canadian  frontier, 
and  who  also  bore  a  prominent  part  in  the  revolutionary  war. 

Joseph's  father  died  during  the  early  childhood  of  our  subject, 
leaving  a  family  of  young  children.  To  secure  the  benefits  of  a 
good  education  for  them,  the  estate  was  sold,  and  the  family 


JOSEPH  L.  FOLSOM. 


755 


removed  to  Northfield,  N.  H.  Having  fitted  for  college,  an  ap- 
pointment as  a  cadet  at  the  Military  Academy  at  West  Point 
was  procured  for  young  Folsom,  through  the  friendship  and  kind- 
ness of  Hon.  Franklin  Pierce,  who  was  then  member  of  Congress, 
and  was  subsequently  elected  President  of  the  United  States. 
Mr.  Folsom  entered  that  excellent  institution  in  June,  1836, 
and  graduated  with  honor  in  June,  1840.  Being  commissioned 
as  brevet  second  lieutenant,  he  immediately  went  to  Florida, 
under  the  command  of  Gen.  Worth,  then  operating  against  the 
Seminoles,  in  that  most  trying  and  difficult  campaign.  After 
the  war  was  over,  having  served  some  time  longer,  he  was  pro- 
moted to  a  second  lieutenancy.  He  served  another  year  in  con- 
sequence of  his  own  application,  and  then  took  charge  of  a  com- 
pany of  Indians  in  their  removal  to  their  new  homes  in  the  west. 
He  afterwards  joined  his  regiment,  the  5th  infantry,  commanded 
by  Brevet  Brig.  Gen.  Brooke,  on  the  Upper  Mississippi.  Having 
served  at  various  places  in  the  north-west  until  1844,  Lieut. 
Folsom  was  ordered  to  West  Point  Military  Academy  as  In- 
structor in  Infantry  Tactics  ;  a  position 'of  the  most  distinguished 
trust,  and  the  highest  compliment  the  General  Government 
could  pay  to  his  pre-eminent  abilities,  and  to  the  efficient  manner 
in  which  he  had  hitherto  discharged  his  duties.  There  he  re- 
mained two  years. 

When  it  became  evident  that  there  would  be  a  war  with 
Mexico,  Lieut.  Folsom  twice  applied  for  a  release  from  his  po- 
sition at  West  Point,  in  order  that  he  might  join  his  regiment 
at  the  scene  of  operations  ;  but  his  application  was  refused  on 
both  occasions.  After  war  had ,  actually  commenced,  he  again 
applied,  and  was  for  the  third  time  refused.  This  he  considered 
a  hard  fate,  and  himself  the  most  unfortunate  of  men.  It  is 
quite  possible,  however,  that  had  he  gone  with  his  regiment  to 
the  war,  he  would  have  shared  the  fate  of  his  brave  brother  offi- 
cers of  that  splendid  corps.  They  suffered  severely  ;  and  at  the 
dreadful  struggle  at  Molino  del  Eey,  every  one  of  his  senior  offi- 
cers was  slain. 

When  Col.  Stevenson  was  about  leaving  for  California,  in 
command  of  the  1st  regiment  of  New  York  volunteers,  he,  al- 
though personally  unacquainted  with  Lieut.  Folsom,  applied  for 


756 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


his  services  as  a  staff  officer  in  the  quarter-master's  department 
of  the  regiment.  This  position  Lieut.  Folsom  refused,  unless  he 
should  also  be  promoted  to  the  grade  of  captain.  There  was  no 
precedent  for  such  a  double  promotion.  But  eventually  he  was 
promoted  to  a  first  lieutenancy  ;  and  on  the  day  of  the  regi- 
ment's departure,  he  received  a  captain's  commission.  Having 
been  relieved  at  West  Point,  he  fitted  out  the  expedition  as 
quarter-master,  and  sailed  with  it.  After  a  voyage  of  five  or  six 
months'  duration,  the  command  arrived  at  the  Cove  of  Yerba 
Buena,  now  San  Francisco,  in  the  beginning  of  March,  1847. 
Upon  arrival,  Capt.  Folsom  received  orders  from  Gen.  Kearny  to 
select  a  place  on  the  Bay  of  San  Francisco  for  a  depot  of  army 
stores,  and  to  prepare  it  for  receiving  them.  This  post  was  to 
be  Capt.  Folsom's  station  as  senior  officer  of  the  quarter-master's 
department  on  the  North  Pacific  Coast.  This  rank — chief  of 
that  department — he  held  for  nearly  three  years.  After  visiting- 
all  points  on  the  bay,  he  selected  Yerba  Buena  as  the  most  suit- 
able location.  In  this  selection,  which  may  probably  be  consid- 
ered the  germinating  root  of  the  city,  he  consulted  only  his  orders 
and  his  judgment. 

Capt.  Folsom  continued  on  duty  as  chief  of  the  quarter- 
master's department  and  the  commissariat  during  the  war,  and 
for  a  year  after  its  close.  For  more  than  a  year  of  which  period, 
viz.,  from  the  summer  of  1847  to  the  autumn  of  1848,  he  was 
receiver  of  all  funds  collected  during  the  Mexican  war  in  the 
port  of  San  Francisco,  and  made  all  disbursements  for  the  civil, 
as  well  as  the  military  government  of  California.  He  was  conse- 
quently the  first  American  collector  ever  appointed  in  California. 
In  May,  1849,  he  was  relieved,  and  left  for  the  Eastern  States. 
It  was  during  this  trip  that  he  purchased  the  interest  of  the 
heirs  of  Leidesdorff  in  the  estate  of  one  of  the  pioneers  of  San 
Francisco,  who  had  died  in  that  city.  This  estate  has  been  the 
subject  of  much  contention — squatters,  settlers,  the  city,  the 
State  Legislature,  and  the  county,  all,  by  turns,  having  claimed 
more  or  less  of  it.  The  limits  of  this  sketch  do  not  permit  a 
discussion  of  the  subject,  which  is  elsewhere  alluded  to  in  this 
history  ;  but  it  may  be  said,  without  entering  at  all  into  the 
merits  of  the  question,  that  Capt.  Folsom  has  ever  been  anxious 


JOSEPH  L.  FOLSOM. 


757 


and  ready  to  have  the  whole  claim  tested  before  the  courts,  and 
finally  settled.  After  an  absence  of  seven  months,  Capt.  Folsom 
returned  to  California,  and  was  on  duty  a  year  and  a  half  longer, 
as  quarter-master. 

This  gentleman  is  one  of  the  most  remarkable  instances  of 
unexpected  fortune,  of  which  Californian  history  is  so  prolific. 
During  the  early  part  of  his  residence  in  San  Francisco,  and 
before  the  discovery  of  gold,  or  any  idea  had  been  entertained  of 
its  existence,  he  concluded  that  the  natural  location  of  the  place 
insured  it  at  some  not  very  distant  period  the  position  of  an  im- 
portant city.  With  this  idea,  he  invested  all  the  means  he 
could  spare — some  twelve  or  fifteen  hundred  dollars — in  lots 
among  the  then  barren  sand-hills  of  Yerba  Buena.  For  this  he 
was  remonstrated  with  by  some  of  his  brother  officers,  then  at 
Monterey  ;  but  he  said  that  he  believed  his  investments  would 
eventually  be  worth  something  handsome,  and  form  a  reserve  for 
him  to  fall  back  iqion  when  wounds  or  old  age  might  force  him 
to  retire  from  the  army.  He  did  not  have  to  wait,  however,  for 
cither  wounds  or  years,  ere  the  value  of  his  investments  began  to 
be  evident.  Real  estate,  very  soon  after  the  discovery  of  gold 
and  the  consequent  immigration,  run  up  beyond  all  precedent, 
and  his  lucky  expenditure  became  a  source  of  great  wealth.  He 
is  now  one  of  the  wealthiest  citizens  of  California ;  for  besides 
the  great  value  of  the  "  Leidesdorff  Estate,"  his  other  purchases 
have  doubled  and  redoubled  in  value,  to  an  astonishing  degree. 

In  his  general  character,  Capt.  Folsom  is  above  reproach. 
He  is  quiet  in  his  manner,  high  toned  in  his  sense  of  honor,  gen- 
tlemanly in  deportment,  a  fine  tactician  as  a  soldier,  and  an 
agreeable  companion  among  his  intimate  friends.  His  military 
education  has  given  him  perhaps  a  little  formality  of  manners, 
but  there  is  good  reason  to  believe  that  there  is  no  lack  in  his 
heart  of  those  qualities  which  constitute  the  firm  and  valued 
friend  and  the  worthy  citizen.  Withal,  his  literary  attainments 
are  of  the  first  order,  and  his  opinions  in  matters  of  this  sort  are 
evidences  of  a  refined  and  highly  educated  mind. 


THOMAS  0.  LARKIN. 


Thomas  0.  Larkin  was  born  in  Charlestown,  Mass.,  on  the 
16th  September,  1802.  His  ancestors  came  from  Great  Britain, 
and  settled  in  Massachusetts  prior  to  the  eighteenth  century. 
Their  descendants  were  all  burned  out  on  the  17th  June,  1775, 
while  in  the  battle  of  Bunker's  Hill.  Thomas  0.  Larkin,  the  fa- 
ther of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  born  in  Charlestown,  Mass.  ; 
his  wife  was  a  native  of  Great  Britain.  The  father  died  when 
his  son  Thomas  was  seven  years  old  ;  the  mother  when  the  latter 
was  in  the  sixteenth  year  of  his  age. 

At  the  age  of  nineteen,  when  in  a  book  and  stationery  store  in 
Boston,  the  subject  of  our  sketch  entered  into  a  written  contract 
with  a  young  man  of  his  own  age,  to  leave  their  employer  at  the 
same  hour  and  go  to  the  south  to  seek  their  fortune.  For  a 
certain  period,  they  were  to  live  in  common,  and  to  possess  but  one 
purse  in  case  only  one  of  them  obtained  employment.  They  ac- 
cordingly sailed  for  the  south,  and  landed  at  Wilmington,  N.  C, 
without  adequate  funds,  acquaintances  or  prospects.  Mr.  Lar- 
kin, after  having  been  engaged  in  mercantile  pursuits  in  that 
State  for  six  or  eight  years,  relinquished  it,  to  enter  largely  in  a 
sawmill  business.  This  unhappily  soon  swept  away  both  his  fortune 
and  his  health.  While  in  North  Carolina,  he  held  the  appoint- 
ment of  Postmaster,  and  Justice  of  the  County  Court  in  Duplin 
County. 

In  1830,  he  returned  to  Massachusetts  with  shattered  health, 
but  bold  in  adventure.  His  reduced  condition  led  him  to  look 
towards  the  north-west  coast  of  America,  to  recruit  his  health 
and  fortunes.  His  uncle,  in  command  of  a  Boston  ship,  had  of- 
ten before  the  war  with  England  visited  that  coast  and  the 
islands  in  the  Pacific,  trading  for  sandal-wood  and  furs  for  the 


THOMAS  O.  LARKIN. 


759 


China  market.  The  half-brother  of  Mr.  Larkin,  John  B.  E. 
Cooper,  in  command  of  a  vessel,  had  also  followed  the  same  busi- 
ness. The  latter  had  married  into  the  Vallejo  family  and  set- 
tled in  a  country  called  California.  Mr.  Larkin  determined  to 
find  his  brother.  The  Boston  ship  owners,  who  sent  yearly  car- 
goes to  the  country  named,  refused  to  carry  passengers  ;  but  a 
passage  was  by  chance  obtained  in  an  occasional  vessel  called  the 
Newcastle,  Capt.  Hersey.  This  vessel  was  bound  to  the  Pacific 
coast,  in  search  of  a  market.  She  left  Boston  in  September, 
1831,  and  arrived  at  the  Sandwich  Islands  in  February,  1832. 
From  thence  she  sailed  for  California,  and  entered  the  port  of  San 
Francisco  in  April,  1832.  Soon  after  she  departed  for  Monterey, 
where  she  arrived  the  same  month.  Mr.  Larkin  there  found 
his  brother,  and  immediately  began  to  employ  himself  in  com- 
merce. He  erected  the  first  double  geared  wheat-mill  in  that 
part  of  the  country.  As  there  were  only  ship  carpenters 
ashore,  he  had  to  make  models  for  them  to  work  by. 

In  1833,  Mr.  Larkin  was  married,  on  board  of  a  vessel  then 
on  the  coast  of  California,  under  the  American  flag,  by  John  C. 
Jones,  the  U.  S.  consul  of  the  Sandwich  Islands,  who  happened 
to  touch  on  the  coast.  The  bishop  and  padres  of  the  pueblos  and 
missions  refused  to  perforin  the  ceremony  of  marriage,  as  both 
the  intending  spouses  were  protestants,  and  they  had  objected  to 
become  Boman  Catholics  for  the  mere  purpose  of  having  the  nup- 
tial bonds  tied  by  a  priest.  Mrs.  Larkin,  of  Mass.,  was  the  first 
lady  from  the  United  States  who  settled  in  California.  The  chil- 
dren of  the  marriage  were  the  first  Americans,  that,  is,  of  the 
United  States,  on  the  paternal  and  maternal  side,  who  were  born 
in  the  country.  In  1832,  there  were  about  eighty  Americans, 
English  and  French,  dwelling  in  California. 

From  1834  down  to  1846,  Mr.  Larkin  engaged  as  many 
foreigners  as  chose  to  work,  in  making  shingles,  lumber  and  shaped 
timber,  (the  natives  being  employed  by  him  in  hauling,  &c.,)  and  in 
putting  up  buildings  and  wharves  for  the  Mexican  government, 
and  for  individuals.  He  also  purchased  from  the  rancheros  all  the 
soap  they  could  or  would  make,  and  all  their  produce  they  brought 
to  Monterey.  These  transactions  enabled  him  to  export  timber, 
lumber,  shingles,  flour,  potatoes,  soap,  sea  and  land  beaver,  and 


760 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


sea-otter  skins  and  horses,  to  the  Sandwich  Islands,  Mazatlan 
and  Acapulco,  and  to  supply  ships  of  war,  whalers  and  other  ves- 
sels touching  on  the  coast.  This  was  opening  an  entirely  new 
trade  in  the  country,  the  old  trade  having  consisted  exclusively 
of  hides  and  tallow.  Mr.  Larkin  also  supplied  the  different  Mex- 
ican governors  in  California  with  stores,  clothing  and  funds. 
Each  governor  assumed  the  account  of  his  predecessor,  whether 
the  latter  had  resigned  voluntarily,  or  had  been  compelled  to  re- 
tire by  force  of  arms.  The  United  States  Government  paid  the 
account  due  by  the  last  governor. 

During  those  years,  when  a  vessel  from  Boston  or  other  for- 
eign port  arrived,  she  entered  at  Monterey.  The  customs'  duties 
on  merchandise  were  paid  as  follows  :  one-fourth  to  one-half  in 
cash  and  the  balance  in  goods  at  market  prices.  The  amounts 
were  drawn  for  on  the  supercargo  by  the  treasurer  of  the  depart- 
ment of  California,  in  orders  of  $5  to  $1000,  in  favor  of  an  officer  or 
creditor  of  the  government.  Previous  to  the  supercargo  commenc- 
ing business  he  had  his  steerage  bulkheads  taken  away,  and 
a  large  room  fitted  up  with  shelves,  scales,  and  all  the  para- 
phernalia of  a  trader.  This  was  his  store,  and  here  he  sold 
in  wholesale  and  retail.  The  prices  charged  were  payable  in  hides, 
tallow  and  furs,  in  certain  proportions.  Every  time  the  super- 
cargo entered  the  port,  which  would  be  six  or  eight  times  during 
the  two  following  years, — for  so  long  generally  did  each  particu- 
lar vessel  remain  on  the  coast, — he  would  continue  to  sell  and  col- 
lect the  different  goods  in  payment.  Interest  on  money  was  un- 
known in  those  days.  Notes  or  receipts  for  merchandise  and 
produce  were  rarely  taken.  No  passage  money  up  or  down  the 
coast,  or  over  the  country,  was  asked.  There  was  not  a  hotel, 
tavern  or  boarding-house  in  the  land.  People  from  shore  always 
found  a  free  state-room  in  the  ship,  and  those  from  the  ship  al- 
ways obtained  good  free  quarters  on  shore. 

Prices  of  produce,  from  1840  to  1846,  averaged  as  follows  : 
Saddle  horses,  from  $8  to  $20  ;  breeding  mares,  $3  ;  grown  cattle, 
for  killing,  $6  ;  heifers,  $3  ;  year-old  calves,  $1  50  ;  hides,  $2  ; 
tallow,  $6  per  one  hundred  pounds  ;  flour,  $6  per  one  hundred 
pounds  ;  potatoes,  $3  per  one  hundred  pounds  ;  wheat  and  bar- 
ley, 75c.  to  $1   per  bushel ;  joists  and  boards,  $40  to  $50 


THOMAS  O.  LARKIN. 


761 


per  thousand  feet  ;  beaver  skins,  $3  to  $5  each ;  sea-otter  skins, 
five  to  six  feet  long,  $35.  Drafts  on  the  U.  S.  Government  or 
on  the  owners  of  whale  ships,  sold  at  from  fifteen  to  twenty  per- 
cent discount. 

In  1844,  Mr.  Larkin  was  appointed  U.  S.  consul  for  Califor- 
nia. He  was  the  first  and  last  American  consul  ever  appointed 
in  the  country.  In  1845,  he  commissioned  William  A.  Leides- 
dorff,  as  U.  S.  vice-consul  for  San  Francisco.  Mr.  Larkin  was 
also  appointed  by  the  President  of  the  United  States  U.  S.  naval 
agent  for  the  north-west  coast  of  America.  In  1847,  he  was  ap- 
pointed by  Commodore  Shubrick  U.  S.  naval  store-keeper.  Be- 
sides the  two  named  commissions  from  the  American  Govern- 
ment, he  received  from  President  Polk  another  highly  important 
one  in  California.  The  commissions  and  emoluments  of  these 
offices  did  not  pay  the  incumbent's  expenses  in  one  of  them. 

In  1845,  Mr.  Larkin  used  every  exertion  which  his  great  in- 
fluence in  the  country  gave,  to  reconcile  the  people  to  a  change 
of  flags,  and  to  another  government.  This  change  they  expect- 
ed, and  Mr.  Larkin's  object  was  to  direct  their  inclinations 
towards  his  own  country.  He  probably  succeeded  in  doing  this 
with  all  the  native  authorities  in  the  northern  prefecture.  When 
Commodore  Sloat  arrived  in  Monterey  on  July  1st,  1846,  he 
soon  found  it  necessary  to  unfold  the  American  flag  over  the  old 
Mexican  castle  at  that  town.  As  there  was  no  declaration  of 
war  against  Mexico  on  the  part  of  the  United  States  known  by 
the  commodore  or  consul,  the  latter  was  at  first  desirous  that  the 
existing  government  of  California  should  accept  protection  under 
his  flag.  This  the  native  authorities  were  inclined  to  do,  but 
they  required  more  time  for  consideration  than  the  commodore 
could  give  them.  The  idea  was  therefore  abandoned,  and  formal 
possession  was  taken  of  the  town  on  the  7th  of  July,  1846. 
During  the  drawing  up  of  the  proclamation  by  the  commodore 
and  consul,  an  armed  launch,  belonging  to  the  U.  S.  ship  Ports- 
mouth, arrived  in  Monterey  from  San  Francisco,  bearing  the 
news  of  the  taking  of  Sonoma  by  the  "  Bear  Flag"  party, — some 
fifty  or  sixty  men, — under  Commandant  Ide.  Mr.  Larkin,  at 
his  own  expense,  sent  couriers  to  San  Jose,  San  Francisco,  Sono- 


762 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FKANCISCO. 


ma  and  Sutter's  Fort,  with  Com.  Sloat's  orders  to  raise  the 
American  flag  at  these  places. 

The  week  following  these  incidents,  Com.  Stockton  arrived  in 
Monterey  and  took  command  of  the  U.  S.  squadron.  Com. 
Sloat,  heing  unwell  at  the  time,  wished  to  proceed  to  Washing- 
ton immediately,  to  represent  in  person  the  condition  of  affairs 
in  California.  Mr.  Larkin,  at  the  urgent  request  of  Com. 
Stockton,  left  his  family  and  business,  went  on  board  the  U.  S. 
ship  Congress,  and  proceeded  with  the  commodore  down  the 
coast.  Arriving  at  Santa  Barbara,  the  former  went  ashore,  along 
with  one  or  two  officers,  to  arrange  with  the  Mexican  authorities 
as  to  giving  up  the  place.  This  the  latter  did  at  noon  to  the 
force  landed,  part  of  which  was  left  in  charge  of  Midshipman 
Mitchell.  At  San  Pedro,  Mr.  Larkin,  with  Lieut.  Schenck  and 
a  boat's  crew,  went  ashore,  and  hoisted  the  American  flag.  That 
place  was  then  in  charge  of  a  Mexican  officer  and  a  few  men. 
During  the  week,  Com.  Stockton  marched  to  Los  Angeles,  the 
capital.  Mr.  Larkin  and  Lieut.  Baldwin  (now  in  command  of 
the  steamship  Brother  Jonathan),  had  proceeded  to  the  town 
named,  one  or  two  days  in  advance  of  the  forces — had  obtained 
possession  of  the  government  house — put  people  to  work  in  pre- 
paring it  for  the  Americans,  and  had  it  in  fair  order  on  their 
arrival.  There  were  two  or  three  hundred  armed  Californians  in 
Los  Angeles  at  the  time.  Many  of  these  were  acquaintances  of 
the  consul's,  and  some  of  them  were  more  or  less  with  him  every 
hour  of  the  day.  By  his  invitation,  some  of  the  families  lent 
furniture  for  the  government  house.  When  Com.  Stockton  re- 
turned to  San  Francisco,  he  appointed  Messrs.  Grimes,  Howard, 
Larkin,  Alvarado,  Vallejo,  and  two  others,  as  a  board  of  council, 
to  meet  him,  in  October,  1846,  at  San  Francisco,  to  frame  some 
form  of  government.  The  retaking  of  the  whole  southern  coun- 
try by  the  Californians  disarranged  this  plan. 

Mr.  Larkin  then  travelled  towards  the  mountains,  to  engage 
the  coming  immigration  to  join  Col.  Fremont's  battalion,  which 
was  to  be  re-formed.  When  afterwards  he  was  returning  to 
Monterey,  his  horse  having  tired  down  on  the  road,  he  induced  a 
Californian  to  loan  him  a  first-rate  powerful  steed,  but  it  was 
only  on  condition  that  if  he  lost  the  animal  he  was  to  pay  $50, 


THOMAS  0.  LARKIN. 


763 


(a  high  price,)  and  if  the  natives  killed  the  rider  on  the  road  and 
retained  the  horse,  then  Mrs.  Larkin  was  to  pay  the  money. 
Having  made  this  bargain  before  witnesses,  Mr.  Larkin  started 
for  Monterey,  with  one  attendant,  well  armed.  On  arriving  there, 
he  found  that  his  family  had  left  by  sea  the  besieged  town  for 
San  Francisco,  and  that  his  house  was  occupied  by  U.  S.  officers. 
While  making  arrangements  for  advancing  funds  for  the  use  of 
Col.  Fremont  and  his  officers,  Mr.  Larkin  was  suddenly  called  to 
San  Francisco  to  attend  a  dying  child,  and  to  supply  the  U.  S. 
ship  Portsmouth  with  stores.  He  started  with  one  servant  and 
the  horse  already  mentioned. 

The  same  night  he  was  surprised  in  bed  by  a  party  of  the 
enemy — every  one  of  them  being  old  acquaintances  and  former 
customers  of  his.  They  carried  him  some  miles  to  an  encamp- 
ment, consisting  of  about  one  hundred  Californians.  Here  he 
was  closely  questioned,  and  ordered,  under  the  displeasure  of  the 
party,  to  write  a  certain  letter,  in  order  to  draw  some  of  his 
countrymen  into  an  ambush.  He  first  reasoned  with  the  officers 
and  next  refused.  A  party  of  armed  men  was  then  ordered  from 
the  camp-fire  to  draw  up  and  form  into  line.  Mr.  Larkin  now 
drew  off,  saying :  "  To  live  on  such  terms  from  night  to  night  is 
no  object  to  me.  Do  as  you  like,  gentlemen.  I  am  cold,  and 
am  going  to  sit  down  at  the  fire."  This  he  did,  and  heard  no 
more  about  the  matter  that  night.  Next  day,  during  the  march, 
he  witnessed  a  battle,  near  the  Mission  of  San  Juan,  between 
the  party  who  held  him  prisoner  and  a  less  number  of  Americans. 
His  guard  of  six  men  observing  that  he  had  a  fine  horse,  and  was 
watching  the  opportunity  to  leave  them  for  the  other  side,  dis- 
mounted him,  and  placed  him  upon  another  animal  which  they 
knew  was  sure  not  to  depart  faster  than  in  a  walk.  Mr.  Larkin 
was  carried  among  the  mountains  and  taken  down  several  days' 
journey  to  the  south.  He  proposed  that  his  captors  should  re- 
ceive in  exchange  for  himself  three  or  four  of  their  countrymen 
(officers)  who  happened  then  to  be  prisoners  of  war.  This  pro- 
posal was  refused.  The  Californians  wished  to  have  him  par- 
ticularly, and  kept  him  prisoner  for  months.  The  captivity  and 
travel  were  hard  to  bear,  and  were  made  more  painful  by  the 
prisoner's  being  in  ignorance  of  the  fate  of  his  sick  child.  The 


764 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


last  died,  while  the  mother  was  under  the  impression  that  the 
father  was  killed.  Mr.  Larkin  was  closely  watched,  hut  was  well 
treated  and  attended  to  by  every  means  in  his  captors'  power. 
This  attention  arose  from  old  acquaintance  and  personal  kind- 
ness to  the  prisoner,  and  douhtless  also  from  a  full  knowledge 
that  his  death  or  cruel  treatment  would  be  avenged  by  his  coun- 
trymen. 

Mr.  Larkin  had  the  satisfaction  of  receiving  through  the 
Secretary  of  State,  the  thanks  of  the  President  for  his  attention 
during  so  many  years  to  the  cause  of  his  country.  He  had  as- 
sisted in  person  in  hoisting  the  national  flag  in  four  different 
places,  and  by  his  couriers  in  four  other  places,  in  California. 
He  and  his  lady,  having  been  for  twenty  years  absent  from  their 
native  State,  resolved,  in  1850,  to  go  thither  for  an  indeterminate 
period,  and  to  keep  their  children  there  for  at  least  a  few  years. 
But  the  attractions  of  the  adopted  country  were  too  strong  to 
retain  them  long  in  Massachusetts,  or  in  New  York.  They 
returned  to  California  in  1853,  and  settled  in  San  Francisco.  In 
that  city  they  hope  to  remain  for  life. 

The  foregoing  narrative  perhaps  sufficiently  illustrates  the 
character  of  its  subject.  Few  men  are  more  generally  known  to 
the  people  of  California  than  Mr.  Larkin.  His  early  spirit  of 
adventure  has  been  gratified  and  calmed  into  the  quiet  of  home 
and  home  thoughts.  In  youth,  poor,  adventurous  and  persever- 
ing ;  in  mature  age,  consistent,  energetic  and  faithful  in  the  dis- 
charge of  his  duty,  having  been  amply  tried  and  proved ;  he 
finds  himself  rich,  not  alone  from  fortuitous  circumstances,  but 
in  a  great  measure  as  the  result  of  industry  and  foresight,  and 
respected  in  the  community  and  State  which  have  grown  up 
around  him,  where  for  many  years  he  faithfully  fulfilled  his  trust, 
and  where  he  now  enjoys  all  the  gifts  of  fortune,  the  associations 
of  family  and  friends,  and  the  rewards  of  an  industrious  and 
honest  life. 


JOHN  A.  SUTTER 


General  Sutter  has  been  more  extensively  associated  with 
California  than  any  of  the  pioneers  of  the  new  State.  Every 
quarter  of  the  globe,  even  to  the  most  barbaric,  is  familiar  with 
his  name.  Hence,  it  would  be  a  grievous  fault  were  we  to  omit 
our  due  tribute  to  the  gallant  old  hero  by  awarding  him  a  niche 
in  our  "  Annals,"  even  though  his  connection  with  San  Francisco 
has  been  an  indirect  one.  Very  few  men  so  well  merit  his  uni- 
versal distinction — still  fewer  would  cavil  to  see  him  enjoy  it. 

John  A.  Sutter  was  the  son  of  a  Swiss  of  the  Canton  Berne, 
but  was  himself  bora  in  Baden,  at  midnight  of  February  28th 
(or  March  1st),  1803.  His  early  life  was  passed  in  the  Grand 
Duchy,  and  there  he  received  his  education.  Like  many  of  his 
countrymen,  feeling  desirous  of  enjoying  the  institutions  of  our 


766 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


far-famed  republic,  he  sailed  for  and  reached  New  York  in  July, 
1834 ;  but  finally  settled  and  for  several  years  resided  in  Mis- 
souri. The  wild  west  had  always  possessed  a  charm  for  him, 
and  he  had  removed  thither  ;  but  now  his  adventurous  spirit 
looked  still  further  towards  the  setting  sun,  and  roved  along  the 
waters  that  sped  their  unknown  way  to  the  Pacific.  Leaving 
family  and  home,  in  company  with  Sir  William  Drummond 
Stewart,  he  joined  a  party,  under  the  charge  of  Capt.  Tripps,  of 
the  "  American  Fur  Company,"  and  started  for  the  broad  valleys 
of  California,  where  he  knew  that  rich  and  fertile  lands  only 
awaited  an  industrious  cultivator  ;  and  where  Providence  had 
even  a  still  richer  yielding  field  that  he  knew  not  of.  He  left 
the  trappers  at  their  rendezvous  on  the  Wind  River  among  the 
Kansas  Rocky  Mountains,  and  with  a  new  party  of  six  decided 
on  proceeding  to  their  destination  by  way  of  Oregon.  Crossing 
the  valley  of  the  Willamette,  he  finally  arrived  at  Port  Van- 
couvre,  and  there  ascertained  that  innumerable  delays  must 
elapse  before  he  could  reach  California.  Nothing  daunted,  and 
apparently  urged,  like  Columbus,  to  accomplish  his  object  despite 
of  fate,  Capt.  Sutter  sailed  for  the  Sandwich  Islands,  hoping  to 
embark  thence  direct  for  the  Spanish  coast.  But  when  he  ar- 
rived there,  no  vessels  were  about  to  sail  in  that  direction. 
Again  he  threw  down  the  gauntlet  to  fate,  and  re-embarked  for 
Sitka  Island,  in  Russian  America,  and  from  that  immense  dis- 
tance at  last  reached  Yerba  Buena  on  the  2d  of  July,  1839. 
Not  permitted  to  land  here,  he  again  embarked,  and  was  finally 
allowed  to  set  foot  on  California  soil  at  Monterey.  What  a  con- 
trast to  the  present  lightning  modes  of  travel  was  this  circuitous 
and  extended  route  !  Having  succeeded  in  overcoming  the  Span- 
ish opposition  to  foreign  settlers,  he  obtained  the  permission  of  Gov. 
Alvarado  to  locate  himself  in  the  valley  of  the  Rio  del  Sacramento; 
more  readily  granted,  perhaps,  because  it  was  then  densely  peo- 
pled with  savage  Indians.  He  explored  the  Sacramento,  Feather 
and  American  Rivers,  and  in  August,  1839,  about  eighteen 
months  after  he  commenced  his  journey,  permanently  established 
himself  on  the  latter  river,  with  a  colony  of  only  three  whites 
and  eight  Kanakas.  Shortly  afterwards  he  removed  to  the 
present  location  of  what  is  known  as  "  Sutter's  Fort,"  and  took 


JOHN  A.  SUTTER. 


767 


James  W.  Marshall. 


possession  of  the  surrounding  country  under  a  Mexican  grant, 
giving  to  it  the  name  of  Neiv  Helvetia.  F rorn  this  point  he  cut 
a  road  to  the  junction  of  the  Sacramento  and  American  Kivers, 
where  he  established  an  embarcadero  (quay,  or  landing-place), 
on  the  site  of  which  has  since  been  built  the  City  of  Sacramento. 
Here  he  remained  for  several  years,  his  settlement  being  the 
head-quarters  of  the  immigrants,  who,  following  his  example, 
poured  into  the  country  from  the  American  States. 

It  would  be  interesting,  though  hardly  german  to  our  present 
purpose,  to  record  the  captain's  innumerable  hair-breadth  escapes 
and  wild  adventures,  while  dwelling  in  this  rude  wilderness,  as 
he  has  often  over  and  over  again  related  them  to  us  in  his  own 
pleasant  way,  but  the  few  facts  we  have  given  as  we  received 
them  from  him  must  suffice.    By  far  the  most  important  event 


768 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


in  his  life  was  yet  to  happen.  In  the  winter  of  1847-48,  he 
had  contracted  with  Mr.  James  W.  Marshall  to  erect  a  lum- 
ber saw-mill  on  the  south  fork  of  the  American  River,  and  in 
January  of  1848,  that  great  discovery  was  accidentally  made 
which  hastened  the  development  of  the  country,  far  beyond  what 
centuries  of  the  unassisted  progress  of  nature  could  have  effected. 
Marshall  one  day  having  allowed  the  whole  body  of  water  to 
rush  through  the  tail-race  of  the  mill  for  the  purpose  of  making 
some  alterations  in  it,  observed,  while  walking  along  the  banks 
of  the  stream  early  the  next  morning,  numerous  glistening  parti- 
cles among  the  sand  and  gravel,  which  had  been  carried  off  by 
the  force  of  the  increased  body  of  water.  For  awhile  he  paid  no 
particular  attention  to  them,  but  seeing  one  larger  and  brighter 
than  the  rest,  he  was  induced  to  examine  it,  and  found  it  to  be 
a  scale  of  gold.  Collecting  several,  he  immediately  hurried  to 
Sutter,  and  began  his  tale  in  such  a  hurried  manner,  and  ac- 
companied it  with  such  extravagant  promises  of  unbounded 
wealth,  that  the  captain  thought  him  demented,  and  looked  to 
his  rifle  for  protection  :  but  when  Marshall  threw  his  gold  upon 
the  table,  he  was  forced  into  the  delightful  conviction.  They 
determined  to  keep  the  discovery  a  secret,  but  were  observed 
while  examining  the  river,  and  soon  had  the  immense  armies 
around  them  that  we  have  elsewhere  spoken  of.  Mr.  Marshall 
has  lived  to  see  the  world  enriched  by  his  discovery,  while  he 
himself  wanders  poor  and  homeless  over  a  land  that  has  too 
long  neglected  to  repay  her  immense  debt  of  gratitude  to  him 
who  gave  her  all  her  wealth,  power  and  position.  As  with  all 
great  benefactors  of  mankind,  some  future  century  may  record 
his  name  on  some  historic  page,  while  millions  less  worthy  than 
himself  have  fattened  where  he  starved. 

Gen.  Sutter  at  present  resides  at  Hock  Farm,  on  the  right 
bank  of  the  Rio  de  las  Plumas,  anglice,  Feather  River ;  and 
here,  leading  the  happy,  contented  life  of  a  tiller  of  the  soil,  he 
meets  friend  and  stranger  with  that  sincere,  unostentatious  hos- 
pitality that  has  endeared  him  to  the  whole  community.  A  more 
kind-hearted,  generous  and  benevolent  man  does  not  dwell  in 
any  corner  of  the  State. 


MAEIANO  DE  GUADALUPE  VALLEJO. 

Among  the  most  estimable  of  the  citizens  of  San  Francisco,  mnst 
be  ranked  the  old  Castilian  residents  of  California.  Very  many 
of  these  have  remained  with  their  families  in  the  country  and 
have  occupied  positions  as  framers  of  the  constitution,  delegates 
to  conventions,  and  members  of  the  State  and  local  governments 
under  the  American  rule.  The  most  prominent  of  these  is  Gen. 
Vallejo,  both  for  his  share  in  the  early  history  of  the  country 
and  his  subsequent  political  connection  with  the  place. 

His  father  was  a  native  of  Spain,  and  had  immigrated  to 
Mexico  and  settled  in  the  State  of  Guadalajara  during  his  ex- 
treme youth.  Many  of  the  Vallejo  family  had  voluntarily  chosen 
or  been  devoted  to  the  service  of  the  church — the  males  becoming 
members  of  the  priesthood  and  the  females  entering  the  nunne- 
ries. Mariano's  father  had  been  designed  for  a  similar  course  of 
life,  but  his  feelings  and  tastes  revolted  at  the  idea.  Finding  it, 
however,  impossible  to  avoid  what  he  so  much  disliked  should  he 
remain  in  Guadalajara,  having  already  taken  the  preliminary 


770 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


steps  to  enter  the  religious  order,  he  secretly  joined  the  expe- 
dition of  Capt.  Rivera  for  the  exploration  of  Alta  California, 
This  he  accompanied  to  Durango,  and  thence  to  the  Rio  Colora- 
do and  the  pueblos  of  San  Gabriel  and  San  Diego.  The  Indians 
at  Monterey  having  revolted  and  killed  a  number  of  the  inhabi- 
tants, among  them  a  priest,  Rivera  marched  his  company  over- 
land to  the  defence  of  that  place.  Having  quieted  the  difficulties 
there  and  garrisoned  the  town,  the  expedition  proceeded,  in  the 
summer  of  1776,  up  the  country  to  the  Bay  of  San  Francisco,  and 
thence  went  as  far  inland  as  the  Rio  de  San  Joaquin,  at  a  place 
called  by  the  Indians  Ompinez,  now  the  rancho  of  Dr.  Marsh,  where 
the  naval  and  land  expeditions  met,  among  the  former  being  the 
celebrated  Father  Junipero  Serra,  the  founder  of  the  missions  of 
San  Diego,  San  Francisco,  etc.  During  this  first  trip  to  Mon- 
terey the  Senor  Vallejo  saw,  for  the  first  time,  in  rather  a  roman- 
tic way,  the  one  destined  to  become  his  wife  and  the  mother  of 
Mariano.  It  was  on  the  day  of  her  birth,  at  which  occasion  he 
officiated  as  an  assistant  to  the  father  of  the  infant.  Then 
he  demanded  and  received  permission  from  the  parents  to  wed  their 
daughter  when  she  should  become  of  a  marriageable  age,  pro- 
vided all  parties  should  yet  desire  it.  Thirteen  years  afterwards, 
during  a  subsequent  journey  between  Monterey  and  San  Diego, 
this  proposition,  made  at  the  time  probably  half  in  jest,  was 
renewed  to  the  daughter,  Senorita  Maria  Antonia  Lugo,  and  after  a 
reasonable  courtship,  accepted  and  carried  into  effect.  Notwith- 
standing the  disparity  of  ages,  the  bridegroom  being  then  about 
forty  years  old,  this  was  a  very  happy  alliance.  Thirteen  chil- 
dren were  the  result  of  the  romantic  attachment,  the  eighth  of 
whom  was  the  subject  of  this  brief  notice.  As  a  specimen  of  the 
sweetness  and  religious  character  of  Spanish  names,  the  thirteen 
are  here  given  in  the  order  of  their  birth.  The  father  was  named 
Don  Ygnacio  Vicente  Ferrer  Vallejo,  the  mother  Dona  Maria  An- 
tonia Lugo  ;  the  children  were,  Ysidora,  Josepha,  Jose'  Ygnacio, 
Jose  de  Jesus,  J uana  Maria  Gertrudes,  Maria  Magdalena,  Pruden- 
ciana,  Mariano  de  Guadalupe,  Geronima  Encarnacion,  Maria  Paula 
Rosalia,  Jose  Manuel  Salvador,  Maria  de  Jesus  and  Juan  Anto- 
nio. From  a  Spanish  mouth  these  names  flow  forth  softly  as  oil 
upon  the  water,  or  as  the  sweet  strains  of  music  from  a  harp. 


MARIANO  DE  GUADALUPE  VALLEJO. 


771 


Mariano  de  Guadalupe  was  born  at  Monterey,  July  7th,  1808. 
There  he  continued  at  the  schools,  which  were  not  merely  civil 
and  religious,  but  military,  until  1829  or  '30.  He  then  removed 
to  the  San  Francisco  Mission,  where  as  commandante  of  the 
presidio,  collector  and  alcalde,  he  remained  until  1835.  During 
that  year  he  had  established  the  first  ayuntamiento  of  the  neigh- 
boring town  (pueblo)  of  Yerba  Buena.  At  this  time  he  was 
ordered  to  proceed  across  the  bay  to  Sonoma  and  colonize  the 
country  in  that  vicinity.  In  November  of  1835,  a  colony  from 
Mexico  of  four  hundred  and  sixty  persons,  equally  divided  be- 
tween the  sexes,  arriving  at  Sonoma,  Commandante  Vallejo 
advanced  to  meet  and  deliver  his  garrison  and  post  to  the  com- 
mander of  the  new  colony.  While  on  his  way  for  this  purpose, 
an  express  from  Mexico  brought  tidings  of  the  ascendency  of 
Santa  Anna,  with  orders  to  seize  the  expeditionists  just  arrived 
and  send  them  out  of  the  country.  This  duty  successfully  and 
quietly  accomplished  exhibited  Vallejo  in  a  very  favorable  light 
both  as  to  his  military  skill,  decision  and  rapidity  of  action,  and 
his  humanity,  that  revolted  at  the  idea  of  spilling  the  blood  of 
his  countrymen.  Subsequently  when  Chico  was  sent  to  succeed 
Figueroa,  the  former  governor  of  the  department,  Gen.  Vallejo 
took  a  prominent  part  in  the  expulsion  of  the  latter.  Gutierrez, 
who  succeeded  Chico,  was  like  him  forcibly  expelled  from  the 
State  and  Alvarado  was  finally  appointed  governor  and  received 
the  confirmation  of  the  Mexican  government.  In  these  and  all 
similar  affairs  in  California,  Gen.  Vallejo  bore  a  very  conspicuous 
and  influential  share.  In  concert  with  his  nephew,  Gen.  Alvara- 
do, and  Gov.  Castro,  aided  by  the  Carrillos  and  other  men  of 
influence  in  the  southern  part  of  the  State,  the  Californian  party 
was  always,  when  it  pleased,  more  than  sufficient  to  checkmate 
any  burdensome  tyranny  attempted  by  the  supreme  government 
at  the  city  of  Mexico. 

Vallejo  succeeded  in  obtaining  a  library  while  youngs  which 
he  kept  under  lock  and  key,  and  to  whose  rich  feast  none  were 
admitted  save,  it  is  believed,  his  nephew  Alvarado.  This  was  a 
necessary  precaution  against  the  demands  and  commands  the 
church  would  have  made,  had  it  been  aware  of  his  possession. 
Into  this  great  school  for  free  and  noble  thoughts,  his  confidant 


772 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


alone  admitted,  the  key  turned  upon  all  without — laity  and  cler- 
gy— they  read  and  studied  the  ideas  of  other  minds  and  tutored 
their  own  for  the  great  business  of  a  reasonable  life.  Few,  per- 
haps no  others  in  the  country,  had  the  opportunity  of  perusing 
aught  save  the  rituals  and  other  church-prescribed  books. 

On  the  14th  of  June,  1846,  he  was  taken  prisoner  by  Fre- 
mont and  the  "  Bear  Flag  "  party  and  confined  in  the  prison  at 
Sutter's  Fort  for  six  days,  when  he  was  released  by  Commodore 
Stockton  upon  his  parole  d'honneur.  Not  being  exchanged,  he 
remained  a  non-combatant  until  peace  was  restored — very  will- 
ingly, no  doubt,  for  he  never  seems  to  have  entertained  a  very 
exalted  estimate  of  the  character  of  the  Mexican  people.  He 
had  assisted  Castro  and  Alvarado  in  expelling  them  in  1837,  and 
has  had  no  sympathy  with  that  apparent  idea  of  their  civil,  re- 
ligious and  political  creed,  which  seems  to  possess  only  the  am- 
bition to  prevent  all  change  for  the  better — all  improvement  and 
progress. 

Vallejo  with  the  rest  of  the  Californians  very  speedily  acqui- 
esced in  the  rule  of  the  conquerors,  which  indeed  they  had  long 
desired,  and  to  whom  they  had  never  designed  any  opposition.  He 
became  an  active  public  man,  and  was  elected  in  1849  a  member 
of  the  convention  which  framed  a  constitution  for  the  new  Ameri- 
can republic.  His  princely  proposition  to  the  State  to  make  a 
point  on  his  estate  the  seat  of  government  is  well  known  ;  and 
some  idea  of  the  people's  universal  estimation  of  his  integrity 
may  be  gathered  from  the  fact,  that  in  all  the  angry  discussions 
to  which  it  gave  rise,  his  high  and  honorable  motives  were  never 
questioned. 

On  the  6th  of  March,  1832,  he  married  Senorita  Benicia 
Francisca  Felipsa  Carrillo,  the  daughter  of  one  of  the  oldest  and 
most  influential  families  in  the  department.  Fourteen  children 
have  sprung  from  this  marriage,  blessed  with  whose  love  and  in 
the  full  possession  of  the  public's  confidence,  his  active  life  has 
become  quiet — his  mature  manhood,  honored  and  happy.  With 
all,  he  possesses  a  fine  form  and  handsome  face,  a  kind  heart, 
courteous  manners,  and  that  abundant  hospitality  for  which  his 
countrymen  are  so  justly  celebrated. 


EDWARD  GILBERT. 


There  is  something  in  the  recollections  which  twine  ahout  the 
memory  of  the  honest  man  vastly  more  grateful  to  the  contem- 
plation of  the  historian,  the  hiographer,  the  public  at  large,  than 
in  all  the  eclat  which  may  attach  to  distinction  of  rank  or  the 
possession  of  wealth.  When  the  rich  and  the  honored  pass 
away,  if  no  better  claim  upon  contemporary  admiration  exist  than 
the  mere  possessions  which  make  the  millionaire,  the  hero,  the 
scholar,— all  that  which  placed  him  above  his  fellows  being  his 
no  longer, — his  position  is  found  below  those  whom  he  overtopped, 
and  he  becomes  like  the  dust  in  name,  as  in  condition.  But  the 
heart,  the  conscience, — that  principle  within  which  makes  us 
love  virtue, — become  sentinels  to  guard  the  memory  of  the  vir- 
tuous dead,  and  keep  it  green  and  beautiful.    How  much  this  is 


774 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


applicable  to  the  character  and  memory  of  the  subject  of  this 
memoir,  those  who  knew  him  best  can  most  fully  understand. 

The  Hon.  Edward  Gilbert  was  born  about  the  year  1819,  in 
Cherry  Valley,  Otsego  County,  State  of  New  York.  Most  of  his 
near  relatives  died  before  him,  and  the  circumstances  of  fortune  in 
which  he  was  placed,  threw  him,  like  so  many  others  of  his  coun- 
trymen, upon  his  own  resources.  Consequently,  whatever  excel- 
lence he  showed,  or  position  he  attained  subsequently,  should  be 
attributed  alone  to  his  own  inherent  qualities,  his  intellect  and 
perseverance.  He  was  in  the  best  sense  of  the  word  a  self-made 
man.  Self-reliance,  a  hopeful  disposition,  energy,  a  brave  and 
honest  heart,  were  his  youthful  patrimony.  With  these  he 
worked  and  won.  Through  the  dangers  and  temptations  of 
childhood  and  youth — in  the  contests  and  struggles  of  manhood, 
— in  the  field,  in  the  press,  in  the  legislative  hall,  these  qual- 
ities preserved  and  fortified.  At  a  very  early  age  he  was  appren- 
ticed to  "  the  art  preservative  of  all  arts,"  in  the  office  of  the 
Cherry  Valley  newspaper,  where  he  acquired  the  trade,  or  pro- 
fession, of  a  practical  printer.  In  1839,  or  1840,  he  joined  the 
Albany  Argus  as  one  of  its  compositors,  and  about  1845  was 
made  its  foreman  ;  and  very  soon  afterwards,  assumed  the  position 
also  of  one  of  its  associate  editors.  In  this  station  the  war-cry 
of  his  country  found  him  in  the  spring  of  1846,  and  he  at  once 
co-operated  with  others  in  raising  a  volunteer  company  for  the 
Mexican  campaign.  The  services  of  this  company  were  tendered 
the  Government  to  join  the  army  on  the  Kio  Grande. 

A  call  having  been  made  for  a  regiment  destined  expressly 
for  California,  he  threw  up  his  position  on  the  paper,  and  de- 
voted himself  to  the  work  of  raising  a  company.  Another  com- 
pany was  being  formed  at  the  same  time  under  Capt.  Frisbie. 
The  two  commanders,  Gilbert  and  Frisbie,  fearing  that  two 
companies  would  not  be  accepted  from  the  same  city,  Albany, 
agreed  to  unite,  Gilbert  taking  the  office  of  first  lieutenant. 
This  was  done  ;  the  company  thus  formed  was  accepted,  and 
arrived  at  the  head-quarters  of  the  1st  regiment  of  New  York 
Volunteers,  under  command  of  Col.  J.  D.  Stevenson,  at  Gover- 
nor's Island,  on  the  1st  day  of  August,  1846.  The  regiment 
sailed  from  New  York  on  the  26th  day  of  September  in  three 


EDWARD  GILBERT. 


775 


transports,  the  "  Thomas  H.  Perkins,"  "  Susan  Drew,"  and 
"Loo  Choo."  Gilbert  sailed  in  the  "Susan  Drew"  as  far  as 
Rio  de  Janeiro,  where  he  exchanged  to  the  "  Loo  Choo,"  and  ar- 
rived in  San  Francisco,  in  the  latter  end  of  March,  1847. 

Company  "  H,"  to  which  Gilbert  was  attached,  proceeded  to 
the  presidio,  but  he  and  some  twenty  men  were  stationed  in 
San  Francisco,  their  quarters  being  the  "  Old  Adobe"  on  the  pla- 
za. Here  he  remained  not  only  in  command  of  the  detachment, 
but  as  deputy  collector  of  the  port,  under  Captain  Jos.  L.  Fol- 
som,  who  having  been  ordered  to  act  as  collector  for  the  purpose 
of  raising  a  military  contribution  and  to  select  as  his  deputy  a 
subaltern,  had  judiciously  given  that  position  to  Lieutenant  Gil- 
bert. This  was  the  first  opportunity  afforded  him,  iu  California, 
of  evincing  his  ability  and  integrity  as  a  business  man.  Most  of 
the  duties  of  this  office  necessarily  devolved  upon  him.  They 
were  always  arduous  and  sometimes  very  delicate  and  critical ; 
but  he  never  failed  to  inspire  respect  for  his  talents,  confidence  in 
his  integrity,  and  admiration  for  his  firmness  of  character,  and 
amenity  of  manners.  This  position  he  held  until  the  disbanding 
of  the  regiment,  August  16th,  1848. 

The  war  had  then  been  terminated,  and  it  became  necessary 
to  select  a  civilian  to  act  as  collector  of  the  port,  until  the  reve- 
nue laws  of  the  United  States  should  be  extended  over  the  terri- 
tory. The  late  General  Mason,  U.  S.  Army,  then  acting  as  gov- 
ernor of  the  territory,  appointed  Mr.  Gilbert  to  that  office.  Tins 
he  declined.  By  doing  so  he  voluntarily  lost  the  opportunity  of 
amassing  a  large  fortune  in  a  very  short  time.  Mr.  Harrison, 
who  was  subsequently  appointed,  having  become  the  recipient  of 
immense  revenues,  through  the  opportunities  given  him  by  virtue 
of  his  office  of  getting  possession  of  property,  was  soon  made 
almost  if  not  quite  a  millionaire.  About  the  1st  of  October,  he 
started  for  the  mines,  and  after  spending  some  three  weeks 
there,  ill  health  obliged  him  to  return. 

There  were  then  two  newspaper  establishments  in  San  Francis- 
co, the  "California  Star "  and  the  "Californian."  Mr.  Gilbert 
having  formed  a  partnership  with  Mr.  E.  C.  Kembleof  the  "Star," 
and  Mr.  Geo.  C.  Hubbard,  and  the  materials  of  the  "Californian" 
having  been  purchased,  tht'se  two  papers,  the  only  ones  as  yet 


776 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


published  in  California,  were  merged  into  a  new  paper,  the  "Alta 
California,"  the  first  number  of  which  appeared  on  the  4th  Jan- 
uary, 1849,  Mr.  Gilbert  filling  the  position  of  senior  editor.  He 
continued  to  occupy  this  position  until  his  death,  except  when 
absent  in  the  convention  which  formed  the  State  constitution,  and 
afterwards  during  his  congressional  term.  In  the  summer  of  1849 
he  was  elected  almost  unanimously  as  one  of  the  delegates  to 
represent  San  Francisco  in  the  convention  about  to  assemble  tc 
form  a  constitution  for  the  State.  In  the  following  autumn, 
having  held  himself  aloof  from  party  nomination  he  ran  as  an  inde- 
pendent candidate  for  Congress,  and  was  elected  by  a  very  flatter- 
ing majority.  He  had  thus  the  proud  distinction  of  being  a 
member  of  the  first  delegation  which  represented  in  Congress  a 
sovereign  State  on  the  shores  of  the  Pacific  Ocean.  At  the  expira- 
tion of  his  term  of  service  in  Congress,  he  returned  to  California, 
where  he  arrived  in  June,  1851,  with  health  much  impaired.  He 
soon  resumed  his  position  of  senior  editor  of  the  Alia  California. 

During  the  spring  and  summer  of  1852,  the  relief  expedi- 
tion sent  out  to  assist  the  incoming  immigration  over  the  plains 
under  the  law  of  the  Legislature  of  that  year  became  the  subject  of 
much  criticism  through  the  press,  as  well  as  in  private  circles. 
Mr.  Gilbert  could  not  from  his  nature  and  habits  refrain  from  ex- 
pressing decidedly  his  opinions  touching  it  and  its  conductors. 
This  unfortunately  involved  him  in  a  personal  controversy  with 
several  gentlemen,  and  finally  led  to  a  duel  in  which  the  Hon.  J. 
W.  Denver,  State  Senator  from  Klamath  and  Trinity  Counties, 
and  himself  were  principals,  Mr.  Denver  being  the  challenged 
party.  They  fought  at  sunrise,  August  2d,  at  Oak  Grove,  near 
Sacramento  City.  The  weapons  used  were  Wesson's  rifles ;  the 
distance  forty  paces.  The  first  fire  having  occurred  without  ef- 
fect, the  weapons  were  reloaded,  the  word  given,  and  Mr.  Gilbert 
fell  mortally  wounded,  the  ball  having  taken  effect  just  above  the 
left  hip  bone.  He  survived  but  a  few  moments,  looking  up  to  the 
face  of  his  second  with  a  smile,  and  dying  without  uttering  a 
word.  His  body  was  taken  to  the  Oak  Grove  Hotel,  and  thence  in 
the  evening  to  Sacramento  City.  The  next  day  his  remains  were 
escorted  by  the  Sacramento  Guard  and  Sutter  Light  Infantry, 
and  a  large  number  of  the  most  prominent  citizens,  to  the  steam- 


EDWARD  GILBERT. 


777 


er.  On  the  arrival  of  the  body  in  San  Francisco  it  was  received 
by  the  various  military  companies,  and  other  associations.  In 
the  darkness  of  the  gloomy  night  the  silent  and  mournful  cortege 
presented  a  peculiarly  solemn  appearance,  and  impressed  all  with 
the  most  melancholy  reflections.  In  that  sad  hour  there  was  not 
present  one  heart  which  did  not  condemn  the  bloody  code  by 
which  he  had  been  destroyed. 

His  funeral  ceremonies  were  performed  on  the  sixth  of  August. 
The  California  Guard,  of  which  he  had  been  a  member,  acted  as 
escort.  A  very  large  concourse  of  citizens  joined  in  the  cererno- 
monies  and  the  procession.  His  remains  were  deposited  in  the 
Yerba  Buena  Cemetery,  where  amid  the  shrubs  they  rest,  cut 
down  in  early  prime  like  many  of  the  flowers  which  bloom  upon  his 
grave,  and  are  too  soon  shattered  by  the  untimely  wind.  Many 
lie  there  in  that  young  city  of  the  dead,  but  none  whose  life  in 
its  various  relations  was  based  upon  more  high  and  honorable 
principles  of  conduct  and  feeling. 

One  who  knew  Mr.  Gilbert  well  speaks  of  him  thus  eloquently 
and  truly  :  A  residence  of  nearly  six  years  in  a  new  country,  which 
from  the  first  became  the  home  of  his  adoption,  made  him 
thoroughly  a  Californian  in  all  his  actions  and  inmost  thoughts. 
Coming  here  under  circumstances  which  remove  the  slightest  im- 
putation of  seeking  political  preferment  in  a  new  State,  or  of  reap- 
ing the  golden  harvest  which  was  not  discovered  until  long  after 
his  arrival,  the  most  rigid  scrutiny  of  his  whole  course  will  con- 
vince all  that  he  attained  the  proud  distinction  of  a  high,  honor- 
able and  manly  identification  with  the  best  interests  of  Califor- 
nia, without  any  resort  to  means  which  could  leave  a  stain  upon 
his  character  as  a  public  man  or  private  citizen. 

His  position  as  an  editor  was  at  times  difficult  ;  but  he  met  his 
responsibilities  fearlessly,  and  fulfilled  each  duty  with  more  than 
common  ability  and  discretion.  For  fourye,ars  the  conductor  of  a 
leading  journal  upon  the  shores  of  the  Pacific,  Mr.  Gilbert  partici- 
pated largely  in  the  development  of  institutions  which 
in  some  countries  would  have  been  the  growth  of  gener- 
ations ;  and  it  may  be  said  with  equal  credit  to  his  memory  as  a 
journalist,  and  as  a  man,  that  his  ability  has  left  its  impress  for 
good  upon  almost  every  important  question  in  the  history  of  our 


778 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


young  but  powerful  State.  Politically,  he  was  a  consistent  dem- 
ocrat, unwavering  in  bis  adherence  to  the  great  cardinal  principles 
of  his  faith  ;  but  be  was  no  partisan.  He  was  above  the  servility 
to  party  discipline  which  the  great  mass  of  politicians  approve  or 
endure,  never  forgetting  his  individual  dignity  and  honor  in  obedi- 
ence to  cliques  and  parties.  As  a  member  of  the  State  Conven- 
tion and  of  Congress,  without  pretence  to  the  showy  qualities  of 
the  orator,  he  was  one  of  the  most  indefatigable  working  com- 
mittee-men, earnest  and  sensible. 

Yet  he  lacked  not  the  qualities  necessary  to  a  fluent  speaker, 
and  was  forcible,  calm  and  argumentative.  The  dignity  and  up- 
rightness of  his  character,  together  with  his  business  tact,  gave 
him,  notwithstanding  his  youth,  a  high  and  honorable  position 
among  his  confederates,  in  the  Convention  and  in  Congress.  As  a 
man  he  was  modest,  unassuming,  almost  diffident,  and  bis  manner 
gave  him  an  appearence  of  coldness  which  his  intimate  friends 
knew  did  not  spring  from  his  heart.  His  attachments,  when 
once  formed  and  unrestrained,  were  warm,  generous  and  constant. 
His  disposition  was  kind  and  benevolent.  He  scorned  every  thing 
low,  corrupt  and  vile.  He  fearlessly  expressed  his  feelings.  He  was 
as  resolute  in  the  presence  of  a  foe  as  he  was  warm  towards  a  friend. 
He  was  neither  malignant  nor  vindictive.  Guileless,  frank, 
open  hearted,  he  won  the  esteem  and  secured  the  respect  of 
every  circle  in  which  he  moved.  His  private  life  and  character 
were  unblemished,  and  he  guarded  his  honor  with  a  sleepless  watch- 
fulness. His  fault  was  a  too  sensitive  vigilance  and  excitability 
upon  this  point.  It  made  him  too  keenly  alive  to  the  least  ex- 
pression which  might  be  tortured  into  an  insinuation  against  him- 
self. Entirely  conscious  of  his  own  rectitude  and  honesty,  he 
could  not  and  would  not  suffer  a  doubt  of  either  to  be  breathed 
or  whispered.  If  this  was  an  error  it  sprung  from  a  highly  vir- 
tuous impulse  and  principle,  and  he  lost  his  life  in  vindicating 
what  he  considered  his  honor.  The  gloom  which  hung  over  the 
city  after  the  announcement  of  his  death,  and  during  his  funeral 
ceremonies,  showed  how  deeply  he  had  fixed  himself  in  the  hearts 
of  the  community. 


WILLIAM  D.  M.  HOWARD. 


Few  names  of  individuals  have  occurred  so  frequently  through- 
out our  narrative  as  that  of  Wru.D.  M.  Howard.  Indeed  very  few- 
men  in  San  Francisco  have  so  continually  and  zealously  minis- 
tered to  its  public  welfare,  entirely  independent  of  political  influ- 
ences, and  in  return  enjoyed  the  same  unwavering,  unabated 
popularity  through  the  antithetic  phases  of  its  history. 

Mr.  Howard  is  a  native  of  Boston,  and  first  came  to  Cali- 
fornia in  the  year  1838,  where  he  resided,  with  the  exception  of 
a  twelvemonth's  absence  on  a  visit  to  the  city  of  his  birth,  until 
1853,  when  his  failing  health  again  carried  him  from  his  adopted 
home.  Prior  to  the  occupancy  of  the  country  by  the  army  of 
the  United  States,  he  was  engaged  as  the  agent  of  a  commercial 
house  in  Boston  in  the  hide  trade,  then  almost  the  only  traffic 


780 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


carried  on  in  California.  This  business  rendered  it  necessary  for 
him  to  be  continually  travelling  to  and  from  the  different  por- 
tions of  the  coast,  and  it  was  not  till  1846  or  1847  that  he 
established  himself  permanently  in  San  Francisco. 

At  that  time,  he  associated  himself  with  Henry  Melius,  Esq. 
(another  old  resident  on  the  Pacific),  and  with  him  purchased 
the  establishment  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  in  San  Fran- 
cisco, along  with  other  property,  and  entered  upon  a  commer- 
cial business,  which  was  not  then  of  much  importance  or  of 
very  great  extent.  The  discovery  of  gold,  however,  gave  an 
impetus  to  their  operations,  and  ere  long  they  became  extensively 
engaged  in  great  commercial  speculations.  In  1850,  these  gen- 
tlemen dissolved  partnership,  and  Mr.  Howard  retired  from  the 
busy  scenes  of  commerce,  and  devoted  himself  to  the  improve- 
ment of  his  property. 

Among  the  political  and  party  agitations  of  his  adopted 
State,  Capt.  Howard  has  never  taken  an  active  part,  but  he  has 
always  been  a  zealous  and  efficient  advocate  for  any  measure 
conducive  to  her  welfare  ;  and  his  name  is  prominent  among 
those  whose  liberality  and  enterprise  have  been  the  spirit  of  the 
progress  of  San  Francisco.  In  every  popular  movement  in  the 
city,  he  enacted  an  eminent  and  controlling  part,  and  in  the 
social  and  minor  relations  of  fife  holds  a  merited  and  enviable 
position.  His  charities  have  been  abundant.  The  early  efforts 
to  establish  an  Orphans'  Asylum  met  in  him  a  generous  as- 
sistant, and  in  the  organization  of  the  school  system  and  fire 
department,  he  acted  prominently,  tendering,  besides  pecuniary 
aid,  the  free  use  of  buildings  to  the  former,  and  donating  to  the 
latter  a  handsome  fire-engine,  which  he  had  procured  at  his  own 
expense.  He  was  among  the  first  promoters  of  the  cause  of  re- 
ligion, and  donated  a  lot  of  ground  to  the  Howard  street  Pres- 
byterian Church.  His  early  connection  with  the  volunteer  sol- 
diery led  to  his  election  as  captain  of  the  California  Guard,  a 
position  he  long  and  worthily  filled.  He  is  about  thirty-five  years 
of  age,  of  a  commanding  general  appearance,  and  a  particularly 
benevolent  expression  of  countenance. 


JOSEPH  F.  ATWILL. 


Mr.  Atwill  is  another  of  the  prominent  pioneers  of  California, 
who  during  the  past  five  years  have  labored  to  develope  the 
resources  of  their  adopted  State.  Ever  prompt  in  the  discharge 
of  the  duties  incumbent  on  an  active  and  intelligent  citizen, 
thorough  and  precise  in  his  business  relations,  bountiful  in  his 
charities,  generous,  open-hearted  and  benevolent  in  disposition, 
this  gentleman  has  met  with  that  signal  success,  which,  like  bread 
cast  upon  the  waters,  returns  to  reward  an  unselfish  life.  A 
resume  of  his  career  would  be  that  of  hundreds  of  men,  who 
leaving  the  crowded  thoroughfares  of  the  great  Atlantic  cities, 
turned  to  the  land  of  promise,  where  the  trials  and  hardships  of 
ten  years  of  active  life  crowded  into  one,  were  to  develope  traits 
which  might  otherwise  have  remained  concealed  among  the  ener- 
vating luxuries  of  eastern  habits. 

Joseph  F.  Atwill  was  born  in  Boston,  Massachusetts,  June 
4th,  1811,  and  received  the  usual  literary  education  afforded  the 
youth  of  that  city  by  its  excellent  school  system.  This  com- 
pleted, young  Atwill  entered  the  office  of  the  "  New  England 
Farmer,"  where  he  served  a  regular  aj>prenticeship  among  the 
"  types" — a  hot-bed  which  has  developed  the  germ  of  much  of 
the  world's  best  talent.  Two  years  of  industrious  application  to 
his  business  discovered  to  his  friends  that  his  occupation  was  of 
a  too  sedentary  nature,  and  he  consequently  entered  the  music 
and  fancy  goods  store  of  Messrs.  Hewett  &  Co.,  in  Boston,  and 
subsequently  removed  with  them  to  New  York,  in  the  year  1831. 
Having  served  with  them  the  requisite  time,  he  commenced  a 
business  for  himself  in  1834,  and  experienced  the  vicissitudes  of 
a  Broadway  tradesman,  until  he  became  one  of  the  most  cele- 
brated publishers  of  music  in  the  country. 

Ultimately,  however,  meeting  with  severe  losses,  Mr.  Atwill 


782 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


became  one  of  the  restless  thousands,  who,  carried  away  by  the 
excitement  of  the  discovery  of  a  land,  embodying  all  the  fancies 
of  Lalla  Rookh  and  gorgeous  Cashmere,  determined  to  tempt 
fortune  anew  on  the  shores  of  the  Pacific  ;  and  accordingly  ar- 
rived in  San  Francisco,  via  Panama,  on  the  31st  of  October, 
1849.  Landing  almost  without  a  dollar,  like  hundreds  of  kin- 
dred spirits,  he  soon  began  to  adapt  himself  to  the  place,  and  to 
move  with  that  alacrity  and  determination  to  succeed  that  mark 
the  man  of  will  and  firm  resolve.  After  buying  and  selling  ex- 
tensively for  himself,  and  operating  largely  for  others,  he  located 
a  little  store,  8  ft.  by  14,  on  Washington  street,  a  few  doors  west 
of  the  plaza,  and  thus  became  the  pioneer  music  and  fancy- 
goods  dealer  of  California.  In  this  snug  little  bijou  of  a  place, 
he  laid  the  foundation  of  his  wealth.  At  this  period  society  in 
San  Francisco  was  almost  totally  disorganized,  and  resolved  into 
its  original  elements.  Each  man  was  an  independent  sover- 
eignty, sailing  under  his  own  flag,  declaring  war,  making  treaties, 
and  exercising  all  the  functions  of  a  limited  government.  As  a 
consequence,  some  rose  to  imperial  splendor ;  others  fell  to  ser- 
vile dependency.  Pictures  of  dejected  misery  and  princely  afflu- 
ence met  the  gaze  in  every  street ;  men  of  the  finest  abilities 
found  themselves  penniless  and  houseless  ;  while  others,  through 
successful  speculations,  were  constantly  realizing  fortunes.  Lon- 
don or  St.  Petersburgh  never  offered  more  remarkable  contrasts 
between  luxury  and  distress  than  did  San  Francisco,  in  the 
memorable  winter  of  1849.  Thus,  the  little  tenement  of  At  will 
was  eagerly  visited  by  his  many  unfortunate  friends  ;  and  the 
cock-loft  over  'the  miniature  store  often  gave  nightly  shelter  to 
many,  who  but  a  few  months  before  had  lived  in  luxuriant  ease. 
With  his  characteristic  generosity,  its  proprietor  shared  his  lodg- 
ing with  these  friends,  some  of  whom  are  now  distinguished  and 
wealthy  citizens. 

In  the  spring  of  1850,  after  several  fortunate  real-estate 
operations,  and  while  awaiting  the  arrival  of  goods,  via  Cape 
Horn,  he  prosecuted  his  original  design  of  visiting  the  mines, 
and  was  particularly  fortunate  at  the  famous  "  diggings,"  near 
Georgetown,  being  enabled  to  return  to  San  Francisco  in  a  very 
few  months.    He  then  re-opened  his  establishment  in  the  zinc 


JOSEPH  F.  ATWILL. 


783 


building  on  the  plaza,  formerly  used  as  the  U.  S.  custom-house, 
post-office,  &c,  and  which  rented  for  many  months  at  $75,000  per 
annum,  and  having  repeatedly  escaped  the  great  fires,  was  better 
known  as  the  "  Salamander  Block."  While  located  here,  Mr. 
Atwill  was  (May,  1851)  elected  assistant  alderman  for  the  fourth 
ward,  and  became  president  of  the  board, — a  position  which  he 
filled  with  ability  and  honor.  In  1852,  he  visited  New  York, 
where  he  finally  closed  up  all  his  business  affairs  ;  and  with  a 
view  to  a  permanent  residence  in  the  land  of  his  adoption,  made 
arrangements  for  the  removal  of  his  family  to  his  new  home. 
On  his  return  to  San  Francisco,  he  opened  tne  fine  brick  build- 
ing, No.  172  Washington  street.  In  the  spring  of  1853,  his 
fellow-citizens  of  the  fourth  ward,  mindful  of  his  efforts  to  serve 
them  in  1851,  again  elected  him  to  the  city  council ;  and  on  the 
meeting  of  that  body,  he  was  unanimously  chosen  president  of 
the  board  of  aldermen.  At  both  periods  of  his  election  to  the 
council,  the  municipal  affairs  were  in  a  singular  state  of  com- 
plexity and  embarrassment,  and  he  aided  that  body  much  in  re- 
storing them  to  order  and  regularity. 

In  November,  1853,  Mr.  Atwill's  family  arrived,  and  found  a 
splendid  mansion,  prepared  and  adorned  for  them  by  the  judi- 
cious care  of  the  husband  and  father.  Henceforth,  his  home  is 
in  San  Francisco,  of  which  his  extensive  relations  entitle  him  to 
be  considered  one  of  its  most  enterprising  merchants.  Notwith- 
standing his  increased  wealth,  he  has  lost  nothing  of  the  charac- 
ter of  probity  and  ability  that  have  always  marked  his  social 
and  political  life.  He  is  distinguished  for  a  remarkable  ease 
and  cordiality  of  manner.  His  countenance  is  full  of  good  humor 
and  bonhommie.  He  is  domestic  in  his  habits  ;  strictly  moral 
and  disciplinary  in  his  course  of  life  ;  indeed,  his  rigid  attention 
to  business  and  propriety  of  conduct  were  such  as  to  excite 
remark  among  the  free,  easy  and  adventurous  sort  of  people  that 
dwelt  in  San  Francisco.  Mr.  Atwill  is  a  self-educated  man  ; 
adding  by  useful  and  agreeable  study  and  reading  to  the  ex- 
periences of  life.  His  personal  popularity  bespeaks  for  him  the 
highest  honors  in  the  gift  of  his  fellow-citizens. 


JONATHAN  D.  STEVENSON. 


Colonel  J.  D.  Stevenson,  as  commander  of  the  well-known 
regiment  of  New  York  Volunteers,  in  1847  and  1848,  earned  for 
himself  a  high  name  in  California,  which  later  years  have  not 
derogated.  This  gentleman  was  horn  of  respectable  parentage 
in  the  City  of  New  York,  on  the  1st  of  January,  1800.  His 
grandfather  was  a  soldier  of  the  Revolution  ;  and  his  father  a 
ship-master,  who  was,  for  many  years,  connected  with  the  revenue 
department  at  New  York.  Their  descendant  was  bred  a  merchant 
and  entered  into  business  on  his  own  account  before  he  was 
eighteen  years  of  age.  While  still  a  lad,  and  in  the  course  of 
transacting  some  business  for  his  employers,  the  subject  of  our 
memoir  made  the  valuable  and  flattering  acquaintance  of  D.  D. 
Tompkins,  Esq.,  then  governor  of  the  State  of  New  York,  and 
soon  afterwards  elected  vice-president  of  the  United  States. 


JONATHAN  D.  STEVENSON. 


785 


When,  early  in  1818,  Governor  Tompkins  commenced  running 
a  line  of  steamboats  from  Staten  Island  to  New  York,  he  appointed 
young  Stevenson  his  agent.  That  distinguished  individual  indeed, 
to  the  close  of  his  life,  testified  to  his  youthful  friend  much  of 
the  regard  and  affection  which  a  father  bears  to  a  son,  appointing 
him  his  private  secretary,  and  always  treating  him  as  a  dear  aid 
confidential  companion.  Mr.  Stevenson,  in  the  former  capacity 
accompanied  the  vice-president  to  Washington,  where  he  became 
acquainted  with  the  most  notable  men  of  the  nation,  with  many 
of  whom  he  remained  in  habits  of  intimacy  and  correspondence 
until  he  left  the  Atlantic  States  for  California.  The  late 
Honorable  Silas  Wright,  and  the  present  secretary  of  state, 
William  L.  Marcy,  may  be  particularly  mentioned  as  having 
been  among  Mr.  Stevenson's  personal  friends.  The  latter  named 
gentleman  has  given  numerous  evidences  of  high  regard  for  his 
friend,  while  the  following  extract  of  a  letter  from  the  former  to 
one  high  in  authority  at  Washington  will  exhibit  the  estimation 
in  which  he  was  held  by  the  writer  : — "  I  will  say  to  you,  with 
great  cheerfulness,  that  I  consider  Stevenson  a  warm  and  devoted 
friend  to  me  and  to  the  democratic  party  and  its  principles.  I 
have  known  him  quite  intimately  for  several  years,  and  have  cor- 
responded with  him  a  good  deal,  during  that  time,  and  I  have 
ever  found  him,  in  all  my  intercourse,  strictly  faithful  to  truth, 
perfectly  honorable,  and  most  ardently,  I  may  almost  say  pas- 
sionately, devoted  to  his  friends,  as  he  never  seems  to  me  to  think 
of  himself,  when  his  friends,  or  his  party,  are  in  danger." 

At  the  age  of  twenty-one,  Mr.  Stevenson  attached  himself 
to  a  military  company  in  the  city  of  New  York,  and  in  1825 
united  with  Col.  W.  W.  Tompkins  in  organizing  the  splendid 
corps  of  citizen  soldiers  known  as  the  Tompkins  Blues,  who,  to 
this  day,  as  the  Light  Guard,  stand  at  the  head  of  the  uniformed 
militia  companies  for  character  and  perfection  of  drill,  as  infantry 
and  artillery.  From  the  rank  of  lieutenant  in  the  Tompkins 
Blues,  he  was  elected,  in  1828,  to  the  command  of  a  regiment  of 
citizen  soldiers  in  New  York  by  the  unanimous  vote  of  all  the 
officers.  This  commission  he  resigned  in  1840,  at  which  time 
he  was  generally  considered  one  of  the  best  drill  officers  and  tac- 
titians  in  the  State. 

50 


786 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


Mr.  Stevenson  was  for  many  years  a  leading  politician  of  his 
native  city  and  State  ;  and  in  1846  was  chosen  from  the  former 
a  member  of  the  State  Legislature  of  New  York.  In  the  month 
of  June  of  that  year,  when  on  a  visit  to  Washington,  President 
Polk,  with  whom  he  had  long  been  personally  intimate,  offered 
him  the  command  of  a  volunteer  regiment  for  service  in  Califor- 
nia, if  he  would  raise  one.  This  offer  was  made  by  the  president 
alone,  without  previously  consulting  with  his  cabinet,  in  which, 
it  was  afterwards  understood,  the  matter  became  subject  of  debate. 
However,  towards  the  end  of  the  same  month,  official  instructions 
reached  Mr.  Stevenson  to  raise  and  organize  the  proposed  regi- 
ment. The  rolls  were  accordingly  opened  on  the  4th  of  the 
following  month  of  July.  Within  three  days  afterwards  the 
force  was  filled  up  ;  and,  on  the  1st  of  August  mustered  into 
service  at  Governor's  Island.  There  it  lay  encamped  for  some 
time,  until  transports  could  be  obtained  for  its  embarkation  to 
California.  The  energetic  and  persevering  character,  as  well  as 
great  abilities  of  Mr.  Stevenson,  were  so  well  known  to  the  pre- 
sident and  secretary  of  war,  that  he  was  left  with  the  entire 
duty  and  responsibility  of  raising,  organizing,  and  equipping  this 
regiment,  and  of  making  requisitions  upon  the  several  depart- 
ments for  the  necessary  supplies  to  his  recruits. 

Colonel  Stevenson's  carefulness  in  receiving  volunteers  for 
his  regiment  was  the  cause  of  much  subsequent  annoyance 
to  him.  It  appears  that  the  regulations  of  the  service  require 
each  recruit  to  be  examined  by  a  surgeon  within  four  days  after 
enlistment.  But  as  the  surgeons  of  the  new  regiment  were  not 
appointed  for  twenty  days  after  it  had  encamped  at  Governor's 
Island,  such  examination  did  not  take  place  till  a  later  period. 
When,  however,  it  was  made,  a  number  of  men,  physically  dis- 
qualified, were  rejected  and  dismissed  from  each  company.  Now, 
most  men  who  have  ever  figured  in  public  life  have  had  their 
political  and  personal  foes  ;  and  Colonel  Stevenson  had  his.  The 
propriety  of  his  appointment  to  his  high  command  had  been 
much  discussed,  and  though  none  pretended  to  deny  his  peculiar 
fitness  for  the  office,  still  many  considered  that  there  were  others 
who  had  equal  if  not  better  claims  than  he  to  the  post.  Some 
of  these  grumblers,  who  happened  to  be  bitter  personal  enemies 


JONATHAN  D.  STEVENSON. 


787 


of  the  colonel,  got  hold  of  the  men  dismissed  from  the  regiment 
as  unfit  for  service,  and  persuaded  them  instantly  to  raise  actions 
of  damages  against  the  commander  for  false  imprisonment  and 
what  not.  This  was  on  the  eve  of  the  sailing  of  the  expedition. 
If  these  prosecutions  had  been  commenced  and  process  served, 
interminable  delay  and  expense  would  have  resulted  ;  and,  in  the 
end,  the  colonel  would  have  lost  the  command,  which  was  chiefly 
what  his  enemies  wished.  Beiug  informed  of  their  plans,  he 
determined  to  balk  them,  if  he  could.  In  a  day  or  two  the  ex- 
pedition would  certainly  sail ;  but  that  day  or  two  was  of  the 
utmost  consequence.  Colonel  Stevenson  accordingly  at  once 
repaired  on  board  one  of  the  three  transports,  in  which  his  men 
were  already  embarked,  and  issued  instructions,  that  prepara- 
tions should  immediately  be  made  to  sail.  Meanwhile  he  refused 
to  receive  any  person  on  board,  unless  connected  with  the  expe- 
dition. By  and  by,  the  sheriff  came  alongside  in  a  steamer,  and 
wished  to  go  on  board  the  transport.  This  the  officer  of  the 
watch  refused  to  permit,  and  ordered  a  sentinel  to  shoot  whoever 
should  attempt  to  set  his  foot  on  deck.  The  steamer  therefore 
went  back  with  the  disappointed  official.  Next  morning,  the 
deputy  sheriff  made  his  report  of  the  resistance  which  had  been 
offered  to  his  authority — the  sheriff  called  upon  the  mayor  for 
help — and  the  mayor,  as  in  duty  bound,  provided  a  little  army 
of  policemen  to  arrest  the  colonel  and  his  officers,  chartered  a 
steamer,  and  with  his  civic  force  hastened  to  the  wharf.  But 
the  birds  had  flown.  The  transports,  under  convoy  of  the  United 
States  ship  Preble,  were  already  under  way,  and  would  be 
beyond  his  worship's  jurisdiction  before  they  could  be  overtaken. 
This  was  on  the  26th  of  September.  Thus  the  colonel's  tactics 
freed  him  from  the  danger. 

In  due  course  of  time  the  Preble  and  transports  reached 
California.  When  Colonel  Stevenson  himself  landed  at  San 
Francisco,  on  the  7th  March,  1847,  he  found  orders  awaiting  him 
from  General  Kearny,  directing  the  distributing  of  his  regiment 
over  various  parts  of  the  country  ;  which  was  subsequently  done. 
Detachments  were  stationed  at  Sonoma,  San  Francisco,  Santa 
Barbara  and  Monterey,  to  which  last  place,  as  head-quarters, 
Colonel  Stevenson  proceeded.    The  Americans  at  Los  Angeles 


788 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


begging  for  succor,  and  intelligence  being  received  that  a  large 
body  of  Mexicans,  under  General  Bustamente,  were  approaching 
the  southern  portion  of  the  country,  the  colonel  with  two  com- 
panies of  his  regiment  was  ordered  to  that  town.  Here  he 
assumed  the  command  of  the  southern  military  district,  embrac- 
ing Santa  Barbara  and  all  below  that  port.  The  battalion  of 
Mormon  Volunteers  was  then  at  Los  Angeles,  at  which  place 
Colonel  Stevenson  established  his  head-quarters.  In  July,  1847, 
the  Mormon  battalion  was  disbanded  ;  and  from  that  time  till 
the  close  of  the  war,  this  district  of  country  was  left  under  the 
charge  of  the  colonel,  by  whose  constant  vigilance  it  was  kept 
quiet.  By  his  uniform  kindness  to  the  native  Californians  as 
well  as  to  foreign  residents,  added  to  his  impartial  administration 
of  justice  in  civil  as  in  military  matters,  he  endeared  himself  to 
all  who  knew  him.  No  man  was  ever  more  loved  and  respected 
by  those  under  his  command  than  Colonel  Stevenson.  It  is  like- 
wise well  known,  that  he  possessed  the  utmost  confidence  and 
esteem  of  his  superior  officers,  General  Kearny  and  Colonel 
Mason.  Colonel  Stevenson  was  afterwards  ordered  to  Monterey 
to  await  the  coming  of  a  portion  of  his  regiment  that  had  been 
sent  to  Lower  California.  This  arrived  in  October,  1848,  and 
was  disbanded  on  the  24th  of  the  same  month.  Their  commander 
himself  was  mustered  out  of  service  two  days  afterwards,  being 
just  two  years  and  one  month  from  the  time  he  had  sailed  from 
New  York. 

Colonel  Stevenson  afterwards  formed  a  party,  with  two  offi- 
cers and  some  picked  men  of  his  regiment,  to  proceed  to  the 
gold  mines.  It  was  during  this  mining  expedition  that  the  colo- 
nel, at  the  request  of  the  general  body  of  miners  in  the  district 
(Mokelumne  Hill),  prepared  a  code  of  laws,  or  regulations,  re- 
garding the  proper  working  at  the  mines.  These  were  unani- 
mously adopted,  and  their  framer  was  elected  alcalde  to  enforce 
them.  This  is  believed  to  have  been  the  first  code  for  the  regu- 
lation of  mining  claims  ever  proposed  in  California,  and  was  the 
basis  upon  which  all  others  have  since  been  formed. 

A  short  time  subsequent  to  this,  Col.  Stevenson  formed  a 
business  connection  with  Dr.  William  C.  Parker,  who  had  been 
assistant  surgeon  in  the  regiment  of  New  York  volunteers  ;  and 


JONATHAN  D.  STEVENSON. 


789 


the  partners  began  extensive  operations  in  real  estate  in  San 
Francisco.  They  were  among  the  first  who  subdivided  fifty-vara 
lots,  which  they  did  most  profitably  to  themselves,  and  with  an 
industry  and  perseverance  unsurpassed  by  any  others  in  Cali- 
fornia. They  soon  began  to  be  remarked  as  among  the  most 
prosperous  and  wealthy  men  in  San  Francisco.  They  were  the 
first  to  erect  and  finish  a  dwelling-house  with  lath  and  plaster, 
and  among  the  first  to  erect  buildings  on  piles,  on  what  at  that 
time  (1849  and  1850)  was  considered  the  bay.  In  1850,  Col. 
Stevenson  purchased  up  the  interest  of  Dr.  Parker  in  their  large 
estate.  But,  unfortunately,  in  the  spring  of  the  following  year, 
when  the  money  pressure  became  very  severe,  he  was  obliged  to 
assign  all  his  property  for  payment  of  his  debts.  His  creditors 
intrusted  him  with  the  management  of  his  affairs  ;  and  he, 
anxious  to  be  relieved  from  his  heavy  obligations,  immediately 
proceeded  to  realize  the  estate,  and  convert  it  into  cash,  which 
was  honestly  applied  in  payment  of  every  claim,  principal  and 
interest,  which  could  be  made  against  him.  If  a  little  time  had 
been  given,  or  which  he  might  have  taken,  this  property,  which 
was  hastily  sacrificed,  would  have  produced  perhaps  millions 
above  what  it  was  sold  for.  He  is  still,  however,  possessed  of  an 
independent  fortune. 

Colonel  Stevenson  has  ever  been  remarked  for  his  agreeable 
social  qualities ;  and  in  the  memorable  winter  of  1849-50,  he 
had  abundant  opportunities  to  exhibit  also  an  equally  conspicu- 
ous disposition  for  generosity  and  benevolence.  At  that  period 
there  was  much  suffering  in  San  Francisco,  and  many  were 
calling  aloud  for  the  exercise  of  charity  in  their  behalf;  and 
such  calls  never  fell  unheeded  upon  the  ears  of  him  of  whom 
we  write.  Of  his  abundant  means  he  contributed  largely  for  the 
relief  of  the  poor,  the  sick  and  the  dying,  and  to  the  decent  inter- 
ment of  the  indigent  dead.  Upon  the  organization  of  the  Grand 
Lodge  of  Freemasons  for  the  State,  he  was  unanimously  elected 
the  first  grand  master,  and  served  his  term  of  office  with  credit 
to  himself  and  the  satisfaction  of  its  members,  comprising  many 
of  the  most  respectable,  intelligent  and  influential  men  of  the 
country. 


WILLIAM  M.  GWIN. 


Among  the  leading  public  men  in  the  Senate  of  the  United  States, 
and  now  occupying  a  prominent  position  before  the  country,  is 
this  distinguished  senator  from  California.  Dr.  Gwin  was  born 
on  the  9th  of  September,  1805,  in  Sumner  County,  Tennessee. 
His  father,  Kev.  James  Grwin,  was  an  eminent  clergyman  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  The  field  of  the  ministrations  of 
this  good  man  embraced  all  the  western  and  south-western  States  : 
and  the  zeal  and  energy  with  which  he  jierformed  the  duties  of 
his  sacred  office  were  chiefly  instrumental  in  founding  in  that 
part  of  the  Union,  the  denomination  of  which  he  was  a  constant 
and  devoted  advocate.  His  son  William  was  placed  at  an  early 
age  in  charge  of  Professor  Thruston,  an  eminent  scholastic  of 
Kentucky,  and  being  gifted  with  an  active  and  vigorous  mind, 


WILLIAM  M.  GWIN. 


791 


and  possessing  extraordinary  energy  and  perseverance,  he  soon 
became  grounded  in  the  elements  of  an  English  education,  and 
devoted  himself  to  the  study  of  mathematics  and  the  ancient, 
languages.  The  severe  mental  training,  which  he  received  in  the 
exact  sciences,  prepared  him  for  any  branch  of  learning,  and  per- 
ceiving intuitively  its  importance  he  cultivated  his  reasoning 
powers  by  familiarizing  himself  with  geometrical  discussions. 
From  these  he  entered  another  field  of  inquiry,  in  the  study  of  in- 
tellectual philosophy  and  the  ancient  classics,  becoming  well  ac- 
quainted with  the  Koman  language  and  literature,  and  attaining 
at  the  same  time  some  proficiency  in  the  more  elegant  and  pol- 
ished idiom  of  the  Greek  writers.  This  course  of  study  under 
the  direction  of  his  father  and  preceptor  developed  his  great 
mental  vigor  and  acuteness.  His  predilection  for  the  natural 
sciences  led  him  to  the  study  of  medicine,  with  the  purpose  of  fol- 
lowing it  as  a  profession.  Having  already  gone  through  regular 
courses  of  chemistry  and  anatomy,  he  entered  the  Medical  De- 
partment of  Transylvania  University,  where  he  graduated  with 
distinguished  honor,  and  before  he  had  attained  his  majority, 
commenced  the  practice  of  physic  near  the  city  of  Nashville, 
Tennessee.  The  bent  of  his  mind,  however,  was  in  a  different 
direction.  As  a  branch  of  liberal  education,  he  entered  upon  a 
course  of  legal  study  and  thoroughly  read  the  great  English  and 
American  commentators,  attentively  examining,  at  the  same  time, 
the  institutions  of  our  own  country  and  of  Great  Britain,  and 
was  finally  duly  admitted  to  practise  at  the  bar.  The  severe 
training  he  had  received  in  his  early  education  and  his  natural 
abilities  enabled  him,  however  deep  the  research  or  intricate 
the  analysis,  to  give  freshness  and  interest  to  any  subject  which 
engaged  his  attention  in  his  new  profession  ;  while,  at  the  same 
time,  in  its  management,  he  ever  kept  in  view  its  ajiplication  to 
the  real  business  and  great  end  of  life.  In  fact  he  was,  uncon- 
sciously, preparing  himself  for  another  sphere  of  action,  in  which 
he  has  since  figured  among  the  most  prominent  and  distinguished 
statesmen  in  the  Union.  Born  and  reared  almost  under  the  eye 
of  Andrew  Jackson,  he  became  a  favorite  of  that  hero  and  states- 
man from  early  infancy.  Even  in  boyhood  he  had  mingled  with 
men  of  no  ordinary  stamp — those  men,  indeed,  whose  energies 


792 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


have  vindicated  the  justice  and  security  of  popular  government 
and  sjiread  its  influence  over  the  whole  world — and  they  had 
taught  him  the  habit  of  self-reliance  and  the  value  of  our  preva- 
lent institutions.  He  knew,  in  fact,  hut  one  political  creed,  and 
that  was  the  principles  of  the  democratic  party.  Installed  in 
such  a  church,  from  youth,  he  has  ever  been  zealous  and  true  to 
its  faith. 

President  Jackson,  appreciating  his  great  energy  of  character 
and  integrity  of  purpose,  tendered  him  in  the  year  1833,  the 
office  of  U.  S.  Marshal  for  the  State  of  Mississippi.  This  posi- 
tion Dr.  Gwin  held,  during  that  administration  and  throughout 
President  Van  Buren's.  He  discharged  the  responsible  duties  of 
the  office  with  great  delicacy  and  humanity.  Indeed,  his  urbanity 
and  kindness  materially  lessened  the  severity  of  judicial  exactions 
and  his  private  fortune  was  eventually  ruined  by  his  frequent 
assumption  of  the  liabilities  of  others  and  his  forbearance  from 
enforcing  the  mandates  of  the  law. 

Upon  the  election  of  Gen.  Harrison  to  the  presidency,  Dr. 
Gwin  resigned  the  office  of  marshal  and  became  a  candidate  for 
Congress  on  the  democratic  ticket.  President  Harrison  had 
received  a  majority  of  2500  in  1840  in  that  district,  but  mainly 
through  the  efforts  of  Dr.  Gwin,  the  opposite  party  now  triumphed 
by  an  equal  number  of  votes,  and  he  was  chosen  a  member  of 
the  XXVIIth  Congress.  He  at  once  gave  evidence  of  his  ability 
as  a  legislator  and  as  a  business  member,  devoting  himself  with 
untiring  assiduity  to  all  the  numerous  demands  for  his  services. 
The  diversified  matters  in  which  his  State  was  concerned,  and 
more  particularly  the  landed  interests  of  his  constituents  and  the 
extension  of  the  postal  system,  occupied  his  attention.  At  the 
close  of  his  congressional  term  he  was  renominated  by  acclama- 
tion, but  was  compelled  for  a  time  to  withdraw  from  public  life, 
to  attend  to  his  private  affairs,  which  had  become  embarrassed  by 
reason  of  his  leniency  in  the  discharge  of  his  duties  as  marshal, 
and  of  serious  losses  he  had  personally  sustained,  by  receiving  in 
payment  of  executions,  the  perishable  paper  currency  of  that  day. 

In  1847,  during  President  Polk's  administration,  he  was  ap- 
pointed Commissioner  to  superintend  the  erection  of  the  U.  S. 
Custom-House  in  New  Orleans,  the  duties  of  which  office  he  dis- 


WILLIAM  M.  GWIN. 


793 


charged  with  scrupulous  fidelity,  hut  which,  on  the  accession  of 
President  Taylor,  he  resigned  and  emigrated  for  California. 

His  thorough  knowledge  of  the  institutions  of  the  country, 
his  great  experience  in  public  affairs  and  his  popular  address,  at 
once  commanded  the  attention  and  confidence  of  the  medleyed 
public  in  this  quarter,  and  he  was  chosen  in  the  primary  assembly 
of  the  people  to  represent  them  in  convention  to  form  a  constitu- 
tion for  a  State  Government.  He  entered  upon  the  duty  with 
his  usual  energy,  and  no  man  labored  more  zealously  to  complete 
the  work.  He  brought  to  bear,  in  the  progress  of  the  discussion, 
all  the  resources  of  his  vigorous  and  cultivated  mind  and  had  the 
gratification  of  witnessing  that  instrument,  which  is  now  the 
fundamental  law  of  the  Pacific  State,  adopted  and  ratified  by 
the  people  with  singular  unanimity. 

The  first  Legislature  under  the  State  organization  met  in 
December,  1849,  and  Messrs.  Gwin  and  Fremont  were  chosen 
United  States  Senators.  His  labors  then,  in  behalf  of  Califor- 
nia, began  in  earnest,  and  upon  a  new  theatre.  He  was  untiring 
in  collecting  and  disseminating  among  the  members  of  both 
Houses  of  Congress,  information  to  enable  them  to  understand 
the  true  condition  of  his  State,  and  to  legislate  accordingly. 
During  the  turbulent  agitation  of  the  slavery  question  in  the 
public  councils  and  throughout  the  country,  Dr.  Gwin  was  inces- 
sant in  his  exertion  to  bring  about  the  work  of  pacification  and 
secure  the  admission  of  his  State,  and  finally,  on  the  9th  of 
September,  1850,  had  the  gratification  of  perceiving  the  passage 
of  the  Act  of  Congress,  declaring  California  to  be  one  of  the 
United  States,  and  to  be  admitted  into  the  Union  on  equal  foot- 
ing with  her  thirty  elder  sisters.  He  then  took  his  seat  in  the 
National  Senate,  and  from  that  day,  that  great  body  and  the 
country  at  large  have  witnessed  his  statesmanlike  course,  and 
the  unparalleled  exertions  he  has  made  to  elevate  his  State  from 
the  feebleness  of  political  infancy  to  that  commanding  position 
which  she  now  occupies  in  the  American  confederacy. 


SELIM  E.  WOODWORTH. 


Selim  E.  Woodworth,  second  son  of  the  poet  Samuel  Wood- 
worth,  author  of  the  "  Old  Oaken  Bucket,"  was  born  in  the  city 
of  New  York,  on  the  27th  of  November,  1815.  Having  had 
from  his  earliest  boyhood  a  strong  desire  to  travel  and  "  see  the 
world,"  he  began  his  career  at  twelve  years  of  age,  by  leaving 
clandestinely  his  father's  house,  and  with  a  rifle  and  knapsack 
commenced  what  he  intended  should  have  been  a  grand  tour  to 
the  far,  far  west,  across  the  prairies  and  Rocky  Mountains  to 
the  Pacific  Ocean.  He  had  accomplished  about  three  hundred 
miles  of  this  journey  and  reached  the  western  boundary  of  the 
State  of  New  York,  when,  meeting  with  some  relatives  who  had 
heard  of  his  sudden  departure  from  home  and  of  the  agonizing 
anxiety  of  his  parents  to  learn  his  whereabouts,  he  was  checked 
in  the  further  prosecution  of  his  intended  tour  and  persuaded 


SELIM  E.  WOODWORTH. 


795 


by  his  friends  to  relinquish  for  the  time  heing  what  they  deemed 
a  most  Quixotic  project.  Regretting  that  in  his  youthful  ardor 
he  had  thoughtlessly  given  pain  to  the  hearts  of  those  ''loved 
ones  at  home,"  he  concluded  to  return  to  his  native  city,  allay 
the  fears  and  anxieties  of  his  parents  and  endeavor  to  make  ar- 
rangements for  carrying  out,  under  more  favorable  auspices,  his 
cherished  project  of  "  seeing  the  world."  His  friends  assayed  in 
vain  to  induce  him  to  abandon  the  idea,  hut  it  had  become  the 
ruling  passion  of  his  life,  and  circumstances  soon  occurred  which 
afforded  him  an  opportunity  of  gratifying  it. 

Early  in  1834,  an  expedition  to  the  South  Seas  was  fitted 
out  by  some  merchants  in  New  York,  under  the  command  of  the 
celebrated  navigator,  Capt.  Benj.  Morrell.  A  beautiful  clipper 
brig,  the  Margaret  Oakley,  was  built  at  Baltimore,  and  fitted, 
armed  and  equipped  for  the  purpose  ;  and  young  Woodworth, 
having  obtained  the  reluctant  consent  of  his  parents,  embarked 
in  the  expedition  as  captain's  clerk.  This  vessel  after  cruising 
among  the  islands  of  the  South  Pacific  for  about  three  years, 
and  while  returning  home  by  way  of  China  and  the  Cape  of 
Good  Hope,  was  wrecked  upon  the  Island  of  Madagascar,  where 
our  young  adventurer  was  compelled  to  remain  many  months 
among  a  rude  and  barbarous  people,  living  almost  in  a  state  of 
nature.  He  finally  contrived  to  leave  the  island  in  a  small 
launch,  and  succeeded  in  reaching  Mauritius,  or  the  Isle  of 
France,  from  which  he  returned  to  his  anxious  friends  at  home, 
after  an  absence  of  nearly  four  years. 

Mr.  Woodworth's  spirit  of  adventure  being  now  fairly  awak- 
ened, and  filled  with  a  fresh  desire  to  pursue  his  wanderings,  he 
applied  for  and  obtained  an  appointment  as  midshipman  in  the 
U.  S.  Navy,  with  the  object  of  joining  the  U.  S.  Exploring  Ex- 
pedition, then  being  fitted  out  under  command  of  Capt.  Wilkes. 
His  application  for  orders  was  successful ;  but  by  an  unfortunate 
mistake,  the  "yellow  document"  was  forwarded  to  the  Brooklyn 
post-office  instead  of  to  New  York,  and  he  did  not  receive  it 
until  several  days  after  the  sailing  of  the  expedition. 

After  the  lapse  of  a  few  months,  Mr.  Woodworth  was  ordered 
to  join  the  Ohio,  74,  in  which  ship  he  sailed  for  the  Mediter- 
ranean in  the  winter  of  1838,  and  spent  three  years  cruising 


796 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


on  that  station,  visiting  in  the  mean  time  all  the  different  coun- 
tries bordering  on  that  and  the  adjacent  seas,  and  feasting  his 
poetical  imagination  on  the  classic  treasures  of  that  wondrous 
region.  Returning  home  in  1841,  the  succeeding  four  years 
were  spent  cruising  in  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  among  the  West  In- 
dia Islands,  and  along  the  coast  of  Africa. 

In  the  spring  of  1846,  having  obtained  an  unlimited  leave 
of  absence  for  the  purpose,  Mr.  Woodvvorth  resolved  to  carry  out 
the  darling  project  of  his  youth,  and  cross  the  continent  to  the 
Pacific.  With  this  view  he  left  home  on  the  1st  of  April  of  the 
year  named.  Having  spent  about  a  month  in  St.  Louis  and 
completed  the  arrangements  for  his  journey,  he  finally  left  Inde- 
pendence, Mo.,  on  the  15th  of  May,  and  accomplished  the  trip 
to  the  Oregon  settlements,  on  the  Columbia  River,  in  a  little 
over  sixty  days.  This  is  one  of  the  quickest  trips  across  the 
plains  on  record.  Remaining  in  Oregon  until  the  following 
winter,  he  then  came  down  the  coast,  and  landed  at  "  Yerba 
Buena,"  the  site  of  the  present  City  of  San  Francisco. 

Shortly  after  Mr.  Woodworth's  arrival  here,  information  was 
received  of  the  dreadful  situation  of  a  party  of  unfortunate 
immigrants  who  had  lost  their  way  in  the  mountains,  and  were 
perishing  with  cold  and  hunger  in  the  snows.  Our  hero  imme- 
diately volunteered  to  take  command  of  a  party,  raised  for  the 
purpose,  to  go  to  their  relief.  An  open  launch  was  soon  fitted 
out  and  furnished  with  supplies  of  stores,  provisions,  clothing 
and  other  necessaries  ;  and  with  his  hardy  little  band  Lieut. 
Woodworth  started  on  this  forlorn  hope,  in  aid  of  suffering  hu- 
manity. It  required  eleven  days  to  navigate  the  little  craft  up 
the  Sacramento  River,  against  the  swollen  current  of  the  stream 
which  had  been  rendered  doubly  powerful  by  the  severe  freshets 
of  that  memorable  winter.  The  party  were  compelled  to  warp 
their  boat  along  the  banks  nearly  the  whole  distance,  until  they 
arrived  at  the  embarcadero  of  Sutter's  Fort,  the  Bite  of  the 
present  Sacramento  City.  This  place  was  completely  overflowed 
at  that  time,  so  that  the  whole  space  between  the  embarcadero 
and  the  fort,  was  navigable  with  canoes.  The  party  arrived  at 
the  fort,  and  that  gallant  old  soldier,  Capt.  John  A.  Sutter, 
whose  heart  and  purse  were  ever  open  to  relieve  the  sufferings  of 


SELIM  E.  WOODWORTH. 


797 


his  fellow-creatures,  at  once  entered  warmly  into  their  plans  of 
mercy,  and  furnished  thorn  with  whatever  was  lacking  to  carry 
out  their  enterprise,  including  pack  mules  and  a  number  of  his 
Indian  servants.  During  the  course  of  the  perilous  journey,  and 
at  convenient  distances  on  the  route,  deposits  of  provisions  were 
made  and  cached,  for  future  use  in  returning  from  the  mountains. 
When  the  region  of  snow  was  reached,  the  party  were  compelled 
to  send  back  their  mules  and  pack  their  remaining  supplies  upon 
their  own  backs,  for  many  days,  over  mountains  almost  impas- 
sable and  over  snows  in  many  places  from  sixty  to  eighty  feet 
deep.  On  finally  arriving  at  the  camp  of  the  unfortunate  suffer- 
ers a  scene  of  horror  was  presented  to  them  which  would  have 
shocked  the  sensibilities  of  the  strongest  nerve.  There  remained 
alive  about  seventy  of  the  original  party  of  immigrants.  Many 
had  died  from  cold  and  hunger,  and  for  many  days  the  only  means 
the  survivors  possessed  of  sustaining  life,  was  by  feeding  upon 
the  dead  bodies  of  their  comrades.  In  one  instance,  a  father  was 
discovered  lying  upon  the  ground  and  eating  the  carcase  of  his 
own  child  !  Some  were  raving  maniacs,  and  others  were  so 
stupefied  and  benumbed,  as  to  have  lost  all  desire  or  power  of 
exertion.  All  who  were  found  alive,  however,  were  safely  brought 
in,  and  thus,  by  the  almost  superhuman  exertions  of  this  gallant 
little  band,  nearly  seventy  human  lives  were  saved  from  destruc- 
tion, among  whom  are  some  of  the  present  most  distinguished 
citizens  of  our  State. 

After  returning  from  this  mountain  expedition,  Lieut.  Wood- 
worth  reported  himself  for  duty,  and  was  ordered,  as  master,  to 
join  the  U.  S.  ship  Warren,  then  lying  at  Monterey.  He  was 
afterwards  appointed  to  the  command  of  the  U.  S.  transport 
Anita.  This  command  he  retained  until  the  close  of  the  war 
with  Mexico,  doing  much  important  service  on  the  coast  in  trans- 
porting supplies,  men  and  munitions  of  war,  to  and  from  the 
various  ports  between  San  Diego  and  the  Columbia  River. 

In  the  fall  of  1849,  at  the  urgent  solicitations  of  his  fellow- 
citizens  of  Monterey,  of  which  place  he  was  at  that  time  a  resi- 
dent, Capt.  Woodworth  consented  to  have  his  name  presented  to 
the  people  of  that  county  as  a  candidate  for  the  State  Senate  at 
the  first  session  of  our  Legislature.    Having  been  elected,  he  re- 


798 


ANNA.LS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


signed  his  post  in  the  navy,  and  served  his  constituents  in  the 
senate  chamber  of  the  State  during  the  first  two  sessions  at  San 
Jose.  During  the  last  session  of  his  term,  the  County  of  Mon- 
terey was  infested  by  a  reckless  gang  of  desperadoes,  horse 
thieves,  robbers  and  murderers,  who  committed  all  manner  of 
outrages  upon  the  peaceable  inhabitants,  until  it  was  found  abso- 
lutely necessary  to  extirpate  them  under  authority  of  the  State. 
Under  commission  from  Gov.  McDougall,  Mr.  Woodworth  raised 
a  company  of  rangers,  and  after  many  weeks  of  incessant  effort, 
the  campaign  resulted  in  completely  breaking  up  the  gang,  by 
the  arrest  of  a  number  who  were  tried  and  found  guilty,  and 
several  of  whom  were  executed. 

Mr.  Woodworth  built  the  first  house  in  San  Francisco  upon 
a  water-lot.  It  was  upon  the  spot  now  occupied  as  the  Clay 
Street  Market.  The  project  of  erecting  a  store  out  over  the 
water,  while  so  much  unoccupied  land  remained,  was  ridiculed  at 
the  time  as  visionary  ;  but  the  sequel  proved  the  wisdom  of  the 
act.  In  consequence  of  the  position,  the  firm  of  Woodworth  & 
Morris  possessed  for  a  long  period  the  exclusive  trade  of  the  light- 
erage of  the  port. 

Although  firm,  determined  and  courageous,  self-reliant  and 
persevering,  Mr.  Woodworth  is  nevertheless  one  of  the  most 
quiet  of  men  in  his  habits,  and  seems  to  prefer  nature  in  her 
simplicity  and  purity,  to  all  the  bustle  and  turmoil  of  the  city, 
the  honors  and  emoluments  of  politics,  and  the  fripperies  and 
false  glare  of  society.  On  a  little  island  in  the  bay,  half  way  be- 
tween San  Francisco  and  Benicia,  he  has  taken  up  his  abode, 
where  like  a  second  Robinson  Crusoe  he  can  sit  by  his  fire,  and 
shoot  the  wild  fowl  he  may  choose  from  the  flocks  which  swim 
close  by  his  hearth-stone,  or  from  the  very  steps  of  his  cottage 
catch  the  finny  visitant  of  the  fishing  grounds  of  "  Red  Rock." 
Yet,  although  so  retiring  and  fond  of  quiet,  there  is  not  a  man 
in  California  whose  heart  would  sooner  respond  to  the  call  of 
suffering  humanity,  or  who  would  less  calculate  the  cost  of  wealth, 
life  or  limb,  than  he,  in  flying  to  its  relief ;  no  one  on  whom  his 
fellow-citizens  might  more  implicitly  rely  where  toil  and  dangers 
were  to  be  met  and  overcome,  and  the  great  principle  of  doing 
good  to  man  carried  out  under  the  most  formidable  difficulties. 


THEODORE  PAYNE. 


This  gentleman  is  extensively  known  as  a  prominent,  useful  and 
prosperous  citizen  of  San  Francisco.  Modest  and  unassuming, 
yet  honest,  industrious  and  energetic,  he  has  worked  himself  for- 
ward to  an  enviable  position  in  the  community.  Mr.  Payne  was 
born  in  the  City  of  New  York,  on  the  12th  of  December,  1816. 
He  was  educated  for  the  profession  of  a  merchant ;  and  during 
his  residence  in  his  native  city,  devoted  his  attention  to  mercan- 
tile pursuits,  in  which  he  exhibited  the  qualities  of  an  active,  in- 
telligent and  talented  business  man.  When  the  California  gold 
excitement  first  began  to  prevail  in  the  Atlantic  States,  he  was 
impressed  with  the  favorable  opportunities  afforded  by  the  im- 
mense current  of  emigration  that  immediately  commenced  west- 
ward, for  the  further  display  and  more  successful  exercise  of  the 
spirit  of  enterprise  he  so  eminently  possessed.  He  concluded  to 
embark  without  delay  for  the  newly  discovered  regions  of  adven- 


800 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


ture  and  gold,  with  no  other  capital  than  indomitable  energy 
and  perseverance,  to  a  field  of  labor  where  he  trusted  these  quali- 
ties would  find  an  ample  field  for  their  employment. 

From  New  York  he  took  passage  for  Chagres,  and  crossing 
the  Isthmus,  reached  Panama  in  the  month  of  September,  1849. 
Here  he  met  the  first  severe  trial  of  his  life,  which,  though  it  did 
not  destroy,  certainly  for  a  time  somewhat  dampened  his  ardor. 
Misfortunes  commencing  at  so  early  a  period  of  his  adventure, 
were  by  no  means  a  satisfactory  assurance  of  future  success. 
Through  carelessness  on  the  part  of  the  agents  of  the  Steamship 
Company,  he  lost  his  entire  baggage,  and  left  for  San  Francisco 
in  the  steamer  Panama  with  nothing  in  the  world  that  he  might 
call  his  own.  Even  the  clothing  he  wore  were  borrowed  from  a 
friend.  This  was  a  sorry  condition  for  one  commencing  a  voyage 
of  over  two  weeks,  and  destined  to  a  country  of  which  he  knew 
but  little,  and  where  he  expected  to  meet  none  other  than 
strangers.  Still  his  heart  was  light,  and  his  hopes  ran  high. 
Arriving  in  the  last  named  city,  his  circumstances  would  not 
allow  him  to  remain  long  idle  ;  he,  therefore,  instantly  sought 
after  the  means  to  employ  his  time  and  talents  to  their  best  ad- 
vantage. Connecting  himself  with  Mr.  W.  J.  Sherwood,  they 
opened  the  well-known  auction-house  of  Payne  &  Sherwood,  and 
were  immediately  doing  an  extensive  general  auction  business. 
Whilst  conducting  this  establishment,  by  his  courteous  deport- 
ment, agreeableness  of  manners,  and  prompt  attention  to  his 
patrons'  interests,  he  gathered  around  him  a  large  circle  of  sub- 
stantial and  influential  friends.  At  the  same  time  he  took  an 
active  part  in  all  matters  of  public  concern,  associated  himself 
with  the  prominent  institutions  of  the  place,  was  present  at  the 
various  conventions  of  the  people  on  public  occasions,  and  in 
many  other  respects  so  employed  his  leisure  as  to  draw  toward 
himself  the  favorable  consideration  and  esteem  of  the  people  at 
large.  In  October,  1850,  his  connection  with  Mr.  Sherwood  was 
dissolved,  and  shortly  after  he  united  with  Mr.  S.  P.  Dewey  in 
establishing  the  present  popular  real  estate  auction-house  of 
Theodore  Payne  &  Co.  The  business  and  profits  of  this  concern 
were  immense  ;  for  besides  the  extensive  sales  of  private  property 
which  they  continually  effected,  they  were  chosen  by  the  com- 


THEODORE  PAYNE. 


801 


missioners  to  sell  the  great  landed  interests  of  the  city,  the  bene- 
fits of  which  appointment  they  still  enjoy.  In  the  prosecution 
of  this  business  many  and  great  opportunities  occurred  for  lucra- 
tive speculations  in  real  estate,  of  which  Mr.  Payne  so  judiciously 
availed  himself,  that  in  a  very  brief  period  he  accumulated  valu- 
able property  to  a  very  considerable  extent. 

In  the  mean  time  he  had  met  with  serious  reverses.  Like 
almost  every  other  business  man  in  San  Francisco,  he  was  a  heavy 
loser  by  the  frequent  terrific  conflagrations  that  swept  over  the 
entire  populous  portions  of  the  city.  On  more  than  one  occasion 
his  whole  earnings  were  suddenly  snatched  from  him  by  these 
wholesale  and  frightful  calamities.  But  still  he  never  sunk  into 
the  slough  of  despondency,  but  bore  his  severe  losses  with  ad- 
mirable philosophy,  retained  his  extraordinary  cheerfulness  of 
disposition,  and  never  slackened  his  efforts,  nor  suffered  his  ener- 
gies to  diminish  for  a  single  moment.  "  Onward  "  was  his  motto, 
and  when  thrown  down  by  one  calamity,  he  was  soon  up  again, 
and  at  work,  to  repair  the  injuries  sustained. 

In  the  gloomiest  days  that  San  Francisco  has  ever  known — 
when  the  city  was  involved  in  debt  to  an  immense  amount,  and 
very  few  could  discern  by  what  means  its  liabilities  could  ever 
be  met,  or  its  difficulties  overcome — when  many  lost  all  confidence, 
and  even  left  the  place  in  despair — when  real  estate  had  deteri- 
orated in  value  to  almost  nothing — when  the  corporation  script 
could  not  be  sold  for  one  third  its  face  value — when,  in  fact,  the 
great  mass  of  the  population  were  fast  relinquishing  all  hopes  of 
its  future  prosperity — Mr.  Payne  was  among  the  few  clear-sighted 
and  far-seeing  citizens  who  doubted  not  its  subsequent  greatness. 
A  large  portion  of  the  city  property  had  been  sold  at  sheriff's 
sale  under  executions  in  favor  of  its  creditors,  at  mere  nominal 
prices,  redeemable  six  months  after  date  of  sale.  The  limited 
time  expired  ;  but  the  commissioners  were  without  funds  to 
redeem  the  property.  Mr.  Payne  took  a  lively  interest  in  the 
matter,  and  perceiving  that  this  large  amount  of  property  was 
likely  to  be  inevitably  sacrificed,  nobly  stepped  forward  and  offered 
to  the  commissioners  the  needed  relief,  which  was  gladly  accepted. 
Messrs.  T.  Payne  &  Co.  drew  a  check  on  Messrs.  Page,  Bacon 
&  Co.,  for  the  large  amount  of  $17,696,  which  was  the  sum 
51 


802 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


required  to  meet  the  emergency.  Thus  Mr.  Payne  continued  to 
exhibit  an  unwavering  confidence  in  the  future  ability  of  the 
city  to  meet  its  liabilities  and  recover  its  earlier  prosperity. 
It  was  at  this  period  that  his  rare  business  qualifications  and 
remarkable  powers  of  discernment  were  rendered  most  conspicu- 
ous. With  great  exertion,  and  patient  toil,  and  persevering  effort 
he  succeeded  in  calling  the  attention  of  capitalists  to  the  true 
condition  of  things  and  the  ultimate  value  that  would  be  attached 
to  the  city  property,  and  his  labors,  as  much  as  those  of  any  other 
individual,  tended  to  effect  the  rapidly  increased  value  of  lots 
within  the  city  limits  ;  always  maintaining  that  San  Francisco 
would  become  a  great  commercial  metropolis,  and  that  neither 
fire,  nor  flood,  nor  earthquakes,  nor  storms,  would  arrest  its  pro- 
gress. Even  as  far  back  as  1849,  he  advocated  these  views.  At 
that  period  much  was  said  in  favor  of  Benicia  ;  and  many  sensi- 
ble people  contended  that  that  city  would  take  precedence  of  any 
other  in  the  State.  On  this  ground  Mr.  Payne  was  strongly 
urged  to  remove  to  the  latter  named  place  ;  but  he  ridiculed  the 
idea,  and  pointed  out  very  clearly  the  superior  advantages  that 
San  Francisco  then  possessed  and  would  ever  maintain.  The 
result  shows  the  propriety  of  his  judgment.  Many  persons 
through  his  persuasion  were  induced  to  invest  their  limited  means 
in  land  purchases,  through  which  they  have  suddenly  accumulated 
handsome  fortunes.  The  advice  he  gave  to  others  he  followed 
himself,  and  thus  became  one  of  our  wealthiest  citizens. 

Mr.  Payne  has  signalized  himself  by  the  active  part  taken 
by  him  in  many  of  the  popular  excitements  that  have  agitated 
San  Francisco.  In  the  memorable  affair  of  February,  1851,  when 
the  enraged  popidace  had  resolved  upon  lynching  and  hanging 
the  men  Burdue  and  Windred,  for  an  alleged  assault  upon  Mr. 
Jansen,  he  was  chosen  one  of  the  Committee  of  Safety,  and  did 
himself  credit  by  wTise  and  judicious  counsel.  During  the 
"  Colton  Grants  "  excitement  which  threatened  to  result  in  seri- 
ous public  disturbances,  he  did  service  to  the  city  by  his  active 
opposition  to  the  attempts  made  by  certain  parties  to  possess 
themselves  of  the  property  of  others  and  the  city  on  the  plea  of 
holding  those  fraudulent  and  worthless  titles.  He  was  the  means 
of  arresting  several,  who,  upon  this  pretence,  had  taken  possession 


THEODORE  PAYNE. 


803 


of  and  were  piling  in  the  public  slips.  For  his  services  in  this 
matter  he  was  presented  by  a  number  of  prominent  merchants 
with  a  superb  magic-case  watch  richly  set  with  diamonds.  He 
was  among  the  most  active  of  those  who,  to  prevent  a  useless 
squandering  of  the  public  funds,  opposed  the  purchase  by  the 
common  council  of  the  Jenny  Lind  Theatre  at  the  extravagant 


Formerly  tho  Jackson  House,  south-west  corner  of  California  and  Montgomery  streets. 


price  of  two  hundred  thousand  dollars.  Indeed,  whenever  and 
wherever  the  interests  of  the  city  were  about  being  jeopardized, 
Mr.  Payne  was  sure  to  be  found  among  its  supporters  and  defend- 
ers— a  strenuous  advocate  of  its  rights,  and  a  fearless  and  deter- 
mined opposer  of  every  corrupt  and  selfish  official  scheme. 
Although  a  firm  and  stanch  democrat,  he  kept  aloof  from  all 
cliques  and  party  caucusses,  whose  ends  were  personal  advance- 
ment rather  than  the  public  good. 

Since  the  fall  of  1849,  Mr.  Payne  has  been  a  useful  and  effi- 
cient member  of  the  Fire  Department,  and  is  now  one  of  the 
Trustees  of  its  Charity  Fund.  He  early  became  a  member  of 
the  first  Masonic  Lodge  established  in  San  Francisco,  and  con- 


804 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


tributed  generously  to  the  many  works  of  charity  performed  by 
that  benevolent  institution.  In  fact,  when  an  act  of  generosity 
was  to  be  done — when  donations  for  the  relief  of  the  sick  or  dis- 
tressed were  required — the  kind-hearted  subject  of  this  sketch  was 
never  appealed  to  in  vain.  His  sympathies  were  ever  as  large  as 
his  purse,  and  on  some  occasions  they  drew  forth  charitable  con- 
tributions which  the  latter  could  but  ill  afford. 

In  September,  1851,  Mr.  Payne  was  elected  by  the  people  to 
the  office  of  Street  Commissioner,  and  for  a  time  performed  its 
duties.  But  before  the  term  for  which  he  was  elected  expired, 
he  for  sundry  reasons  vacated  the  situation,  and  turned  his  entire 
attention  to  his  business,  which  was  far  more  agreeable  to  his 
feelings  and  beneficial  to  his  interests.  Having  removed  his 
family  to  San  Francisco,  he  is  now  among  its  permanent,  most 
useful  and  valued  citizens.  Besides  other  prominent  associations 
to  which  he  is  attached,  he  is  a  highly  respected  member  of  the 
well-known  "  Society  of  California  Pioneers." 


APPENDIX, 


SEAL  OF  THE  STATE  OF  CALIFORNIA. 

The  credit  of  the  design  of  the  Great  Seal  of  the  State  of  California,  as  well  as  the  $1000  award  for 
the  same,  were  given  to  C'aleh  Lyons  of  Lyonsdale,  N.  Y.,  at  that  time  a  resident  of  this  State.  Much 
discussion  having  been  occasioned  both  with  respect  to  the  artistic  merit  of  the  dev  ce  and  its  real 
paternity,  it  may  not  be  oat  of  place  here,  to  state  the  facts  concerning  it. 

The  convention  which  framed  the  Constitution  of  the  State  of  California  passed  a  resolution, 
appropriating  $1000  for  a  design  for  the  official  Great  Seal.  One  was  presented  by  Mr.  Lyons,  of 
which  he  professed  to  be  the  author.  It  represented  the  bay  of  San  Francisco  as  emblematic  of  the 
commercial  importance  of  the  City  and  State ;  with  the  goddess  Minerva,  in  the  foreground,  illustrat- 
ing its  sudden  springing  into  maturity  ;  and  the  Sierra  Nevada  in  the  distance,  as  Indicative  of  the 
mineral  wealth  of  the  country.  The  motto  was  the  Greek  word  "  Eureka,"  (tvpr)Ka,  I  have  found 
it).  This  was  presented  to  the  committee,  which  consisted  virtually  of  Hon.  John  McDougal,  his 
associate,  Hon.  Rodman  M.  Price,  bcinL' absent.  Gen.  McDougal  was  pleased  with  the  design,  and 
wished  it  adopted  with  little  or  no  alteration  ;  but  finding  that  impossible,  consented  to  several  minor 
additional  Thus  the  figure  of  the  grizzly  bear  was  added,  as  appropriate  to  the  only  section  of  tho 
country  producing  that  animal.  This  was  especially  Insisted  upon  by  those  who  had  borne  a  part  in 
the  "Bear  Flag"  atfair,  conspicuous  among  whom  was  the  Hon.  Jacob  I!.  Snyder.  Tho  native  Cali- 
fornians,  on  the  other  hand,  opposed  it,  wrongly  supposing  that  its  introduction  was  intended  to  im- 
mortalize that  event  The  sheaf  of  wheat  and  bunch  of  grapes  were  also  adopted,  as  emblems  of  the 
agricultural  and  horticultural  interests  of  tho  southern  sections  of  the  State,  particularly.  With  these 
exceptions,  the  seal  as  designed  by  Mr.  Lyons,  was  that  selected. 


806 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


CONSTITUTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF  CALIFORNIA. 

ARTICLE  L 

DECLARATION  OF  R1GIITS. 

Section  1.  All  men  are  by  nature  free  and  independent,  and  have  certain  inalienable  rights,  among 
which  are  those  of  enjoying  and  defending  life  and  liberty ;  acquiring,  possessing  and  protecting  pro- 
perty ;  and  pursuing  and  obtaining  safety  and  happiness. 

Sec.  2.  All  political  power  is  inherent  in  the  people.  Government  is  instituted  for  the  protection, 
security  and  benefit  of  the  people ;  and  they  have  the  right  to  alter  or  reform  the  same,  whenever  the 
public  good  may  require  it. 

Sec.  3.  The  right  of  trial  by  jury  shall  be  secured  to  all,  and  remain  inviolate  for  ever;  but  a  jury 
trial  may  be  waived  by  the  parties,  in  all  civil  cases,  in  the  manner  to  be  prescribed  by  law. 

Sec.  4.  The  free  exercise  and  enjoyment  of  religious  protession  and  worship,  without  discrimina- 
tion or  preference,  shall  for  ever  be  allowed  in  this  State ;  and  no  person  shall  be  rendered  incompe- 
tent to  be  a  witness  on  account  of  his  opinions  on  matters  of  religious  belief;  but  the  liberty  of  con- 
science, hereby  secured,  shall  not  be  so  construed  as  to  excuse  acts  of  licentiousness,  or  justify  prac- 
tices inconsistent  with  the  peace  or  safety  of  this  State. 

Sec.  5.  The  privilege  of  the  writ  of  habeas  corpus  shall  not  be  suspended,  unless  when,  in  cases 
of  rebellion  or  invasion,  the  public  safety  may  require  its  supension. 

See.  6.  Excessive  bail  shall  not  be  required,  nor  excessive  fines  imposed,  nor  shall  cruel  or  unusual 
punishments  be  inflicted,  nor  shall  witnesses  be  unreasonably  detained. 

Sec.  7.  All  persons  shall  be  bailable  by  suflicient  sureties  ;  unless  for  capital  offences,  when  the 
proof  is  evident  or  the  presumption  great. 

Sec.  8.  No  person  shall  be  held  to  answer  for  a  capital  or  otherwise  infamous  crime  (except  in  cases 
of  impeachment,  and  in  cases  of  militia  when  in  actual  service,  and  the  land  and  naval  forces  In  time 
of  war,  or  which  this  State  may  keep  with  the  consent  of  Congress  in  time  of  peace,  and  in  cases  of 
petit  larceny  under  the  regulation  of  the  Legislature)  unless  on  presentment  or  indictment  of  a  grand 
jury  ;  and  in  any  trial  in  any  court  whatever,  the  party  accused  shall  be  allowed  to  appear  and  de- 
lend  in  person  and  with  counsel,  as  in  civil  actions.  No  person  shall  be  subject  to  be  twice  put  in  jeop- 
ardy for  the  same  offence ;  nor  shall  he  be  compelled,  in  any  criminal  case,  to  be  a  witness  against 
himself,  nor  be  deprived  of  life,  liberty,  or  property,  without  due  process  of  law;  nor  shall  private 
property  be  taken  for  public  use  without  just  compensation. 

Sec.  9.  Every  citizen  may  freely  speak,  write,  and  publish  his  sentiments  on  all  subjects,  being 
responsible  for  the  abuse  of  that  right ;  and  no  law  shall  be  passed  to  restrain  or  abridge  the  liberty 
of  speech  or  of  the  press.  In  all  criminal  prosecutions  on  indictments  for  libels,  the  truth  may  be 
given  in  evidence  to  the  jury ;  and  if  it  shall  appear  to  the  jury  that  the  matter  charged  as  libellous  is 
true,  and  was  published  with  good  motives  and  for  justifiable  ends,  the  party  shall  be  acquitted;  and 
the  jury  shall  have  the  right  to  determine  the  law  and  the  fact 

Sec.  10.  The  people  shall  have  the  right  freely  to  assemble  together,  to  consult  for  the  eomrnra 
good,  to  instruct  their  representatives,  and  to  petition  the  Legislature  for  redress  of  grievances. 

Sec.  11.  All  laws  of  a  general  nature  shall  have  a  uniform  operation. 

Sec.  12.  The  military  shall  be  subordinate  to  the  civil  power.  No  standing  army  shall  be  kept  up 
by  thi6  State  in  time  of  peace ;  and  in  time  of  war  no  appropriation  for  a  standing  army  shall  be  for  a 
longer  time  than  two  years. 

Sec.  13.  No  soldier  shall,  in  time  of  peace,  be  quartered  in  any  house,  without  the  consent  of  the 
owner;  nor  in  time  of  war,  except  in  the  manner  to  be  prescribed  by  law. 

Sec.  14.  Representation  shall  be  apportioned  according  to  population. 

Sec.  15.  No  person  shall  be  imprisoned  for  debt,  in  any  civil  action  on  mesne  or  final  process, 
unles9  in  cases  of  fraud ;  and  no  person  shall  be  imprisoned  for  a  militia  fine  in  time  of  peace. 

Sec.  16.  No  bill  of  attainder,  ex  post  facto  law,  or  law  impairing  the  obligation  of  contracts,  shall 
ever  be  passed. 

Sec.  17.  Foreigners  who  are,  or  may  hereafter  become  bona  fide  residents  of  this  State,  shall  enjoy 
the  same  rights  in  respect  to  the  possession,  enjoyment,  and  inheritance  of  property,  as  native  born 
citizens. 

Sec.  18.  Neither  slavery,  nor  involuntary  servitude,  unless  for  the  punishment  of  crimes,  shall 
ever  be  tolerated  in  this  State. 

Sec.  19.  The  right  of  the  people  to  be  secure  in  their  persons,  houses,  papers,  and  effects,  against 
unreasonable  seizures  and  searches,  shall  not  be  violated ;  and  no  warrant  shall  issue  but  on  probable 


CONSTITUTION  OF  CALIFORNIA. 


807 


cause,  supported  by  oath  or  affirmation,  particularly  describing  Uie  place  to  be  searched,  and  the  per- 
sons and  things  to  be  seized. 

Sec  20.  Treason  against  the  State  shall  consist  only  in  levying  war  against  it,  adhering  to  its 
enemies,  or  giving  them  aid  and  comfort.  No  person  shall  be  convicted  of  treason,  unless  on  the  evi- 
dence of  two  witnesses  to  the  same  overt  act,  or  confession  in  open  court 

Sec.  21.  This  enumeration  of  rights  shall  not  be  construed  to  impair  or  deny  others  retained  by  the 
people. 

ARTICLE  II. 

K1GUT  OF  SCFF&AGE. 

Section  1.  Every  white  male  ci  izen  of  the  United  States,  and  every  white  male  citizen  of  Mexico, 
who  shall  have  elected  to  become  a  citizen  of  the  United  States,  under  the  treaty  of  peace  exchanged 
and  ratified  at  Queretaro,  on  the  30th  day  of  May,  1S4S,  of  the  age  of  twenty-one  years,  who  shall  have 
been  a  resident  of  the  State  six  months  next  preceding  the  election,  and  the  county  or  district  In 
which  lie  claims  his  vote  thirty  days,  shall  be  entitled  to  vote  at  all  elections  which  are  now  or  here- 
after may  be  authorized  by  law:  Provided,  that  nothing  herein  contained  shall  be  construed  to  pre- 
vent the  Legislature,  by  a  two  thirds  concurrent  vote,  from  admitting  to  the  right  of  suffrage,  Indians 
or  the  descendants  of  Indians,  In  such  special  cases  as  such  a  proportion  of  the  legislative  body  may 
deem  just  and  proper. 

Sec.  2.  Electors  shall,  in  all  cases  except  treason,  felony,  or  breach  of  the  peace,  be  privileged  from 
arrest  on  the  days  of  the  election,  during  their  attendance  at  such  election,  going  to  or  returning 
therefrom. 

Sec.  8.  No  elector  shall  be  obliged  to  perform  militia  duty  on  the  day  of  election,  except  in  time 
of  war  or  public  danger. 

Sec.  4.  For  the  purpose  of  voting,  no  person  shall  be  deemed  to  have  gained  or  lost  a  residence  by 
reason  of  his  presence  or  absence  while  employed  in  the  service  of  tho  United  Statos ;  nor  while  en- 
gaged in  the  navigation  of  the  waters  of  this  State,  or  of  the  United  Slates,  or  of  the  high  seas;  nor 
while  a  student  of  any  seminary  of  learning;  nor  while  kept  at  any  almshouse,  or  other  asylum,  at 
public  expense;  nor  while  confined  in  any  public  prison. 

Sec.  5.  No  idiot  or  insane  person,  or  person  convicted  of  any  intamous  crime,  shall  be  entitled  to 
tho  privileges  of  an  elector. 

Sec.  6.  All  elections  by  tho  people  shall  be  by  ballot. 

ARTICLE  III. 

DISTRIBUTION  OF  POWERS. 

The  powers  of  the  Government  of  the  State  of  California  shall  bo  divided  into  three  separate 
departments:  tho  Legislative,  tho  Executive,  and  Judicial ;  and  no  person  charged  with  the  exercise 
of  powers  properly  belonging  to  one  of  these  departments,  shall  exerciso  any  functions  appertaining 
to  either  of  the  others,  except  in  the  cases  hereinafter  expressly  directed  or  permitted. 

ARTICLE  IV. 

LEGISLATIVE  DEPARTMENT. 

Section  1.  The  legislative  power  of  this  State  shall  be  vested  in  a  Senate  and  Assembly,  which 
shall  be  designated  tho  Legislature  of  the  State  of  California ;  and  the  enacting  clause  of  every  law 
shall  be  as  follows:  "The  people  of  the  State  of  California,  represented  In  Senate  and  Assembly,  do 
enact  as  follows." 

Sec.  2.  The  sossions  of  the  Legislature  shall  be  annual,  and  shall  commence  on  tho  first  Monday 
of  January,  next  ensuing  the  election  of  its  members,  unless  the  Governor  of  tho  State  shall,  in  tho 
interim,  convene  the  Legislature  by  proclamation. 

Sec.  3.  The  members  of  the  Assembly  shall  bo  chosen  annually,  by  the  qualified  electors  of  their 
respective  districts,  on  the  Tuesday  next  after  the  first  Monday  in  November,  unless  otherwise  ordered 
by  the  Legislature,  and  their  term  of  office  shall  bo  one  year. 

Sec.  4.  Senators  and  members  of  Assembly  shall  bo  duly  qualified  electors  in  the  respective  coun- 
ties and  districts  which  they  represent 

Sec.  5.  Senators  shall  be  chosen  for  the  term  of  two  years  at  the  same  time  and  places  as  mem- 
bers of  Assembly  ;  and  no  person  shall  be  a  member  of  tho  Senate  or  Assembly  who  has  not  been  a 
citizen  and  inhabitant  of  the  State  one  year,  and  of  the  county  or  district  for  which  he  shall  be  chosen, 
six  months  next  before  his  election. 


808 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


Sec.  6.  The  number  of  Senators  shall  not  be  less  than  one  third,  nor  more  than  one  half,  of  that 
of  the  members  of  Assembly  ;  and  at  the  first  session  of  the  Legislature  after  this  Constitution  takes 
effect,  the  Senators  shall  be  divided  by  lot  as  equally  as  may  be,  into  two  classes;  the  seats  of  the 
Senators  of  the  first  class  shall  be  vacated  at  the  expiration  of  the  first  year,  so  that  one  half  shall  be 
chosen  annually. 

Sec.  7.  When  the  number  of  Senators  is  increased,  they  shall  be  appointed  by  lot,  so  as  to  keep 
the  two  classes  as  nearly  equal  in  number  as  possible. 

Sec.  S.  Each  House  shall  choose  its  own  officers  and  judge  of  the  qualifications,  elections,  and 
returns  of  its  own  members. 

Sec.  9.  A  majority  of  each  House  shall  constitute  a  quorum  to  do  business ;  but  a  smaller  number 
may  adjourn  from  day  to  day,  and  may  compel  the  attendance  of  absent  members,  in  such  manner* 
and  under  such  penalties,  as  each  House  may  provide. 

Sec.  10.  Each  House  shall  determine  the  rules  of  its  own  proceedings,  and  may,  with  the  concur- 
rence of  two  thirds  of  all  the  members  elected,  expel  a  member. 

Sec.  11.  Each  House  shall  keep  a  journal  of  its  own  proceedings,  and  publish  the  same;  and  the 
yeas  and  nays  of  the  members  of  either  House,  on  any  question,  shall,  at  the  desire  of  any  three 
members  present,  be  entered  on  the  journal. 

Sec.  12.  Members  of  the  Legislature  shall,  in  all  cases  except  treason,  felony,  and  breach  of  the  peace, 
be  privileged  from  arrtst,  and  they  shall  not  be  subject  to  any  civil  process  during  the  session  of  the  Le- 
gislature, nor  for  fifteen  days  next  before  the  commencement  and  after  the  termination  of  each  session. 

Sec.  13.  When  vacancies  occur  in  either  House,  the  Governor,  or  the  person  exercising  the  func- 
tions of  the  Governor,  shall  issue  writs  of  elections  to  fill  such  vacancies. 

Sec.  14.  The  doors  of  each  House  shall  be  open,  except  on  such  occasions  as,  in  the  opinion  of  the 
House,  may  require  secrecy. 

Sec.  15.  Neither  House  shall,  without  the  consent  of  the  other,  adjourn  for  more  than  three  days, 
nor  to  any  other  place  than  that  in  which  they  may  be  sitting. 

Sec.  16.  Any  bill  may  originate  in  either  House  of  the  Legislature,  and  all  bills  passed  by  one 
House  may  be  amended  in  the  other. 

Sec.  17.  Every  bill  which  may  have  passed  the  Legislature,  shall,  before  it  becomes  a  law,  b1  pre- 
sented to  the  Governor.  If  he  approves  it,  he  shall  sign  it ;  but  if  not,  he  shjall  return  it,  w  ith  his  ob- 
jections, to  the  House  in  which  it  originated,  which  shall  enter  the  same  upon  the  journal,  and  pro- 
ceed to  reconsider  it.  If,  after  such  reconsideration,  it  again  pass  both  Houses,  by  yeas  and  nays,  by 
a  majority  of  two  thirds  of  the  members  of  each  House  present,  it  shall  become  a  law,  notwithstand- 
ing the  Governor's  objections.  If  any  bill  shall  not  be  returned  within  ten  days  after  it  shall  have 
been  presented  to  him,  (Sunday  excepted.)  the  same  shall  be  a  law,  in  like  manner  as  if  he  had  signed 
it,  unless  the  Legislature,  by  adjournment,  prevent  such  return. 

Sec.  18.  The  Assembly  shall  have  the  sole  power  of  impeachment ;  and  all  impeachments  shall 
be  tried  by  the  Senate.  When  sitting  for  that  purpose,  the  Senators  shall  be  upon  oath  or  affirma- 
tion ;  and  no  person  shall  be  convicted,  without  the  concurrence  of  two  thirds  of  the  members  present. 

Sec.  19.  The  Governor,  Lieutenant-Governor,  Secretary  of  State,  Comptroller,  Treasurer,  Attor- 
ney General,  Surveyor  General,  Justices  of  the  Supreme  Court  and  Judges  of  the  District  Courts, 
shall  be  liable  to  impeachment  for  any  misdemeanor  in  office  ;  but  judgment  in  such  cases  shall  ex- 
tend only  to  removal  from  office,  and  disqualification  to  hold  any  office  of  lienor,  trust,  or  profit, 
under  the  State ;  but  the  party  convicted  or  acquitted,  shall  nevertheless  be  liable  to  indictment, 
trial,  and  punishment  according  to  law.  All  other  civil  officers  shall  be  tried,  for  misdemeanors  in 
office,  in  such  a  manner  as  the  Legislature  may  provide. 

Sec.  20.  No  Senator,  or  member  of  Assembly,  shall,  during  the  term  for  which  he  shall  have  been 
elected,  be  appointed  to  any  civil  office  of  profit,  under  this  State,  which  shall  have  been  created,  or 
the  emoluments  of  which  shall  have  been  increased,  during  such  term,  except  such  office  as  may  be 
filled  by  elections  by  the  people. 

Sec.  21.  No  person  holding  any  lucrative  ofiice  under  the  United  States,  or  any  other  power, 
shall  be  eligible  to  any  civil  office  of  profit,  under  this  State  :  Provided,  that  officers  in  the  militia 
to  which  there  is  attached  no  annual  salary,  or  local  officers  anil  post-masters  whose  compensation 
does  not  exceed  five  hundred  dollars  per  annum,  shall  not  be  deemed  lucrative. 

Sec.  22.  No  person  who  shall  be  convicted  of  the  embezzlement,  or  defalcation  of  the  public  funds 
of  this  State,  shall  ever  be  eligible  to  any  office  of  honor,  trust  or  profit  under  this  State ;  and  the  Leg- 
islature shall,  as  soon  as  practicable,  pass  a  law  providing  for  the  punishment  of  such  embezzlement, 
or  defalcation,  as  a  felony. 

Sec.  23.  No  money  shall  be  drawn  from  the  treasury  but  in  consequence  of  appropriations  made 
by  law.  An  accurate  statement  of  the  receipts  and  expenditures  of  tho  public  moneys  shall  be  at- 
tached to  and  published  with  tho  laws  at  every  regular  session  of  the  Legislature. 

Sec.  24.  The  members  of  the  Legislature  shall  receive  for  their  services  a  compensation  to  be  fix- 


CONSTITUTION  OF  CALIFORNIA. 


809 


ed  by  law  and  paid  out  of  the  public  treasury ;  but  no  increase  of  the  compensation  shall  take  effect 
during  the  term  for  which  the  member!  of  either  House  shall  have  been  elected. 

Sec.  25.  Every  law  enacted  by  the  Legislature  shall  embrace  but  one  object,  and  that  shall  be  ex- 
pressed in  the  title;  and  no  law  shall  be  revised,  or  amended,  by  reference  to  this  title  ;  but  in  such 
case,  the  Act  revised,  or  section  amended,  shall  be  re-enacted  und  published  at  length. 

Sec.  26.  No  divorce  shall  be  granted  by  the  Legislature. 

Sec.  27.  No  lottery  shall  be  authorized  by  this  State,  nor  shall  the  sale  of  lottery  tickets  be  allowed- 

Sec.  23.  The  enumeration  of  the  inhabitants  of  this  State  shall  be  taken,  under  the  direction  of 
the  Legislature,  in  the  year  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  fifty-two,  and  one  thousand  eight  hun- 
dred and  fifty-five,  and  at  the  end  of  every  ten  years  thereafter  ;  and  these  enumerations,  together 
with  the  census  that  may  be  taken,  under  the  direction  of  the  Congress  of  the  United  States  in  the 
year  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  fifty,  and  every  subsequent  ten  years,  shall  serve  as  the  basis 
of  representation  in  both  Houses  of  the  Legislature. 

Sec.  29.  The  number  of  Senators  and  members  of  Assembly  shall,  at  the  first  session  of  the  Legisla- 
ture holden  after  the  enumeration  herein  provided  for  and  made,  be  fixed  by  the  Legislature,  and  appor- 
tioned among  the  several  counties  and  districts  to  be  established  by  law,  according  to  the  number  of 
white  inhabitants.  The  number  of  members  of  Assembly  shall  not  be  less  than  twenty-four,  nor 
more  than  thirty-six,  until  the  number  of  inhabitants  within  this  State  shall  amount  to  one 
hundred  thousand  ;  and  after  that  period,  at  such  ratio  that  the  whole  number  of  members  of  Assem- 
bly shall  never  be  less  than  thirty  nor  more  than  eighty. 

Sec.  30.  When  a  Congressional,  Senatorial,  or  Assembly  District  shall  be  composed  of  two  or  more 
counties,  it  shall  not  be  separated  by  any  county  belonging  to  another  district ;  and  no  county  shall 
be  divided  in  forming  a  Congressional,  Senatorial,  or  Assembly  District. 

Sec.  31.  Corporations  may  be  formed  under  general  laws,  but  shall  not  be  created  by  special 
Act,  except  for  municipal  purposes.  All  general  Laws  and  special  Acts  passed  pursuant  to  this  sec- 
tion may  be  altered  from  time  to  time,  or  repealed. 

Sec  32.  Dues  from  corporations  shall  be  secured  by  such  individual  liability  of  the  corporators 
and  other  means,  as  may  be  prescribed  by  law. 

Sec.  33.  The  term  corporations  as  Died  In  this  article  shall  be  construed  to  include  all  associations 
and  joint  stock  companies,  having  any  of  the  powers  or  privileges  of  corporations  not  possessed  by 
individuals  or  partnerships.  And  all  corporations  shall  have  the  right  to  sue,  and  shall  be  subject  to 
be  sued,  in  all  courts,  in  like  cases  as  natural  persons. 

Sec.  84.  The  Legislature  shall  have  no  power  to  pass  any  Act  granting  any  charter  for  banking 
purposes;  but  associations  may  be  formed,  under  general  laws,  for  the  deposit  of  gold  ami  silver,  but 
no  such  association  shall  make,  is-ue,  or  put  in  circulation  any  bill,  check,  ticket,  certificate,  promis- 
sory note,  or  other  paper,  or  the  paper  of  any  bank,  to  circulate  as  money. 

Sec.  35.  The  Legislature  of  this  State  shall  prohibit,  by  law,  any  person  or  persons,  association,  com- 
pany, or  corporation,  from  exercising  the  privileges  of  banking,  or  creating  paper  to  circulate  as  money. 

Sec.  36.  Each  stockholder  of  a  corporation,  or  joint  stock  association,  shall  be  individually  and 
personally  liable  for  his  proportion  of  all  its  debts  and  liabilities. 

Sec.  37.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Legislature  to  provide  for  the  organization  of  cities  and  incor- 
porated villages,  and  to  restrict  their  power  of  taxation,  assessment,  borrowing  money,  contracting 
debts,  and  loaning  their  credit,  so  as  to  prevent  abuses  in  assessments  and  in  contracting  debts  by  such 
municipal  corporations. 

Sec.  SS.  In  all  the  elections  by  the  Legislature,  the  members  thereof  shall  vote  viva  voce,  and  the 
vote  shall  be  entered  on  the  journal. 

ARTICLE  V. 

EXECUTIVE  DEPAItTMENT. 

Section  1.  The  supreme  Executive  power  of  this  State  shall  bo  vested  in  a  Chief  Magistrate,  w  ho 
shall  be  styled  the  Governor  of  the  State  of  California. 

Sec.  2.  The  Governor  shall  be  elected  by  the  qualified  electors,  at  the  time  and  places  of  voting  for 
members  of  Assembly,  and  shall  hold  his  office  for  two  years  from  the  time  of  his  installation,  and 
until  his  successor  shall  be  qualified. 

Sec.  3.  No  person  shall  be  eligible  to  the  office  of  Governor  (except  at  the  first  election)  who  has  not 
been  a  citizen  of  the  United  States  and  a  resident  of  this  State  two  years  next  preceding  the  election, 
and  attained  the  age  of  twenty-five  years  at  the  time  of  the  said  election. 

Sec.  4.  The  returns  of  every  election  for  Governor  shall  be  sealed  up  and  transmitted  to  the 
seat  of  government,  directed  to  the  Speaker  of  the  Assembly,  who  shall,  during  the  first  week  of  the 
session,  open  and  publish  them  in  presence  of  both  Houses  of  the  Legislature.  The  person  having 
the  highest  number  of  votes  shall  be  Governor  ;  but  in  ease  any  two  or  more  have  an  equal  and  the 


810 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


highest  number  of  votes,  the  Legislature  shall,  by  joint  vote  of  both  Houses,  choose  one  of  said  per- 
sons, so  having  an  equal  and  the  highest  number  of  votes,  for  Governor. 

Sec.  5.  The  Governor  shall  be  commander-in-chief  of  the  militia,  the  army  and  navy  of  this  State, 
Sec.  6.  He  shall  transact  all  executive  business  with  the  officers  of  government,  civil  and  military, 
and  may  require  information  in  writing  from  the  officers  of  the  executive  department,  upon  any  sub- 
ject relating  to  the  duties  of  their  respective  offices. 

Sec.  7.  He  shall  see  that  the  laws  are  faithfully  executed. 

Sec.  S.  When  any  office  shall,  from  any  cause,  become  vacant,  and  no  mode  is  provided  by  the 
Constitution  and  Laws  for  filling  such  vacancy,  the  Governor  shall  have  power  to  fill  such  vacancy 
by  granting  a  commission,  which  shall  expire  at  the  end  of  the  next  session  of  the  Legislature,  or  at 
the  next  election  by  the  people. 

Sec.  9.  He  may,  on  extraordinary  occasions,  convene  the  Legislature  by  proclamation,  and  shall 
state  to  both  Houses,  when  assembled,  the  purpose  for  which  they  shall  have  beon  convened. 

Sec.  10.  He  shall  communicate  by  message  to  the  Legislature,  at  every  session,  the  condition  of  the 
State,  and  recommend  such  matters  as  he  shall  deem  expedient 

Sec.  11.  In  case  of  a  disagreement  between  the  two  Houses,  with  respect  to  the  time  of  adjourn- 
ment the  Governor  shall  have  power  to  adjourn  the  Legislature  to  such  time  as  he  may  thiuk  pro- 
per :  Provided,  it  be  not  beyond  the  time  fixed  for  the  meeting  of  of  the  next  Legislature. 

Sec.  12.  No  person  shall,  while  holding  any  office  under  the  United  States,  or  this  State,  exercise 
the  office  of  Governor,  except  as  hereinafter  expressly  provided. 

Sec.  13.  The  Governor  shall  have  the  power  to  grant  reprieves  and  pardons  after  conviction, 
for  all  offences  except  treason  and  cases  of  impeachment,  upon  such  conditions,  and  with  such  re- 
strictions and  limitations,  as  he  may  think  proper,  subject  to  such  regulations  as  may  be  provided  by 
law  relative  to  the  manner  of  applying  for  pardons.  Upon  conviction  for  treason,  ho 
shall  have  the  power  to  suspend  the  execution  of  the  sentence  until  the  case  shall  be  reported  to 
the  Legislature  at  its  next  meeting,  when  the  Legislature  shall  cither  pardon,  direct  the  execution  of 
the  sentence,  or  grant  a  further  reprieve.  He  shall  communicate  to  the  Legislature,  at  the  beginning 
of  every  session,  every  case  of  reprieve  or  pardon  granted,  stating  the  name  of  the  convict,  the  crime, 
of  which  he  was  convicted,  the  sentence  and  its  date,  and  the  date  of  the  pardon  or  reprieve. 

Sec.  14.  There  shall  be  a  seal  of  this  State,  which  shall  be  kept  by  the  Governor,  and  used  by  him 
officially,  and  shall  be  called  "  The  great  Seal  of  the  State  of  California." 

Sec.  15.  All  grants  and  commissions  shall  be  in  the  name  and  by  the  authority  of  the  people  of 
the  State  of  California,  sealed  with  the  great  Seal  of  the  State,  signed  by  the  Governor,  and  counter- 
signed by  the  Secretary  of  State. 

Sec.  16.  A  Lieutenant-Governor  shall  be  elected  at  the  same  time  and  places,  and  in  the  same 
manner  as  the  Governor:  and  his  term  of  office,  and  his  qualifications  of  eligibility  shall  also  be  the  same. 
He  shall  be  President  of  the  Senate,  but  shall  only  have  a  easting  vote  therein.  If,  during  a  vacancy 
of  the  office  of  Governor,  the  Lieutenant-Governor  shall  be  impeached,  displaced,  resign,  die, 
or  become  incapable  of  performing  the  duties  of  his  office,  or  be  absent  from  the  State,  the  President 
of  the  Senate  shall  act  as  Governor  until  the  vacancy  be  filled,  or  the  disability  shall  cease. 

Sec.  17  In  case  of  the  impeachment  of  the  Governor,  or  his  removal  from  office,  death,  inability 
to  discharge  the  powers  and  duties  of  the  said  office,  resignation,  or  absence  from  the  State,  the  pow- 
ers and  duties  of  the  office  shall  devolve  upon  the  Lieutenant-Governor  for  the  residue  of  the  term, 
or  until  the  disability  shall  cease.  But  when  the  Governor  shall,  with  the  consent  of  the  Legislature, 
be  out  of  the  State  in  time  of  war,  at  the  head  of  any  military  force  thereof,  he  shall  continue  com- 
mander-in-chief of  the  military  force  of  the  State. 

Sec.  IS.  A  Secretary  of  State,  a  Comptroller,  a  Treasurer,  an  Attorney-General,  and  Surveyor- 
General,  shall  be  chosen  in  the  manner  provided  in  this  Constitution  ;  and  the  term  of  office,  and  eli- 
gibility of  each,  shall  be  the  same  as  prescribed  for  the  Governor  and  Lieutenant-Governor. 

Sec.  19.  The  Secretary  of  State  shall  tie  appointed  by  the  Governor,  by  and  with  the  advice  and  eon- 
sent  of  the  Senate.  He  shall  keep  a  fair  record  of  the  official  acts  of  the  legislative  and  executive  de- 
partments of  the  Government  and  shall,  when  required,  lay  the  same,  and  all  matters  relative  there- 
to, before  either  branch  of  the  Legislature  ;  and  shall  perform  such  other  duties  as  shall  be  assigned 
liim  by  law. 

Sec.  20.  The  Comptroller,  Treasurer,  Attorney-General,  and  Surveyo  -General  shall  be  chosen  by 
joint  vote  of  the  two  Houses  of  the  Legislature,  at  their  first  session  under  this  Constitution,  and 
thereafter  shall  be  elected  at  the  same  time  and  places,  and  in  the  same  manner  as  the  Governor  and 
Lieuteuant-Governor. 

Sec.  21.  The  Governor,  Lieutenant-Governor,  Secretary  of  State,  Comptroller,  Treasurer,  Attor- 
ney-General, and  Surveyor-General,  shall  each,  at  stated  times  during  their  continuance  in  office,  re- 
ceive for  their  services  a  compensation,  which  shall  not  be  increased  or  diminished  during  the  term 


CONSTITUTION  OF  CALIFORNIA. 


811 


for  which  they  shall  have  heen  elected  ;  but  neither  of  these  officers  shall  receive  for  his  own  use  any 
fees  lor  the  performance  of  his  official  duties. 

ARTICLE  VI. 

JUDICIAL  DEPARTMENT. 

Section.  1.  The  judicial  power  of  this  State  shall  bo  vested  in  a  Supreme  Court,  in  District  Courts, 
IB  OoBnty  Courts,  and  in  Justices  of  the  Peace.  The  Legislature  may  also  establish  such  municipal 
and  other  Inferior  courts  as  may  be  deemed  necessary. 

Sec.  2.  The  Supreme  Court  shall  consist  of  a  Chief  Justice  and  two  Associate  Justices,  any  two 
of  whom  snail  constitute  a  quorum. 

Sec.  8.  The  Justices  of  the  Supreme  Court  shall  be  eiccted*  at  the  general  election,  by  the  qualified 
electors  of  the  State,  and  shall  hold  their  office  for  the  term  of  six  years  from  the  first  day  of  Janu- 
ary next  after  their  election  :  Provided  that  the  Legislature  shall,  at  its  first  meeting,  elect  a  Chief 
Justice  and  two  Associate  Justices  of  the  Supreme  Court,  by  joint  vote  of  both  Houses,  and  so  classi- 
fy them  that  one  shall  go  out  of  office  every  two  years.  After  the  first  eloction,  the  senior  Justice 
in  commission  shall  be  the  Chief  Justice. 

Sec.  4.  The  Supremo  Court  shall  have  appellate  jurisdiction  in  all  cases  when  the  matter  in  dis- 
pute exceeds  two  hundrod  dollars,  when  the  legality  of  any  tax,  toll,  or  impost  or  municipal  fine  is  in 
question,  and  in  all  criminal  cases  amounting  to  felony  or  questions  of  law  alono.  And  the  said  court, 
and  each  of  the  Justices  thereof,  as  well  as  all  District  and  County  Judges,  shall  have  power  to  issuo 
writs  ot  habtat  corpus  at  the  instance  of  any  person  held  in  actual  custody.  They  shall  al>o  have 
power  to  i>suo  all  other  writs  and  process  necessary  to  the  exercise  of  their  appellate  jurisdiction, 
and  shall  be  conservators  of  the  peace  throughout  the  State. 

Sec.  5.  The  State  shall  be  divided  by  the  first  Legislature  into  a  convenient  number  of  districts, 
subject  to  such  alteration  from  time  to  time  as  the  public  good  may  require,  for  each  of  which  a 
District  Judge  shall  be  appointed  by  the  joint  vote  of  the  Legislature,  at  its  first  meeting,  who  shall 
hold  his  ofliee  for  two  years  from  the  first  day  of  January  next  after  his  election  ;  after  w  hich,  said 
Judges  shall  be  elected  by  the  qualified  electors  of  their  respective  districts,  at  the  general  election, 
and  shall  bold  their  office  for  the  term  of  six  years. 

See.  6.  The  District  Courts  shall  havo  original  jurisdiction,  in  law  and  equity,  in  all  civil  coses 
where  the  amount  in  dispute  exceeds  two  hundred  dollars,  exclusive  of  interest.  In  all  criminal 
cases  not  otherwise  provided  for,  and  in  all  issues  of  fact  joined  in  the  Probate  Courts,  their  jurisdic- 
tion shall  be  unlimited. 

Sec.  7.  The  Legislature  shall  provide  for  the  election,  by  tho  people,  of  a  Clerk  of  the  Supreme 
Court,  and  County  Clerks,  District  Attorneys,  Sheriffs,  Coroners,  and  other  necessary  officers;  and 
shall  fix  by  law  their  duties  and  compensation.  County  Clerks  shall  be,  er  officio,  Clerks  of  the  Dis- 
trict Courts  in  and  for  their  respective  counties. 

Sec.  8.  There  shall  be  elected  in  each  of  the  organized  counties  of  this  State,  one  Judge,  who 
shall  hold  his  office  for  four  years.  lie  shall  hold  the  County  Court,  anil  perform  the  duties  of  Surro- 
gate, or  Probate  Judge.  The  County  Judge,  with  two  Justices  of  tho  Peace,  to  be  designated  accord- 
ing to  law,  shall  hold  Courts  of  Sessions  with  such  criminal  jurisdiction  as  the  Legislature  shall  pro- 
scribe, and  he  shall  perform  such  other  duties  as  shall  be  required  by  law. 

Sec.  9.  The  County  Courts  shall  have  such  jurisdiction,  in  eases  arising  in  Justices'  Courts,  and 
in  special  cases,  as  the  Legislature  may  prescribe,  but  shall  have  no  original  civil  jurisdiction,  except 
in  such  special  eases. 

Sec.  10.  The  times  and  places  of  holding  tho  terms  of  the  Supreme  Court,  and  tho  general  and 
special  terms  of  the  District  Courts  within  the  several  districts,  shall  be  provided  for  by  law. 

Sec.  11.  No  judicial  officer,  except  a  Justice  of  the  Peace,  shall  receive  to  his  own  use,  any  fees 
or  perquisites  of  office. 

Sec.  12.  The  Legislature  shall  provide  for  the  speedy  publication  of  all  statute  laws,  and  of  snch 
judicial  decisions  as  it  may  deem  expedient ;  and  all  laws  and  judicial  decisions  shall  be  free  for  pub- 
lication by  any  person. 

Sec.  13.  Tribunals  for  conciliation  may  be  established,  with  such  powers  and  duties  as  may  bo 
prescribed  by  law ;  but  such  tribunals  shall  have  no  power  to  render  judgment  to  be  obligatory  on 
the  parties,  except  they  voluntarily  submit  their  matters  in  difference,  and  agree  to  abide  the  judg- 
ment, or  assent  thereto  in  the  presence  of  such  tribunal,  in  such  cases  as  shall  be  prescribed  by  law. 

Sec  14.  The  Legislature  shall  determine  the  number  of  Justices  of  the  Peace,  to  bo  elected  in 
each  county,  city,  town,  and  incorporated  village  of  the  State,  and  fix  by  law  their  powers,  duties 
and  responsibilities.  It  shall  also  determine  in  what  cases  appeals  may  be  made  from  Justices'  Courts 
to  the  County  Court. 


812 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


Sec.  15.  The  Justices  of  the  Supreme  Court,  and  Judges  of  the  District  Court,  shall  severally,  at 
stated  times  during  their  continuance  in  office,  receive  for  their  services  a  compensation,  to  be  paid 
out  of  the  treasury,  which  shall  not  be  increased  or  diminished  during  the  term  for  which  they  shall 
have  been  elected.  The  County  Judges  shall  also  severally,  at  slated  times,  receive  for  their  services 
a  compensation  to  be  paid  out  of  the  county  treasury  of  their  respective  counties,  which  shall  not  be 
increased  or  diminished  during  the  term  for  which  they  shall  have  been  elected. 

Sec.  16.  The  Justices  of  the  Supreme  Court  and  District  Judges  shall  be  ineligible  to  any  other 
office  during  the  term  for  which  they  shall  have  been  elected. 

Sec.  17.  Judges  shall  not  charge  juries  with  respect  to  matters  of  fact,  but  may  state  the  testimony 
and  declare  the  law. 

Sec.  18.  The  style  of  all  process  shall  be  "  The  People  of  the  State  of  California ;"  all  the  prosecu- 
tions shall  be  conducted  in  the  name  and  by  the  authority  of  the  same. 

ARTICLE  VII. 

MILITIA. 

Section  1.  The  Lesislature  shall  provide  by  law  for  organizing  and  disciplining  the  militia,  in 
such  manner  as  they  shad  deem  expedient,  not  incompatible  with  the  Constitution  and  Laws  of  the 
United  States. 

Sec.  2.  Officers  of  the  militia  shall  be  elected  or  appointed,  in  such  manner  as  the  Legislature 
shall  from  time  to  time  direct,  and  shall  be  commissioned  by  the  Governor. 

Sec.  3.  The  Governor  shall  have  power  to  call  forth  the  militia,  to  execute  the  laws  of  the  State, 
to  suppress  insurrections,  and  repel  invasions. 

ARTICLE  VIII. 

STATE  DEBTS. 

The  Legislature  shall  not  in  any  manner  create  any  debt  or  debts,  liabi'ty  or  liabilities,  which  shall 
singly,  or  in  the  aggregate,  with  any  previous  debts  or  liabilities,  exceed  the  sum  of  three  hundred 
thousand  dollars,  except  in  case  of  war,  to  repel  invasion  or  suppress  insurrection,  unless  the  same 
shall  be  authorized  by  some  law  for  some  singh)  object  or  work,  to  be  distinctly  specified  therein, 
which  law  shall  provide  ways  and  means,  exclusive  of  loans,  for  the  payment  of  the  interest  of  such 
debt  or  liability,  as  it  falls  due,  and  also  pay  and  discharge  the  principal  of  such  debt  or  liability  within 
twenty  years  from  the  time  of  the  contracting  thereof,  and  shall  be  irrepealable  until  the  principal  and 
interest  thereon  shall  be  paid  and  discharged ;  but  no  such  law  shall  take  effect  until,  at  a  general 
election,  it  shall  have  been  submitted  to  the  people,  and  have  received  a  majority  of  all  the  votes  cast 
for  and  against  it  at  such  election  ;  and  all  money  raised  by  authority  of  such  law,  shall  be  applied 
only  to  the  specified  object  therein  stated,  or  to  the  payment  of  the  debt  thereby  created ;  and  such 
law  shall  be  published  in  at  least  one  newspaper  in  each  judicial  district,  if  one  be  published  therein, 
throughout  the  State,  for  three  months  next  preceding  the  election  at  which  it  is  submitted  to  the 
people. 

ARTICLE  IX. 

EDUCATION". 

Section  1.  The  Legislature  shall  provide  for  the  election,  by  the  people,  of  a  Superintendent  of 
Public  Instruction,  who  shall  hold  his  office  for  three  years,  and  whose  duties  shall  be  prescribed  by 
law,  and  who  shall  receive  such  compensation  as  the  Legislature  may  direct. 

Sec.  2.  The  Legislature  shall  encourage,  by  all  suitable  means,  the  promotion  of  intellectual,  scien- 
tific, moral,  and  agricultural  improvement  The  proceeds  of  all  land  that  may  be  granted  by  tho 
United  States  to  this  State  for  the  support  of  schools,  which  may  be  sold  or  disposed  of,  and  the  five 
hundred  thousand  acres  of  land  granted  to  the  new  States,  under  an  Act  of  Congress  distributing  the 
proceeds  of  the  public  lands  among  the  several  States  of  the  Union,  approved  A.  D.  1S41 ;  and  all 
estates  of  deceased  persons  who  may  have  died  without  leaving  a  will,  or  heir,  and  a'so  such  percent, 
as  may  be  granted  by  Congress  on  the  sale  of  lands  in  this  State,  shall  be  and  remain  a  perpetual 
fund,  tho  interest  of  which,  together  with  all  the  rents  of  the  unsold  lands,  and  such  other  means  as 
tho  Legislature  may  provide,  shall  be  inviolably  appropriated  to  tho  support  of  common  schools 
throughout  the  State. 

Sec.  3.  The  Legislature  shall  provide  for  a  system  of  common  schools,  by  which  a  school  shall  be 
kept  up  and  supported  in  each  district  at  least  three  months  in  every  year,  and  any  district  neglecting 


CONSTITUTION  OF  CALIFORNIA. 


813 


to  keep  and  support  such  a  school  inny  be  deprived  of  its  proportion  of  the  interest  of  the  public  fund 
during  such  neglect. 

Sec.  4.  The  Legislature  shall  tako  measures  for  the  protection,  improvement,  or  other  disposition 
of  such  lands  as  havo  been,  or  may  hereafter  bo  reserved  or  granted  by  the  United  States,  or  any 
person  or  persons,  to  the  State  for  the  use  of  a  University ;  and  the  funds  accruing  from  the  rents  or 
sale  of  such  lands,  or  from  any  other  source  for  the  purpose  aforesaid,  shall  be  and  remain  a  perma- 
nent fund,  the  interest  of  which  shall  be  applied  to  the  support  of  said  University,  with  such  branches 
as  the  public  convenience  may  demand,  for  the  promotion  of  literature,  the  arts  and  sciences,  as  may 
be  authorized  by  the  terms  of  such  grant.  And  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Legislature,  as  soon  as 
may  be,  to  provide  effectual  means  for  the  improvement  and  permanent  security  of  the  funds  of  said 
University. 

ARTICLE  X. 

MODE  OF  AMENDING  AND  REVISING  TnE  CON3TITCTION. 

Section  L  Any  amendment  or  amendments  to  this  Constitution,  may  be  proposed  in  the  Senate 
or  Assembly ;  and  if  the  samo  shall  be  agreed  to  by  a  majority  of  the  members  elected  to  each  of  the 
two  Houses,  such  proposed  amendment  or  amendments  shall  be  entered  on  their  journals,  with  the 
yeas  and  nays  taken  thereon,  and  referred  to  the  Legislature  then  next  to  be  chosen,  and  shall  be  pub- 
lished for  three  months  next  preceding  the  time  of  making  such  choice.  And  if,  in  the  Legislature 
next  chosen  as  aforesaid,  such  proposed  amendment  or  amendments  shall  be  agreed  to  by  a  majority 
of  all  the  members  elected  to  each  House,  then  it  shall  bo  the  duty  of  the  Legislature  to  submit  such 
proposed  amendment  or  amendments  to  the  people,  in  such  manner  and  at  such  time  as  the  Legisla- 
ture shall  prescribe  ;  and  if  the  people  shall  approve  and  ratify  such  amendment  or  amendments,  by 
a  majority  of  the  electors  qualified  to  vote  for  members  of  the  Legislature  voting  thereon,  such  amend- 
ment or  amendments  shall  become  part  of  the  Constitution. 

Sec.  2.  And  if  at  any  time  two  thirds  of  the  Senate  and  Assembly  shall  think  it  necessary  to  revise 
and  change  this  entire  Constitution,  they  shall  recommend  to  the  electors,  at  the  next  election  for 
members  of  tho  Legislature,  to  vote  for  or  against  the  convention ;  and  if  it  shall  appear  that  a 
majority  of  the  electors  voting  at  such  election  have  voted  in  favor  of  calling  a  convention,  the  Legis 
lature  shall,  at  its  next  session,  provide  by  law  for  calling  a  convention,  to  be  holden  within  six 
months  after  the  passage  of  such  law  ;  and  such  convention  shall  consist  of  a  number  of  members 
not  less  than  that  of  both  branches  of  the  Legislature. 

ARTICLE  XI. 
rnoMiscuois  provisions. 

Section  L  Tho  first  session  of  the  Legislature  shall  be  held  at  tho  Pueblo  do  San  Jose ;  which 
place  shall  be  Uie  permanent  scat  of  government,  until  removed  by  law:  Provided,  however,  that 
two  thirds  of  all  the  members  elected  to  each  House  of  the  Legislature  shall  concur  in  the  passage  of 
such  law. 

Sec.  4.  Any  citizen  of  this  State  who  shall,  after  tho  adoption  of  this  Constitution,  fight  a  duel 
Tdth  deadly  weapons,  or  send  or  accept  a  challenge  to  fight  a  duel  with  deadly  weapons,  either  within 
this  State  or  out  of  it;  or  who  shall  act  as  second,  or  knowingly  aid  or  assist  in  any  manner  those 
thus  offending,  shall  not  be  allowed  to  hold  any  office  of  profit  or  to  enjoy  the  right  of  suffrage  under 
this  Constitution. 

See.  8.  Members  of  the  Legislature,  and  all  officers,  executive  and  judicial,  except  such  inferior 
officers  as  may  be  by  law  exempted,  shall,  before  they  enter  on  the  duties  of  their  respective  offices, 
take  and  subscribe  the  following  oath  or  affirmation  : 

"I  do  solemnly  swear  (or  alfirm,  as  the  case  may  be)  that  I  will  support  the  Constitution  of  the 
United  States,  and  the  Constitution  of  the  State  of  California,  and  that  I  will  faithfully  discharge  the 
duties  of  the  otlico  of  ,  according  to  the  best  of  my  ability." 

And  no  other  oath,  declaration,  or  test,  shall  bo  required  as  a  qualification  for  any  offico  or  public 
trust. 

Sec.  4.  The  Legislature  shall  establish  a  system  of  county  and  town  governments,  which  shall  be 
as  nearly  uniform  as  practicable  throughout  the  State. 

Sec.  5.  The  Legislature  shnll  have  power  to  provide  for  tho  election  of  a  Board  of  Supervisors  in 
each  county ;  and  these  Supervisors  shall  jointly  and  individually  perform  such  duties  as  may  be  pre- 
scribed by  law. 

Sec.  6.  All  officers  whose  election  or  appointment  is  not  provided  for  by  this  Constitution,  and  all 
officers  whose  offices  may  hereafter  be  created  by  law,  shall  bo  elected  by  the  people,  or  appointed  as 
the  Legislature  may  direct. 


814 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


Sec.  7.  When  the  duration  of  any  office  is  not  provided  for  by  this  Constitution,  it  may  be  declar- 
ed by  law,  and  if  not  so  declared,  such  office  shall  be  held  during  the  pleasure  of  the  authority  making 
the  appointment ;  nor  shall  the  duration  of  any  office,  not  fixed  by  this  Constitution,  ever  exceed  four 
years. 

Sec.  8.  The  fiscal  year  shall  commence  on  the  first  day  of  July. 

Sec.  9.  Each  county,  town,  city,  and  incorporated  village,  shall  make  provision  f  >r  the  support  of 
its  own  officers,  subject  to  such  restrictions  and  regulations  as  the  Legislature  may  prescribe. 

Soc.  10.  The  credit  of  the  State  shall  not  in  any  manner  be  given  or  loaned  to  or  in  aid  of  any 
individual,  association  or  corporation  ;  nor  shall  the  State  directly  or  indirectly  become  a  stockholder 
in  any  association  or  corporation. 

Sec.  11.  Suits  may  be  brought  against  the  State  in  such  manner,  and  in  such  courts,  as  shall  be 
directed  by  law. 

Sec.  12.  No  contract  of  marriage,  it  otherwise  duly  made,  shall  be  invalida'ed  for  want  of  conform- 
ity to  the  requirements  of  any  religious  sect 

Sec.  13.  Taxation  shall  be  equal  and  uniform  throughout  the  State.  All  property  in  this  State 
shall  be  taxed  in  proportion  to  its  value,  to  be  ascertained  as  directed  by  law ;  but  assessors  and  col- 
lectors of  town,  county,  and  State  taxes,  shall  be  elected  by  the  qualified  electors  of  the  district, 
county,  or  town,  in  which  the  property  taxed  for  State,  county,  or  town  purposes  is  situated. 

Sec.  14  All  property,  both  real  and  personal,  of  the  wife,  owned  or  claimed  by  marriage,  and  thai 
acquired  afterwards  by  gift,  devise,  or  descent,  shall  be  her  separate  property ;  and  laws  shall  be  passed 
more  clearly  defining  the  rights  of  the  wife,  in  relation  as  well  to  her  separate  properly  as  to  that  held 
in  common  with  her  husband.  Laws  shall  also  be  passed  providing  for  the  registration  of  tbc  wife's 
separate  property. 

Sec.  15.  The  Legislature  shall  protect  by  law,  from  forced  sale,  a  certain  portion  of  the  homestead 
and  other  property  of  all  heads  of  families. 

Sec.  16.  No  perpetuities  shall  be  allowed,  except  for  eleemosynary  purposes. 

Sec.  IT.  Every  person  shall  be  disqualified  from  holding  any  office  of  profit  in  this  State,  who  shall 
have  been  convicted  of  having  given  or  offered  a  bribe  to  procure  his  election  or  appointment. 

Sec.  IS.  Laws  shall  be  made  to  exclude  from  office,  serving  on  juries,  and  from  the  right  of  suffrage, 
those  who  shall  hereafter  be  convicted  of  bribery,  perjury,  forgery,  or  other  high  crimes.  Tlie  privi- 
lege of  free  suffrage  shall  be  supported  by  laws  regulating  elections,  and  prohibiting,  under  adequate 
penalties,  all  undue  influence  thereon  from  power,  bribery,  tumult,  or  other  improper  practice. 

Sec.  19.  Absence  from  this  State  on  business  of  the  State,  or  of  the  United  States,  shall  not  affect 
the  question  of  residence  of  any  person. 

Sec.  20.  A  plurality  of  the  votes  given  at  an  election  shall  constitute  a  choice,  where  not  otherwise 
directed  in  this  Constitution. 

Sec.  21.  All  laws,  decrees,  regulations,  and  provisions,  which  from  their  nature  require  publication, 
shall  be  published  in  English  and  Spanish. 

ARTICLE  XII. 

BOUNDARY. 

The  boundary  of  the  State  of  California  shall  be  as  follows: 

Commencing  at  the  point  of  intersection  of  forty-second  degree  of  north  latitude  with  the  one 
hundred  and  twentieth  degree  of  longitude  west  from  Greenwich,  and  running  south  on  the  line  of 
said  one  hundred  and  twentieth  degree  of  west  longitude  until  it  intersects  the  thirty-ninth  degree 
of  north  latitude ;  thence  running  in  a  straight  line  in  a  south-easterly  direction  to  the  River  Colorado, 
at  a  point  where  it  intersects  the  thirty-fifth  degree  of  north  latitude;  thence  down  the  middle  of 
the  channel  of  said  river,  to  the  boundary  line  between  the  United  States  and  Mexico,  as  established 
by  the  treaty  of  May  30th,  1343  ;  thence  running  west  and  along  said  boundary  line  to  the  Pacific 
Ocean,  and  extending  therein  three  English  miles;  thence  running  in  a  north-westerly  direction  and 
following  the  direction  of  the  Pacific  Coast  to  the  forty-second  degree  of  north  latitude,  thence  on  the 
line  of  said  forty-second  degrco  of  north  latitude  to  the  place  of  beginning.  Also,  all  the  islands, 
harbors  and  bays  along  and  adjacent  to  the  Pacific  Coast 

SCHEDULE. 

Section  1.  All  rights,  prosecutions,  claims  and  contracts,  a9  well  of  individuals  as  of  bodies  cor- 
porate, and  all  laws  in  force  at  the  time  of  the  adoption  of  this  Constitution,  and  not  inconsistent  there- 
with, until  altered  or  repealed  by  the  Legislature,  shall  continuo  as  if  the  same  had  not  been  adopted. 


CONSTITUTION  OF  CALIFORNIA. 


815 


Sec.  2.  The  Legislature  shall  provide  for  the  removal  of  all  causes  which  may  be  pending  when 
this  Constitution  goes  into  effect,  to  courts  created  by  .the  same. 

Sec.  3.  In  order  that  no  inconvenienco  may  result  to  the  public  service,  from  the  taking  effect  of 
this  Constitution,  no  office  6hall  be  superseded  thereby,  nor  the  laws  relative  to  the  duties  of  the 
several  officers  be  changed,  until  the  entering  into  office  of  the  new  officers  to  be  appointed  under 
this  Constitution. 

Sec.  4.  The  provisions  of  this  Constitution  concerning  the  term  of  residence  necessary  to  enable 
persons  to  hold  certain  offices  therein  mentioned,  shall  not  be  held  to  apply  to  officers  chosen  by  the 
people  at  the  first  election,  or  by  the  Legislature  at  its  first  session. 

Sec.  5.  Every  citizen  of  California,  declared  a  legal  voter  by  this  Constitution,  and  every  citizen 
of  the  United  States,  a  resident  of  this  State  on  the  day  of  election,  shall  bo  entitled  to  vote  at  the  first 
general  election  under  this  Constitution,  and  on  the  question  of  the  adoption  thereof. 

Sea  6.  This  Constitution  shall  be  submitted  to  the  people  for  their  ratification  or  rejection,  at  the 
general  election  to  be  held  on  Tuesday,  the  thirteenth  day  of  November  next.  The  Executive  of  the 
existing  Government  of  California  is  hereby  requested  to  issue  a  proclamation  to  the  people,  directing 
the  Prefects  of  the  several  districts,  or  in  case  of  vacancy,  the  Sub-Prefects,  or  Senior  Judge  of  First 
Instance,  to  cause  such  election  to  be  held,  the  day  aforesaid,  in  the  respective  districts.  The  election 
shall  be  conducted  in  the  manner  which  was  prescribed  for  the  election  of  Delegates  to  this  Conven- 
tion, except  that  the  Prefect,  Sub-Prefect,  or  Senior  Judge  of  First  Instance,  ordering  such  election  in 
each  district,  shall  have  power  to  designate  any  additional  number  of  places  fbr  opening  the  polls,  and 
that,  in  every  place  of  holding  the  election,  a  regular  poll  li-t  shall  be  kept  by  the  judges  and  inspec- 
tors of  election.  It  shall  also  be  the  duty  of  these  judges  aud  inspectors  of  election,  on  the  day  afore- 
said, to  receive  the  votes  of  the  electors  qualified  to  vote  at  such  election.  Each  voter  shall  express 
his  opinion,  by  depositing  in  the  ballot  box  a  ticket,  whereon  shall  be  written,  or  printed,  "  For  tho 
Constitution,"  or  "  Against  the  Constitution,"  or  some  such  words  as  will  distinctly  convey  the  inten- 
tion of  the  voter.  These  judges  and  inspectors  shall  also  receive  the  votes  for  the  several  officers  to 
be  voted  for  at  the  said  election  as  herein  provided.  At  tho  close  of  the  election,  the  judges  and  in- 
spectors shall  carefully  count  each  ballot,  and  forthwith  make  duplicate  returns  thereof  to  the  Prefect, 
Sub-Prefect,  or  Senior  Judge  of  Fir.-t  Instance,  as  the  case  may  be,  of  llicir  respective  districts; 
and  said  Prefect,  Sub-Prefect,  or  Senior  Judge  of  First  Instance  shall  transmit  ono  of  the  same,  by 
the  most  safe  and  rapid  conveyance,  to  the  Secretary  of  State.  Upon  the  receipt  of  said  returns,  or 
on  the  tenth  day  of  December  next,  if  the  returns  be  not  sooner  received,  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  a 
Board  of  Canvassers,  to  consist  of  the  Secretary  of  State,  one  of  the  Judges  of  the  Superior  Court,  the 
Prefect,  Judge  of  First  Instance,  and  an  Alcalde  of  the  District  of  Monterey,  or  any  three  of  the  afore- 
mentioned officers,  in  the  presence  of  all  who  shall  choose  to  attend,  to  compare  tho  votes  given  at 
said  election,  and  to  immediately  publish  an  abstract  of  the  same  in  one  or  more  of  the  nowspapers 
of  California.  And  the  Executive  will  also,  immediately  after  ascertaining  that  the  Constitution  has 
been  ratified  by  the  people,  make  proclamation  of  the  fact ;  and  thenceforth  this  Constitution  shall  be 
ordained  and  established  as  the  Constitution  of  California. 

Sec.  7.  If  this  Constitution  shall  be  ratified  by  the  people  of  California,  the  Executive  of  the  exist- 
ing Government  is  hereby  requested  immediately  after  the  same  shall  be  ascertained,  in  the  manner 
lierein  directed,  to  cause  a  fair  copy  thereof  to  bo  forwarded  to  the  President  of  the  United  States,  in 
order  that  he  may  lay  it  before  the  Congress  of  the  United  States. 

Sec.  8.  At  the  general  election  aforesaid,  viz.,  the  thirteenth  day  of  November  next,  there  shall 
be  elected  a  Governor,  Lieutenant-Governor,  members  of  the  Legislature,  and  also  two  members  of 
Congress. 

Sec.  9.  If  this  Constitution  shall  be  ratified  by  tho  peoplo  of  California,  tho  Legislature  shall 
assemble  at  the  seat  of  Government  on  the  fifteenth  day  of  December  next,  and  in  order  to  complete 
the  organization  of  that  body,  the  Senate  shall  elect  a  President  pro  tempore,  until  the  Lieutenant- 
Governor  shall  be  installed  into  office. 

Sec.  10.  On  the  organization  of  the  Legislature,  it  shall  be  tho  duty  of  the  Secretary  of  State  to 
lay  before  each  House  a  copy  of  the  abstract  made  by  the  P.oard  of  Canvassers,  and  if  called  for,  tho 
original  returns  of  election,  in  order  that  each  House  may  judge  of  the  correctness  of  the  report  of 
said  Board  of  Canvassers. 

See.  11.  The  Legislature,  at  its  first  session,  shall  elect  such  officers  as  may  bo  ordered  by  this 
Constitution,  to  be  elected  by  that  body,  and  within  four  days  after  its  organization  proceed  to  elect 
two  Senators  to  tho  Congress  of  tho  United  State*.  But  no  law  passed  by  this  Legislature  shall  take 
effect  until  signed  by  the  Governor  after  bis  installation  into  office. 

Sec.  12.  The  Senators  and  Representatives  to  the  Congress  of  tho  United  States,  elected  by  the 
Legislature  and  Peoplo  of  California,  as  herein  directed,  shall  be  furnished  with  certified  copies  of  this 
Constitution,  when  ratified,  wdiich  they  shall  lay  before  the  Congress  of  the  United  States,  requesting, 


816 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


in  the  name  of  the  People  of  California,  the  admission  of  the  State  of  California  into  the  American 
Union. 

Sec.  18.  All  officers  of  this  State,  other  than  members  of  the  Legislature,  shall  be  installed  into 
office  on  the  fifteenth  day  of  December  next,  or  as  soon  thereafter  as  practicable. 

See.  14.  Until  the  Legislature  shall  divide  the  State  into  Counties,  and  Senatorial  and  Assembly 
Districts,  as  directed  by  this  Constitution,  the  following  shall  be  the  apportionment  of  the  two  Houses 
of  the  Legislature,  viz  :  The  Districts  of  San  Diego  and  Los  Angeles  shall  jointly  elect  two  Senators  ; 
the  Districts  of  Santa  Ilarbara  and  San  Luis  Obispo  shall  jointly  elect  ono  Senator ;  the  District  of 
Monterey,  one  Senator ;  the  District  of  San  Jose,  one  Senator;  the  District  of  San  Francisco,  two 
Senators;  the  District  of  Sonoma,  one  Senator ;  the  District  of  Sacramento,  four  Senators;  and  the 
District  of  San  Joaquin,  four  Senators.  And  the  District  of  San  Diego  shall  elect  ono  member  of 
Assembly;  the  District  of  Los  Angeles,  two  members  of  Assembly  ;  the  District  of  Santa  Barbara) 
two  members  of  Assembly ;  the  District  of  San  Luis  Obispo,  one  member  of  Assembly ;  the  District 
of  Monterey,  two  members  of  Assembly ;  the  Di>trict  of  San  Jose,  three  members  of  Assembly ;  the 
District  of  San  Francisco,  five  members  of  Assembly ;  the  District  of  Sonoma,  two  members  of 
Assembly;  the  District  of  Sacramento,  nine  members  of  Assembly;  and  the  District  of  San  Joaquin, 
nine  members  of  Assembly. 

Sec.  15.  Until  the  Legislature  shall  otherwise  direct,  in  accordance  with  the  provisions  of  this 
Constitution,  the  salary  of  the  Governor  shall  be  ten  thousand  dollars  per  annum  ;  and  the  salary  of  the 
Lieutenant-Governor  shall  be  double  the  pay  of  a  State  Senator ;  and  the  pay  of  members  of  tho 
Legislature  shall  bo  sixteen  dollars  per  diem,  while  in  attendance,  and  sixteen  dollars  for  every  twenty 
miles'  travel  by  the  usual  route  from  their  residences  to  the  place  of  holding  the  session  of  the  Legis- 
lature, and  in  returning  therefrom.  And  the  Legislature  shall  fix  the  salaries  of  all  officers,  other  than 
those  elected  by  the  people,  at  the  first  election. 

Sec.  16.  The  limitation  of  the  powers  of  the  Legislature,  contained  in  article  Sth  of  this  Constitu- 
tion, shall  not  extend  to  the  first  Legislature  elected  under  the  same,  which  is  hereby  authorized  to 
negotiate  for  such  amount  as  may  be  necessary  to  pay  the  expenses  of  tho  State  Government. 


CHARTER  OF  THE  CITY  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 

The  People  of  the  State  of  California,  represented  in  Senate  and  Assembly,  do  enact  as  follows  : 

ARTICLE  I 

GENERAL  POWERS,  ltOUNDARIES  AND  WARDS. 

Section  1.  The  People  of  the  City  of  San  Francisco  shall  continue  to  be  a  body  politic  and  corpo- 
rate, under  the  style  of  the  "City  of  San  Francisco,"  and  by  that  name  they  shall  have  perpetual 
succession,  may  complain  and  defend  in  all  courts  and  in  all  actions  and  proceedings,  and  may  pur- 


CHARTER  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


817 


chase,  receive,  and  hold  property,  real  and  personal,  and  sell  or  otherwise  dispose  of  the  same  for  their 
common  hcnetit:  Provided,  that  they  shall  purchase  without  the  eity  only  sueh  property  as  may  be 
necessary  for  the  purposes  of  burial,  or  for  the  erection  of  prisons,  hospitals,  asylums,  and  water-works 
for  supplying  the  city  with  water. 

Section  2.  The  City  of  San  Francisco  shall  hereafter  be  bounded  as  follows :  On  the  south  by  a  line 
parallel  with  Clay  street,  two  and  a  half  miles  distant,  in  a  southerly  direction,  from  the  centre  of 
Portsmouth  Square,  on  the  west  by  a  line  parallel  with  Kearny  street,  two  miles  distant,  in  a  westerly 
direction,  from  the  centre  of  Portsmouth  Square.  Its  northern  and  eastern  boundaries  shall  be  coin- 
cident with  those  of  the  County  of  San  Francisco. 

Sec.  3.  The  said  city  shall  continue  as  now  divided  into  eight  wards,  which  number  shall  not  be 
altered,  unless  by  Act  of  the  Legislature.  The  Common  Council  shall,  at  least  three  months  before 
the  general  election  in  the  year  eighteen  hundred  and  fifty-two,  and  also  during  the  second  year 
thereafter,  re-district  the  city,  so  that  each  ward  shall  contain  as  near  as  may  be  the  same  number  of 
inhabitants. 

ARTICLE  II. 

OF  ELECTIONS. 

Section  1.  For  the  government  of  said  city  there  shall  be  elected  annually,  by  general  ticket,  the 
following  ullieers:  A  Mayor,  Recorder,  Comptroller,  Treasurer,  Collector,  Attorney,  Marshal,  Street 
Commissioner,  and  three  Assessors:  and,  also,  by  the  respective  wards,  a  Board  of  Aldermen  and  a 
Boanl  of  Assistant  Aldermen. 

Sec.  2.  No  person  who  is  not  a  qualified  voter  shall  he  eligible  to  any  office  under  this  charter,  nor 
shall  any  person  be  entitled  to  vote  at  any  city  election  unless  lie  shall  be  an  elector  for  State  officers, 
and  have  resided  in  the  ward  thirty  clays  next  preceding  said  election. 

Sec.  3.  All  vacancies,  except  as  hereinafter  provided,  shall  be  filled  by  election  in  such  manner  as 
may  be  prescribed  by  ordinance. 

Sec.  4.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Common  Council  to  call  all  eity  elections,  to  designate  the  places 
of  holding  the  same,  giving  at  least  ten  days'  notice  thereof,  to  appoint  inspectors  of  elections,  to  ex- 
amine the  returns  and  declare  the  results,  and  to  determine  contested  elections. 

Sec.  5.  The  first  general  election  for  officers  under  this  charter  shall  be  held  on  the  fourth  Monday 
of  April,  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  fifty-one.  and  thereafter  annually  at  the  general  election  for 
State  officers.    No  election  shall  be  held  in  any  place  where  intoxicating  liquors  are  vended. 

Sec.  6.  All  provisions  of  law  regulating  elections  for  State  officers  shall  apply,  so  far  as  practicable, 
to  elections  under  this  charter. 

Sec.  7.  When  two  or  more  persons  have  an  equal,  and  the  highest  number  of  votes  for  the  office  of 
Mayor,  the  Common  Council  shall  decide  the  election  by  joint  ballot. 

Sec.  S.  At  the  first  election  under  this  charter  only  two  Assessors  shall  be  elected,  and  tlio  County 
Assessor  shall  act  as  one  of  the  City  Assessors  during  the  term  for  which  he  was  elected. 

ARTICLE  III. 

OP  THE  COMMON  COUNCIL. 

Section  1.  The  legislative  power  of  the  city  shall  be  vested  in  a  Board  of  Aldermen  and  a  Board  of 
Assistant  Aldermen,  which  shall  each  consist  of  one  member  from  each  ward,  and  shall  form  the 
Common  Council  of  the  city.  No  person  shall  be  eligible  to  either  Board  who  shall  not  be  an  elector 
of  the  ward  for  which  he  may  bo  elected ;  nor  shall  he  be  a  member  except  whilst  a  resident  of  the 
ward  which  he  represents. 

Sec.  2.  Both  Boards  shall  assemble  on  the  first  Monday  after  their  election ;  they  shall  sit  in  sepa- 
rate chambers,  ami  their  proceedings  shall  be  public.  A  majority  in  each  Board  shall  be  a  quorum, 
but  a  smaller  number  may  adjourn  from  time  to  time,  and  may  compel  the  attendance  of  absent 
members.  Each  Board  shall  elect  a  president  from  its  own  body,  choose  its  clerk  and  other  officers, 
determine  the  rules  of  its  proceedings,  judge  of  the  qualifications  of  election  of  its  own  members,  and 
keep  a  journal  of  its  own  proceedings,  and  shall  have  power  to  compel  the  attendance  of  members,  to 
punish  them  for  disorderly  conduct,  and,  with  the  consent  of  two  thirds,  to  expel  a  member.  Either 
Board  may  originate  or  amend  any  ordinance  or  resolution,  and  no  ordinanco  or  resolution  shall  be 
passed  unless  by  a  majority  of  all  the  members  elected  to  each  Board.  On  the  final  passage  of  every 
ordinance  or  resolution  ayes  and  nays  shall  be  taken  and  entered  upon  the  journal. 

Sec  3.  Every  ordinance  passed  by  both  Boards  shall,  before  it  takes  effect,  be  presented  to  the 
Mayor  for  his  approval.  If  lie  approve  he  shall  sign  it,  if  not  ho  shall  return  it  with  his  objections  to 
the  Board  in  which  it  originated.    Said  Board  shall  enter  the  objections  on  its  journal,  and  publish 

52 


818 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


them  in  somo  city  newspaper.  If  at  any  stated  meeting  thereafter  two  thirds  of  all  the  members 
elected  to  each  Board  shall  agree  to  pass  said  ordinance,  notwithstanding  the  objections  of  the  Mayor, 
it  shall  become  a  law.  Should  any  ordinance  not  be  returned  by  the  Mayor  within  ten  days  after  he 
shall  have  received  it,  it  shall  become  a  law,  the  same  ns  if  it  had  received  his  signature. 

Sec.  4.  Every  ordinance  providing  for  any  specific  improvemont,  the  creation  of  any  office,  or  tho 
granting  of  any  privilege,  or  involving  the  sale,  lease,  or  other  appropriation  of  public  property,  or  the 
expenditure  of  public  moneys  (except  for  sums  less  than  five  hundred  dollars),  or  laying  any  tax  or 
assessment,  and  every  ordinance  imposing  a  new  duty  or  penalty,  shall,  after  its  passage  by  either 
Board,  and  before  being  sent  to  the  other,  be  published  with  the  ayes  and  nays  in  some  city  newspa- 
per, and  no  ordinance  or  resolution,  which  shall  have  passed  one  Board  shall  be  acted  upon  by  the 
other  on  the  same  day,  unless  by  unanimous  consent 

Sec.  5.  The  Common  Council  shall  not  create,  nor  permit  to  accrue,  any  debts  or  liabilities  which, 
in  the  aggregate  with  all  former  debts  or  liabilities,  shall  exceed  the  sum  of  fifty  thousand  dollars  over 
and  above  the  annual  revenue  of  the  city,  unless  the  same  shall  be  authorized  by  ordinance  for  some 
specific  object,  which  ordinance  shall  provide  ways  and  means,  exclusive  of  loans,  for  the  payment  of 
the  interest  thereon  as  it  falls  due,  and  also  to  pay  and  discharge  the  principal  within  twelve  years; 
but  no  such  ordinance  shall  take  effect  until  it  shall  have  been  submitted  to  the  people  and  receive  a 
majority  of  all  the  votes  cast  at  such  election  ;  and  all  moneys  raised  by  authority  of  such  ordinance 
shall  be  applied  only  to  the  object  therein  mentioned,  or  to  the  payment  of  the  debt  thereby  created: 
Provided,  that  the  present  debt  of  the  city,  with  the  interest  accruing  thereon,  shall  make  no  part 
of  the  fifty  thousand  dollars  aforesaid. 

Sec.  6.  The  Common  Council  shall  have  no  power  to  borrow  money  on  the  credit  of  the  city,  un- 
less they  shall  by  ordinance  direct  the  same  in  anticipation  of  the  revenue  for  the  current  year,  and 
shall  provide  in  said  ordinance  for  repaying  the  same  out  of  such  revenue,  nor  in  such  case  shall  they 
borrow  a  sum  to  exceed  fifty  thousand  dollars ;  but  a  larger  sum  may  be  raised  by  loan  for  the  pur- 
pose of  extinguishing  the  present  liabilities  of  the  city,  whenever  the  ordinance  providing  for  tho  same 
shall  first  be  approved  by  the  electors  of  the  city  at  any  general  election :  Provided,  that  said  loon 
shall  bear  a  yearly  rate  of  interest  not  to  exceed  ten  per  cent  and  shall  be  payable  within  twenty 
years. 

Sec.  7.  The  Common  Council  shall  have  no  power  to  omit  bills  of  credit  or  to  issue  or  put,  in  circu- 
lation any  paper  or  device  as  a  representative  of  value  or  evidence  of  indebtedness,  to  award  damage, 
for  the  non-performance  or  failure  on  their  part  of  any  contract,  to  loan  the  credit  of  the  city,  to  sub- 
scribe to  tho  stock  of  any  association  or  corporation,  or  to  increase  the  funded  debt  of  the  city  unless 
the  ordinance  for  that  purpose  be  first  approved  by  the  people  at  a  general  election ;  but  this  section 
shall  not  be  construed  to  prohibit  the  auditing  and  certifying  of  accounts  by  the  proper  officers  to 
the  creditors  of  the  city,  but  no  such  audited  or  certified  accounts  shall  draw  interest. 

Sec.  8.  Annual  and  occasional  appropriations  shall  be  made  by  ordinance  for  every  branch  and  ob- 
ject of  city  expenditure,  and  no  money  shall  be  drawn  from  the  treasury  unless  the  same  shall  have 
been  previously  appropriated  to  the  purpose  for  which  it  is  drawn.  Every  warrant  upon  the  treasury 
shall  be  signed  by  the  Comptroller  and  countersigned  by  the  Mayor,  and  shall  specify  the  appropria- 
tion under  which  it  is  issued,  and  the  date  of  the  ordinance  making  the  same.  It  shall  also  state  from 
what  fund  and  for  what  purpose  the  amount  specified  is  to  be  paid. 

Sec,  9.  There  shall  be  elected  annually  by  ballot  a  joint  committee  of  accounts  to  consist  of  three 
members  from  each  Board,  who  shall  meet  at  least  once  a  month  and  examine  all  accounts  of  the  fi- 
nance department,  and  report  thereon  in  writing  to  both  Boards  of  the  Common  Council. 

Sec.  10.  No  member  of  the  Common  Council  shall,  during  the  period  for  which  he  was  elected,  be 
appointed  to  any  office  under  this  charter,  nor  be  interested  in  any  contract  or  business,  or  the  sale  of 
any  article,  tho  expense  of  whicli  is  borne  by  the  city,  or  which  may  be  sold  for  city  taxes ;  nor  shall 
any  member  sell  or  offer  for  sale  to  the  city  any  property  in  which  he  may  bo  interested. 

Sec.  11.  No  member  of  the  Common  Council  shall  vote  on  any  question  in  which  he  may  be  in- 
terested, either  personally  or  as  agent  for  another. 

Sec.  12.  The  Common  Council  shall  have  power,  and  it  shall  be  their  duty,  annually  to  raise  by 
tax  on  the  real  and  personal  property  in  the  city,  whatever  amount  of  money  may  be  requisite  for  the 
support  of  free  common  schools,  and  to  provide  suitable  buildings  therefor. 

Sec.  13.  They  shall  also  have  power  within  the  city  to  pass  all  proper  and  necessary  laws  for  the 
regulation,  improvement,  and  sale  of  city  property ;  for  the  le,vy  and  collection  of  city  taxes  on  all  tax- 
able property,  not  to  exceed  one  per  cent,  a  year  upon  its  assessed  value;  for  the  laying  out,  making, 
opening,  widening,  regulating,  and  keeping  in  repair,  all  streets,  roads,  bridges,  fences,  public  places 
and  grounds,  wharves,  docks,  piers,  slips,  sewers,  wells,  and  alleys,  and  for  making  the  assessments 
therefor ;  for  regulating  and  collecting  wharfage,  dockage,  and  cranage  upon  all  water-craft  and  all 
goods  landed  ;  for  securing  the  protection,  health,  cleanliness,  ornament,  peace,  and  good  order  of  tho 


CHARTER  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


819 


city;  for  the  prevention  and  extinguishment  of  fires;  for  regulating  firemen,  watchmen,  policemen, 
and  such  other  officers  as  it  may  he  necessary  to  appoint;  for  the  care  and  regulation  of  prisons,  mar- 
kets, houses  of  correction  and  industry,  alms-houses  and  asylums;  for  the  support,  regulation,  and 
employment  of  all  vagrants  and  paupers;  for  licensing,  taxing,  and  regulating  all  such  vehicles,  busi- 
ness, and  employments  as  the  public  good  may  require,  and  as  may  not  bo  prohibited  by  law,  and  for 
revoking  such  licenses ;  to  prohibit  and  suppress  dram-shops,  gambling-houses,  houses  of  ill-fume, 
gaming,  hawking,  pawn-broking,  and  all  indecent  or  immoral  practices,  amusements  and  exhibitions: 
to  regulate  the  location  of  slaughter-houses,  markets,  stables,  and  houses  for  the  storage  of  gunpowder 
and  other  combustibles ;  for  the  establishment  of  a  chain-gang,  and  rules  and  regulations  for  the  go- 
vernment of  the  same,  and,  in  brief,  to  pass  all  such  other  laws  and  ordinances,  for  the  management, 
good  government,  and  general  welfare  of  said  city,  as  may  not  be  inconsistent  with  this  charter,  or 
with  the  laws  or  constitution  of  this  State  or  of  the  United  Slates,  and  to  affix  penalties  to  the  violation 
of  any  ordinance ;  but  such  penalties  shall  not  exceed  imprisonment  for  sixty  days  and  a  fine  of  five 
hundred  dollars. 

Sec.  14.  All  money  to  be  received  from  the  following  sources,  shall  continue  to  constitute  a  sinking 
fund  for  the  payment  of  the  existing  city  indebtedness  with  the  interest  accruing  thereon,  until  the 
same  shall  be  cancelled : 

1st  The  net  proceeds  of  all  sales  of  real  estate  belonging,  or  that  may  hereafter  belong  to  the 
city; 

2d.  The  net  proceeds  of  all  bonds  and  mortgages  payable  to  the  city ; 
8d.  For  occupation  of  private  wharves,  basins,  and  piers; 

4th.  For  wharfage,  rents,  and  tolls.  Said  fund  or  any  part  thereof  shall  not  be  loaned  to  any  other 
fund,  or  expended  for  any  other  purposes  whatever. 

Sec  15.  The  Common  Council  shall  at  an  early  day  take  steps  to  fund  by  ordinance  the  existing 
debts  of  the  city.    The  funded  debt  shall  consist  of— 

1st  The  liabilities  for  the  payment  of  which  the  city  revenue  is  already  pledged ; 

2d.  The  creditors  of  the  city  may  fund  the  debts  respectively  due  them  at  the  passage  of  this  Act- 
on such  terms  as  the  Common  Council  may  prescribe,  at  a  rate  of  interest  not  to  exceed  ten  per  cent 
a  year,  and  payable  within  ten  years;  but  no  bond  shall  issue  of  aless  denomination  than  one  hundred 
dollars. 

Sec.  16.  The  Common  Council  shall  have  no  power  to  allow  extra  compensation  to  any  creditor  of 
the  city,  on  account  of  any  depreciation  to  which  the  city  bonds,  warrants,  or  other  evidences  of  in- 
debtedness may  be  liable. 

Sec.  IT.  The  Commissioners  of  the  Sinking  Fund  created  by  ordinance  of  the  Common  Council 
are  hereby  prohibited  from  permanently  disposing  of  any  property  belonging  to  the  city  by  sale,  lease, 
or  otherwise,  and  also  required  to  rc-convcy  and  deliver  to  the  city,  before  the  tenth  day  of  May  next 
all  property,  titles,  rights,  and  interests  belonging  to  the  city,  and  which  are  or  may  be  in  their  pos- 
session. 

Sec.  18.  The  Board  of  Assistant  Aldermen  shall  have  the  sole  power  of  impeachment  and  all  im- 
peachments shall  be  tried  by  the  Hoard  of  Aldermen.  No  person  shall  be  convicted  unless  by  the 
concurrence  of  two  thirds  of  all  the  members.  Judgment,  in  case  of  conviction,  shall  extend  no  fur- 
ther than  removal  from  office  and  disqualification  from  holding  any  office  under  the  charter ;  but  the 
party  convicted  may  be  indicted  and  punished  according  to  law. 

ARTICLE  IV. 

OF  EXECUTIVE  OFFICERS. 

Section  1.  The  executive  power  of  the  corporation  shall  be  vested  in  the  Mayor,  and  such  other 
executive  officers  as  are  or  may  be  created  by  law,  and  neither  the  Common  Council  nor  any  com 
mittee  or  member  thereof  shall  perform  any  executive  or  ministerial  business  unless  especially  direct- 
ed by  law. 

Sec.  2.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Mayor 

1st  To  communicate  to  the  Common  Council  semi-annually,  and  oftener  if  he  shall  think  proper, 
a  general  statement  of  the  situation  and  condition  of  the  city  in  relation  to  its  government  finances 
and  improvements,  with  such  recommendations  in  relation  thereto  as  he  may  deem  expedient ; 

2d.  To  be  vigilant  and  active  in  causing  the  laws  and  ordinances  of  the  city  to  be  duly  executed 
and  enforced ;  to  be  the  head  of  police ;  to  exercise  a  constant  supervision  and  control  over  the  conduct 
of  all  subordinate  officers,  and  to  receive  and  examine  into  all  such  complaints  as  may  bo  preferred 
against  any  of  them  for  violation  or  neglect  of  dnty,  and  to  certify  the  same  to  the  Common  Council : 
to  countersign  all  licenses  and  warrants  on  the  Treasury,  and  generally  to  perform  all  such  duties  as 
may  be  prescribed  for  him  by  law  or  by  the  city  ordinances. 


820 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


Sec.  3.  Whenever  there  shall  be  a  vacancy  in  the  office  of  Mayor,  or  the  Mayor  shall  be  absent 
from  the  city,  or  be  prevented  from  attending  to  the  duties  of  his  office,  the  President  of  the  Board  of 
Aldermen  shall  perform  the  duties,  receive  the  compensation,  and  possess  all  the  rights  and  powers  of 
Mayor  during  such  vacancy,  absence,  or  disability. 

Sec.  4.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Treasurer  to  receive  and  pay  out  all  moneys  belonging  to  the 
city,  and  to  keep  an  account  of  all  receipts  and  expenditures  under  such  regulations  as  may  be  pre- 
scribed by  ordinance.  Tho  Treasurer  shall  make  monthly  to  the  Common  Council  a  full  statement 
of  the  receipts  and  expenditures  of  the  preceding  month,  and  publish  the  same  in  some  city  news- 
paper. 

Sec.  5.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Comptroller  to  report  to  the  Common  Council  monthly  a  full 
and  detailed  statement  of  all  the  expenses  and  payments  of  the  city  government  and  the  state  of  each 
appropriation  made  by  ordinance,  and  he  shall  also,  at  the  expiration  of  the  fiscal  year,  publish  a  full 
and  detailed  statement  of  the  receipts  and  expenditures  of  the  city  during  said  year,  specifying  the 
different  sources  of  revenue  and  the  amount  received  from  each,  the  several  appropriations  made  by 
the  Common  Council,  the  objects  for  which  they  were  made,  and  the  amount  of  money  expended  un- 
der each ;  the  moneys  borrowed  on  the  credit  of  the  city,  the  authority  under  which  each  loan  was 
made  and  the  terms  on  which  it  was  obtained,  the  amount  of  the  funded  debt  and  of  the  interest  ac- 
crued thereon ;  with  a  detailed  statement  of  the  sums  owed  and  the  property  owned  by  the  city. 

Sec.  6.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Marshal  to  execute  all  processes  issued  by  the  Kecorder  or  di- 
rected to  him  by  any  legal  authority  ;  to  attend  upon  the  Recorder's  Court ;  to  arrest  all  persons  guilty 
of  a  breach  of  the  peace  or  violation  of  any  ordinance,  and  take  them  before  the  Recorder ;  to  super- 
vise and  control  the  City  Police,  to  superintend  the  City  Prison,  and  to  perform  all  such  duties  as  may 
be  prescribed  by  ordinance. 

Sec.  7.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  City  Attorney  to  attend  to  all  suits,  matters,  and  things  in  which 
the  city  may  be  legally  interested,  to  give  his  advice  or  opinion  in  writing  whenever  required  by  the 
Mayor  or  Common  Council,  and  to  perform  all  such  other  services  in  connection  with  Ins  profession 
as  may  be  required  by  the  Common  Council. 

Sec.  8.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Collector  to  issue  all  licenses  that  may  be  granted  by  city 
authority,  and  to  register  the  same  in  a  suitable  book  which  shall  at  all  times  be  open  for  public 
inspection ;  to  collect  all  license  taxes,  and  all  taxes  and  assessments  that  may  be  due  according  to  the 
assessment  books,  and  to  pay  over  the  same  to  the  Treasury  in  the  specific  funds  received. 

Sec.  9.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Assessors  to  prepare,  within  such  time  as  the  Common  Council 
may  direct,  a  correct  list  of  all  the  taxable  property  within  the  city,  with  the  true  valuation  thereof, 
and  to  present  the  same,  certified  by  them,  to  the  Common  Council.  The  mode  of  making  out  said 
list  and  of  ascertaining  the  value  of  property  and  of  collecting  all  taxes,  shall  be  the  same  as  is  or  may 
be  prescribed  by  law  for  assessing  and  collecting  the  State  revenue.  Should  the  owner  of  any  pro- 
perty assessed  as  aforesaid  not  be  satisfied  with  the  valuation  thereof,  he  may  apply,  under  oath,  to  the 
Board  of  Assessors  for  tho  reduction  of  the  assessment.  If  said  Board  refuse  he  may  appeal  to  the 
Board  of  Aldermen,  and  their  decision  shall  be  final. 

Sec.  10.  The  Recorder,  as  to  offences  committed  within  tho  city,  shall  have  like  jurisdiction  as 
may  be  conferred  upon  Justices  of  the  Peace.  He  shall  also  have  final  jurisdiction  in  all  cases  of 
assault,  riot,  breach  of  the  peace,  ami  petit  larceny,  and  all  crimes  and  misdemeanors  punishable  by 
fine  not  to  exceed  five  hundred  dollars,  or  imprisonment  not  to  exceed  three  months,  or  both  such  fine 
and  imprisonment. 

Sec.  11.  The  Common  Council  shall  prescribe  the  duties  of  all  officers  whose  duties  are  not  defined 
in  this  Act,  or  in  any  other  law  of  this  State,  and  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  officers  of  the  city  gene- 
rally to  perform  all  such  services  as  may  be  required  by  law,  or  the  ordinances  of  the  Common 
Council. 

Sec.  12.  The  several  officers  under  this  charter  shall  receive  for  their  services  out  of  the  city  Trea- 
sury, a  compensation  to  be  fixed  by  ordinance,  not  to  exceed  four  thousand  dollars  a  year :  Provided, 
that  the  Treasurer  shall  receive  in  lieu  of  salary  not  to  exceed  one  half  of  one  per  cent,  on  all  moneys 
received,  paid  out,  and  accounted  for  by  him,  and  the  Collector  not  to  exceed  one  per  cent,  on  all 
moneys  collected  and  paid  over. 

Sec.  13.  The  compensation  of  the  Mayor's  and  Recorder's  Clerks  shall  not  exceed  two  thousand 
dollars  each,  per  annum,  nor  shall  that  of  the  Clerk  of  either  Board  of  Aldermen  exceed  twelve  hun- 
dred dollars.  Each  Assessor  shall  receive  not  to  exceed  fifteen  hundred  dollars,  and  no  officer  oi 
department  shall  be  entitled  to  any  clerk  or  deputy  unless  as  herein  expressly  provided. 

Sec.  14.  The  members  of  the  Common  Council  shall  receive  no  compensation  for  their  services. 

Sec.  15.  If  any  person  elected  to  a  city  office  shall  remove  from  the  city,  absent  himself  therefrom 
for  more  than  thirty  days,  or  shall  fail  to  qualify  within  ten  days  after  his  election,  his  office  shall  be 
(teemed  vacant 


CHARTER   OF   SAN  FRANCISCO. 


821 


Sec.  16.  Tho  officers  elective  under  this  charter,  shall  continue  in  office  for  one  year,  it  until  tuolr 
successors  are  qualified  ;  but  any  officer  may  be  removed  for  misconduct  by  impeachment. 

Sec.  IT.  All  officers  or  persons  to  whom  the  receipt  or  expenditure  of  tho  moneys  or  funds  of  the 
city  shall  bo  intrusted,  shall  give  security  in  such  amount  as  the  Common  Council  may  require,  pay- 
able to  the  city,  and  subject  to  tho  approval  of  the  Mayor.  Such  bond  shall  bo  subject  to  the  pro- 
visions of  law  concerning  bonds  of  officers. 

Sec.  18.  All  fees,  costs,  fines,  perquisites,  or  emoluments,  for  any  services  to  be  performed  by  any 
officer  or  person  under  this  charter,  or  collected  under  any  ordinance  of  the  Common  Council,  shall  be 
paid  over  every  week  by  such  officer  or  person  into  the  City  Treasury  under  oath ;  and  no  officer 
shall  be  entitled  to  receive  his  salary  till  lie  shall  file  his  affidavit  with  the  Comptroller,  that  ho  has 
faithfully  accounted  for,  and  paid  over,  all  moneys  for  which  he  is  bound  to  account. 

Sec.  19.  For  any  violation  of  the  tenth,  eleventh,  or  seventeenth  sections  of  article  third,  or  of  the 
eighth  or  eighteenth  sections  of  article  fourth,  or  of  the  seventh  section  of  article  sixth  of  this  charter, 
the  party  so  offending  shall  be  deemed  guilty  of  a  misdemeanor,  and  on  conviction  thereof,  may  bo 
punished  by  fine  not  to  exceed  five  thousand  dollars,  and  imprisonment  not  to  exceed  one  year. 

Sec.  20.  The  officers  of  the  present  city  government  shall  continue  in  office  under  this  charter  with 
such  powers  and  duties  as  are  herein  prescribed  until  their  successors  are  qualified ;  and  nothing  hero- 
in contained  shall  be  construed  to  release  any  persons  heretofore  holding  office  in  said  city,  from  any 
personal  liabilities  which  they  may  havo  incurred  by  their  official  acta. 

ARTICLE  V. 

STREETS  AND  IMPROVEMENTS. 

Section  1.  The  Mayor,  Street  Commissioner  and  Assessors,  shall  constitute  a  Board  of  Commis- 
sioners of  Assessment  When  private  property  is  taken  for  public  purposes,  and  the  valuation  by 
said  Commissioners  is  not  satisfactory  to  the  owner  thereof,  he  may  require  that  the  mattor  bo  sub- 
mitted to  the  jury  before  the  Superior  Court,  and  the  value  found  by  tho  jury,  when  confirmed  by 
the  court,  shall  be  the  amount  which  the  owner  shall  be  bound  to  accept  and  entitled  to  receive  before 
the  property  is  taken. 

Sec.  2.  Whenever  tho  Common  Council  shall  think  it  expedient  to  open,  alter,  or  improve,  any 
street  or  alley,  or  to  improve  any  public  grounds,  notice  thereof  shall  be  given  by  publication  for  ten 
days,  in  some  daily  paper.  Should  one  third  of  all  the  owners  of  the  adjacent  properly  protest 
against  the  proposed  improvement,  it  shall  not  then  bo  made.  If  no  such  protest  bo  made,  tho 
Common  Council  shall  proceed  with  such  improvement,  at  least  two  thirds  of  tho  expenses  of  which 
shall  be  borne  by  the  property  adj  icent 

Sec.  3.  The  assessment  for  said  improvement  shall  be  made  by  the  Commissioners  named  in 
section  first  and  shall  be  proportionate  to  tho  advantages  respectively  derived  from  such  improvement. 

Sec.  4.  Should  any  person  be  dissatisfied  with  the  assessment  by  said  Commissioners,  he  may 
appeal  to  the  Board  of  Aldermen,  whose  decision  shall  be  final. 

Sec.  5.  Whenever  two  thirds  of  all  the  persons  owning  property  on  any  street  or  lane,  shall  apply 
to  the  Common  Council  for  any  improvement  thereof,  the  same  shall  be  made  on  such  conditions  aa 
the  Common  Council  may  determine,  said  persons  paying,  at  least,  two  thirds  of  the  expenses  of  suoh 
improvement. 

ARTICLE  VI. 

MISCELLANEOUS  PROVISIONS. 

Section  1.   The  fiscal  year  of  tho  city  shall  begin  on  the  first  day  of  July. 

Sec.  2.  Every  ordinance  of  tho  Common  Council  shall  embraco  but  one  subject,  and  that  shall  be 
expressed  in  its  title. 

Sec.  3.  The  ordaining  clause  of  the  city  ordinances  shall  be,  "The  People  of  the  City  of  San 
Francisco  do  ordain  as  follows." 

Sec.  4.    Taxation  shall  be  uniform  throughout  the  city. 

Sec.  5.   Licenses  shall  be  discriminating  anil  proportionate  to  the  amount  of  business. 

Sec.  6.    All  sales  or  leases  of  property  belonging  to  the  city  shall  bo  by  public  auction. 

See.  T.  All  contracts  for  work  or  supplies  shall  be  let  to  the  lowest  bidder,  after  notice  given 
through  the  public  newspapers,  and  no  officer  shall  bo  interested  in  any  contract  connected  with  his 
department. 

Sec.  8.   The  Common  Council  shall  have  no  power  to  grant  exclusive  privileges. 

Sec.  9.  The  Common  Council  shall  appoint  no  officers  for  weighing,  measuring,  gauging,  culling, 
or  inspecting  any  merchandise,  produce,  manufacture,  or  commodity;  but  nothing  in  this  section 
shall  prevent  their  passing  any  ordinance  necessary  for  protecting  the  public  health. 


822 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


Sec.  10.  The  Common  Council  shall  have  power  to  raise,  by  tax,  any  amount  of  money  that 
they  may  deem  expedient,  whenever  the  ordinance  for  that  purpose  shall  have  been  approved  by  the 
people. 

Sec.  11.  When  any  amendment  to  this  charter  shall  have  been  agreed  to  by  three  fourths  of  all 
the  members  elected  to  each  Board,  it  may  bo  submitted  to  the  people  at  any  general  election  ;  and 
if  approved  by  them,  it  shall  become  a  part  of  the  charter.  Said  amendment  shall  be  published  at 
least  sixty  days  before  said  election.  It  shall  also  be  the  duty  of  the  Common  Council  to  call  a  con- 
vention of  delegates  for  the  revision  of  this  charter.  Said  convention  shall  meet  on  ttie  first  Monday 
of  March,  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  fifty-three,  and  shall  consist  of  three  members  for  each 
ward.  Should  the  charter  as  amended  and  adopted  by  said  convention  be  approved  by  the  people  at 
any  general  election,  it  shall  become  the  charter  of  the  city  of  San  Francisco — subject,  however,  to 
the  approval  of  the  Legislature. 

Sec.  12.  The  Act  entitled  "  An  Act  to  incorporate  the  city  of  San  Francisco,"  passed  April  fifteenth 
one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  fifty,  is  hereby  repealed. 

Passed  April  15, 1851. 


LIST  OF  MEMBERS  OF  THE  SOCIETY  OF  CALIFORNIA  PIONEERS, 

WITH  THE  DATES  OF  THEIR  ARRIVAL  IN  CALIFORNIA,  AND  THEIR  PRESENT  RESIDENCES. 


Those  marked  thus  *  are  deceased. 


M  G.  Vallejo, 
Juan  B.  D.  Alvarado, 
Jose  Jesus  Martinez, 
Pedro  C.  Carrillo, 
W.  E.  P.  Hartnell* 
Win.  A.  Richardson, 
J.  B.  E.  Cooper, 
Robert  Ehvell, 
John  Wilson, 
George  W.  Vincent,* 
Timothy  Murphy,* 
Francisco  Guerrero,* 
Alfred  Robinson, 
William  H.  Davis, 
Ziha  Branch, 
George  Yount, 
Jacob  P.  Leese, 
Jose  de  Jesus  Noe, 
John  Marsh, 
[Thomas  O.  Larkin, 
John  Paty, 
John  A.  Sutter, 
W.  D.  M.  Howard, 
Isaac  Livick, 
Elliot  Libbey, 
Thomas  Cordua, 
John  Bldwell, 

G.  C.  Cook,* 
Josiah  Brlden, 
Francis  II.  Huber, 
Henry  L.  Ford, 

I).  W.  Alexander, 

H,  F.  Tescheinacker, 
Thos.  A.  Warbass. 
R.  L.  Kilburn. 
John  A.  Hoar. 
Jasper  0.  Farrell, 
Nathan  Coombs, 

M.  Schallenberger, 
Daniel  Murphy, 
John  M  Murphy, 
Martin  Murphy, 
John  Sullivan, 
Jacob  K.  Snyder, 
William  Findlay, 


RESIDENCE. 

Sonoma, 
San  Pablo, 
Martinez, 
Santa  Barbara, 
Monterey. 
Saucelito, 
Monterey 
Santa  Barbara, 
SnLuis  Obispo, 
San  Francisco, 
San  Rafael, 
San  Francisco, 
Santa  Barbara, 
San  Francisco, 
SnLuis  Obispo, 
Napa, 
Monterey, 
San  Francisco, 
Contra  Costa, 
San  Francisco, 

Hock  Farm, 
San  Francisco, 

San  Rafael, 
Sacramento, 
Butte  County, 
San  Jose, 


San  Francisco,     '•  " 
Sacramento,     Sept.  1842 
Los  Angeles,     Deer.  1842 
San  Francisco,  July,  1842 

Napa,  Mar.  " 

Monterey,  Oct.  1843 

Bodega.  Nov.  " 

Napa,  July,  " 

San  Jose,  Mar.  1844 

"  Deer.  '• 

Santa  Clara,        "  " 
San  Francisco,  Deer.  1849 
Sept.  1S45 
San  Jose,         July,  " 


DATE  OF 
ARRIVAL. 

July,  1808 
Sept.  1S09 
Oct.  1814 
Mar.  1817 
May,  1822 
Aug.  1822 
May,  1823 
Aug.  1824 
Apr.  1826 
July,  1826 
Sept.  1828 
Deer.  182S 
Feb.  1828 
Aug.  1S31 
Feb.  1831 
Feb.  1831 
June,  1833 
Oct.  1834 
Jan.  1836 
Mar.  1836 
June,  1837 
July,  1&39 
Jan.  1S39 
Oct.  1840 
Deer.  1840 
Mar.  1841 
Nov.  1841 


RESIDENCE. 


DATE  OF 
ARRIVAL. 


William  Blackburn, 
Daniel  Leahy, 
Francis  Hoen, 
Henry  C.  Smith, 
Wm.  B.  Bassham, 
Win.  F.  Swasey, 
Samuel  Brannan, 
R.  M.  Sherman, 
E.  C.  Kemble, 
Edwin  Bryant, 
Henry  Gerke, 

B.  S.  Lippincott, 
Samuel  Kyburg, 

A.  J.  Grayson, 
Ned  Grayson, 

C.  C.  Southward, 
E.  A.  King, 

D.  A.  McDermut, 
Wm.  II.  Russell, 
Joseph  Aram, 

J.  C.  Davis, 
John  M.  II. nner, 
H.  S.  Turner, 

B.  R.  Buckelew, 
J.  Caldwell  Low, 
Edward  Gilbert,* 

J.  C.  L.  Wadsworth, 

L,  W.  Sloat, 

A.  G.  Abell, 

L.  B.  Clements, 

J.  Mead  Huxley, 

J.  L.  Folsom,  U.  S.  A., 

G.  Frank  Lemon, 
II.  W.  Ilalleck, 

H.  M.  Naglee, 
R.  J.  Tobin, 
R.  A.  Parker, 

H.  A.  Schoolcraft,* 
Jas.  L.  Ord, 
John  B.  Frisbie, 
Thos.  J.  Roach* 
S.  W.  Haight, 
R.  H.  Sinton, 
Alfred  J.  Ellis. 
M.  L.  Callender, 


Santa  Cruz,      Sept.  1845 

San  Francisco,  Oct.  " 

"  Sept  " 

Alameda.         Deer.  " 

San  Jose,         Oct.  " 

San  Francisco,  Sept.  " 
"          July,  1846 

"  Mar.  " 

J  uly,  " 

Aug.  " 

July,  " 

"  Oct.  " 

San  Jose,  "  " 

Trinidad,         Feb.  " 

San  Francisco,  Nov.  " 

"  Oct  " 

"  Aug.  " 

San  Jose,         Sept  u 

Putah  Creek,    Feb.  " 

Alameda.         July,  " 

San  Francisco,  Deer.  " 

"  Oct  " 

Mar.  1847 

"  April,  " 

"  Aug.  " 

Santa  Cruz,      June,  " 

San  Francisco,  Mar.  " 


Jan.  " 

Mar.  " 

Sept  " 

Crescent  City, 

Mar.  « 

Sacramento, 

Apr.  " 

Monterey, 

Jan.  " 

San  Francisco, 

Mar.  " 

Trinidad. 

Apr.  " 

San  Francisco, 

Mar.  " 

Nov.  " 

Apr.  " 

SOCIETY  OF  CALIFORNIA  PIONEERS. 


823 


Alfred  A.  Groen, 
Geo.  Stoneman,  U.S.A. 
Henry  D.  Cook, 
John  S.  Beener, 
W.  T.  Sherman,  U.S.A. 

H.  W.  Theall, 
Charles  Stevens, 
Charles  L.  Ross, 
Horace  Hawes, 
Hiram  Grimes, 
James  Adams, 
John  Q.  Adams, 
William  Joy, 
Win.  M.  Stewart, 
Bethuel  Phelps, 
Charles  B  Johnson, 
Alfred  De  Witt, 

I.  C.  Woods, 
Herman  Wohler, 
James  King  of  Win., 
Chas.  A.  Angelo, 
Edward  Martin, 
George  W.  Ryder, 
J.  Wemvs  Austin, 
P.  B.  Cornwall, 
Gabriel  K.  Post, 
David  S.  Turner, 
Joseph  R.  West, 
Jesse  Sutton, 

John  W.  Tucker, 
David  T.  Bagley, 
A  J.  Hooper,  » 
J.  E.  Wainwright, 
Louis  R.  Lull, 
John  Vandewater, 
Charles  R.  Bond, 
A.  G.  Randall, 
F.  C.  Ewer, 
Ferdinand  Vassault, 
Daniel  L.  Ross, 
Wilson  Flint, 
Daniel  Norcross, 
L.  Pickering, 
John  McDougaL, 

F.  A.  Bonnard, 
Geo.  R.  Davidson, 
David  C.  Broderick, 
P.  A.  Brinsmade, 
Win.  Van  Voorhios, 
J.  Prall  Stephens, 
E.  W.  Leonard, 

G.  K.  Fitch, 
Squire  P.  Dewey, 
Peter  A.  Morse, 
E.  D.  Hammond, 
Wm.  L.  Newell, 
Wm.  G.  Wood, 
Samuel  Purdy, 
Philip  A.  Roach, 
R.  Julius  Stovens, 
Frank  Boole, 

J.  E.  Lawrence, 
George  Kerr* 
Henry  Meiggs, 
Hiram  Leonard,  U.S.A. 
A.  W.  Peabody, 
Wm.  M.  Eddy,* 

Wm.  a  iiotr, 

R.  P.  Hammond, 
T.  K.  Battelle, 
Geo.  A.  Hudson, 
Chas.  J.  Warner, 
G.  W  Bryant, 
E.  McGowan, 
Geo.  W.  Green, 
Washington  Bartlett, 
Robert  G.  Crozier, 
John  Benson, 
Abram  Bartol, 


RESIDENCE. 


San  Francisco, 


Sonora, 

San  Francisco, 


DATS  OF 

ARRIVAL. 

Apr.  1847 

Jan.  " 

July,  " 

Sept.  " 

Jan.  " 

Mar.  " 

Apr.  11 


Los  Angeles, 
San  Francisco, 


Sacramento, 
San  Francisco, 


Stockton, 
San  Francisco, 


Feb. 
Mar. 

Apr. 

Oct. 

Aug. 

Apr. 

Sept 

Nov. 

Feb. 

Nov. 

Dec. 

Nov. 

Oct. 

Aug. 

July. 

Feb. 

Aug. 

July, 

Feb. 

Aug. 

Feb. 

Aug. 

Nov. 

June, 

Nov. 
Apr. 

Sept 

Deer. 

J  uly, 
Aug. 
Feb. 
June, 
Feb. 
June, 

Feb. 

Apr. 

June, 

Sept. 

July, 

Juno, 

July, 

Apr. 

Sept 

Deer. 

Aug. 

June, 

May, 

June, 

July, 

June, 

Apr. 

June, 

July, 

Apr. 

Nov. 

Jnne, 

Aug. 

July, 

Oct 

June, 

Nov. 

June, 

Apr. 

Aug. 


is  Hi 


LESIDENOE. 


DATE  01' 
ARRIVAL 


Joseph  F.  Atwill, 
John  M.  Farwoll, 
Jacob  shew, 
Theodore  Payno, 
Lew  is  Peck, 
Charles  Hosmcr, 
W.  B.  Farwell, 
Chas.  D.  Carter, 
Henry  M.  Hale, 

F.  W.  Macondray, 
Chas.  Minturn, 
Richard  M.  Jcssnp, 
().  P.  Sutton, 
John  Middleton, 
James  G.  Gould, 
Aaron  Pollard, 
William  Sherman, 
Calhoun  Benham, 
P.  W.  Shepheard, 
D.  W.  Connelly. 

G.  W.  Ryckman, 
Stephen  R.  Harris, 
John  II.  Gihon, 
Gregory  Yale, 

D.  W.  Perlay, 
James  Fitton, 
John  H.  Still, 
Chas.  F.  Hamilton, 
Frank  Tilford, 
Charles  C.  Roe, 
John  Nugent, 

E.  O.  Crosby, 
J.  J.  Bryant 
E.  Morris  Earl, 
E.  Gallagher, 
Horatio  N.  Squire, 
George  S.  Porter, 
Asa  T.  Law  ton, 
John  Short, 
Philo  White, 
Isaac  M.  Hall, 

II.  S.  Brown, 
James  B.  Starr, 
J.  Judson  Ames, 
C.  J.  Brenham, 
Cullen  A.  Johnson, 
Henry  Vandervior, 
John  V.  Plume, 
Selim  Franklin, 
Henry  J.  Wells, 
John  S.  Hagar, 
E.  L.  Sullivan, 
Julius  Wetzler, 
John  W.  Conner, 
Joseph  Daniels, 
P.  A.  Hussey, 
M.  S.  Whiting, 
Wm.  D.  Fair, 
J.  N.  Cordoza, 
Albert  Williams, 
Win.  L.  Ryckman, 
Atkins  Massey, 
E.  A.  Edgerton, 
O.  C.  Osborne, 
J.  D.  Bluxome, 
James  Grant 
Win.  R.  Wheaton, 
J.  W.  Young, 
i '.  T.  Parker, 
Thomas  D.  Johns, 
A.  C.  Peachy, 
Wm.  Newell, 
Chas.  H.  West 
J.  W.  Tice, 
John  McCrackan, 
George  M.  Smith, 
W.  F.  Kelsey, 
Caleb  Hyatt, 
C.  W.  Gunnell, 


San  Francisco,  Oct.  1849 


Sacramento, 
San  Diego, 


Sacramento, 


July, 

Oct. 

May, 

July, 

Aug. 

** 

Deer. 

Aug. 

u 

Oct. 

tt 

July, 

H 

Apr. 

" 

Snpt. 

July, 

Jan. 

" 

Aug. 

" 

Deer. 

Sept 

U 

Oct. 

Nov. 

- 

Deer. 

Aug. 

July, 

Sept 

U 

n 

" 

Ang. 

•* 

Oct 

" 

Deer. 

If 

Feb. 

M 

Aug. 

" 

June, 

" 

Aug. 

Oct 

" 

June, 

{( 

July, 

li 

Oct 

ft 

July, 

II 

Oct 

a 

Sept 

tt 

Oct 

U 

Aug. 

M 

Sept 

« 

Aug. 

w 

June, 

H 

Oct 

Deer. 

" 

June, 

(4 

Feb. 

" 

June, 

(( 

Aug. 

It 

Sept 

M 

Oct 

tt 

Aug. 

U 

June, 

H 

Sept 

H 

Apr. 

tt 

Sept 

K 

tt 

July, 

" 

Aug. 

II 

Feb. 

" 

Aug. 

Oct. 

Deer. 

Apr. 

Aug. 

tt 

Sept 

Nov. 

Sept 

II 

July, 

Sept 

t, 

824 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


B.  F.  Voorheos, 
T.  G.  Bpear, 
Theodore  Boschulte, 
15.  B.  Coil, 
Joseph  W.  Philips, 

Jainr-  1..  I'.  .iim'ii, 
Smyth  Clark, 
G.  W.  Coffee, 
Jatnes  Evrard, 
James  Dows, 
S.  A.  Hopkins, 
Win.  L.  Duncan, 
Win.  E.  Keyes, 
David  B.  stover, 
George  F.  Sweeney, 

E.  F.  Northam; 
John  T.  Little, 
Elisha  Nichols, 
Chas.  H.  Gough, 

F.  B.  Austin, 
Horatio  S.  Gates, 
Julius  K.  Rose, 
David  Jobson, 

De  Witt  C.  Brown, 
Frank  Turk, 
Kirliard  Cheenery, 
Seth  B.  Kneeland, 
William  B.  Olds, 
James  Pearson, 

A.  B.  Perkins, 
William  V.  Wells, 
John  Q.  Cole, 

D.  T.  Raymond, 
J.  D.  Pierson, 

C.  H.  Crane, 

E.  W.  Crowell, 
Richard  Ross, 

Wm,  Neely  Thomson, 
John  J.  Pensam, 
J.  J.  A  Bruce, 
E.  V.  Joice, 
James  Vantine, 
Chas.  S.  Simpson, 
Thos.  E.  Lindenbcrger, 
E.  J.  C.  Kewen, 
Richard  V.  Groat, 
Geo.  A.  Parker, 
Henry  M.  Grav, 
Wm.'H.  Crowell, 
Chas.  H.  Gilman, 
John  A.  Clark, 

B.  Frank  Uillard, 

G.  Simpton, 
David  Gillespie, 
Arthur  M.  Ebbetts, 
Geo.  H.  Preston, 
Daniel  S.  Rol>erts, 
Wm.  Melvibbin, 

H.  C.  Murray, 
James  Tobin, 
W.  A.  Mix, 
A.  M.  Heslep, 
Isaac  N.  Thornc, 
Wm.  11.  Grattan, 
John  Lrskine,  jr. 
James  W.  Stillman, 
John  H.  Spooner, 


RESIDENCE. 


8an  Francisco, 


Sacramento, 
San  Francisco, 


DATE  OF 
ARRIVAL. 

Apr.  1S49 
J  uno,  " 
Aug.  " 


July, 
Sept. 
Nov. 
Deer. 

Oct 

Sept. 

July, 

Aug. 

Oct. 

Apr. 

Oct 

July. 

Aug. 

June, 
July, 
Aug. 
May, 
Aug. 
July, 
Aug. 
June, 
Sept. 

June, 
Aug. 


Mar. 
May. 
Aug. 

Jan. 

May, 

Sept. 

Aug. 
Sept. 

Nov. 
Aug. 
June, 


Red  Bluffs, 
San  Francisco, 


Oct. 

Deer. 

Aug. 

Oct 

Aug. 

June, 

Sept. 

Mar. 
Nov. 
Sept. 
Mar. 
Jan. 
Oct 
Sept 


NAMES. 

E.  J.  Folsom, 
A.  .1.  .Morrell, 
II.  P.  Jones, 
James  Holoban, 
Wm.  11.  Tiffany, 
John  M  Coughlin, 
Win.  W.  Warner, 
Reuben  Clark, 
Abia  A.  Selover, 
R.  E.  Brewster, 
Alexander  Campbell, 
S.  Rosenthal, 

John  C.  Derby, 
Thos.  J.  White, 
John  Satterlee, 
Wm.  II.  Chamberlain, 
S.  11.  Meeker, 
Joseph  Galloway, 
Jas.  B.  Town;-end, 
Edward  Conner, 
H.  G.  Blankman, 
Levi  Stowell, 
Wm.  M.  Burgoyne, 
W  in.  L.  Higgins, 
0.  W,  Lander, 
Wm.  H.  J.  Brooks, 
C.  T.  Ryland, 
Henry  A.  Breed, 
A.  Larrain, 
Jas.  R.  Duff, 
Charles  Gulliver, 
John  O.  Earl, 
Hervey  Sparks, 
Albert  11.  Clark, 
Wm.  J.  Shaw, 
Samuel  C.  Eveleth, 
Kelsey  Hazcn, 
Joseph  Shannon, 
Wake  Bryarly, 

F.  McGilvery, 
A.  S.  Wright, 

8.  Asbury  Sheppard, 
Chas.  E.  Buckingham, 
Frank  Johnson, 
John  A.  Monroe, 
J.  Horace  Kent, 
Chas.  W.  Lawton, 
Chas.  S.  Eigenbrodt, 
Wm.  E.  Bushnell, 
Jas.  O.  Callaghan, 
W.  Cornell  Jewett 
R.  K.  Dodge, 
William  Clark, 
Joseph  G.  Cadiz, 
R.  Erskino  Newland, 
William  Baker,  jr., 
John  P.  Buckley, 
A  B.  Paul, 
David  Dwyer, 
J.  M.  Tewksbury, 

F.  11.  West, 
W.  J.  Whitney, 

G.  T.  Upham, 
L.  A.  Birdsall, 

G.  Burdell.  • 
W.  Uoskins, 
L.  D.  Jones, 


RESIDENCE. 


DATE  OK 
AKKIVAL 


San  Francisco,  Deer.  1S49 

Apr.  •' 
Oct 

Aug.  " 

"  June,  " 

"        July,  " 

£  Aug.  " 

"  Sept.  " 

"  June,  " 

Aug.  « 

"  Deer.  " 

"  July,  " 

"  Sept.  " 

"  June,  " 

Miss.  San  JosG,  Aug.  " 

Sacramento,     Oct.  •' 

San  Francisco,  Nov.  " 

"  July,  '• 

"  Apr.  " 

Monterey,        June,  " 

San  Francisco,  Feb.  " 

"  June,  " 

!!  A"g"  \\ 

"  Nov.  " 

San  Jose,        July,  " 

San  Francisco,  Deer.  " 

"  July,  H 

"         Feb.  " 

"  Deer.  " 

"         June,  " 

Los  Angeles,    July,  " 

San  Francisco,  June,  " 

"  Apr.  " 

"  Nov.  " 

"  Aug.  " 

"  Nov.  » 

"  Sept.  ** 

"  Nov.  " 

Sacramento,     Apr.  " 

San  Francisco.  Deer.  " 

"  Oct  " 

"         June,  14 

"  Sept.  " 

"  May,  " 

"  Sept  " 

"  Aug.  " 

Feb.  " 

"  Apr.  " 

"  June,  " 

"  Sept  " 

"  Nov.  " 

"         July,  " 

"  Sept  " 


THE  END. 


